STRIKE-BREAKING

Taranaki Daily News, 3 October 1919, Page 5

STRIKE-BREAKING

STRIKERS' ADVANCES I " LLOYD-GEORGE. WILL FIGHT IT OUT. REMARKABLE IMPROVEMENT IN SERVICES. Mt Tdtcr«pb.a-F(Mt Aub.—Cotgnlght. . ;_ Received Oct. 3, 12.20 a.m. London, Oct. 1. Will-informed quarters believe that the railway men would welcome an opportunity to reopen negotiations with * View to a possible settlement. A certain section of the Cabinet strongly adhere to the opinion that they should ftght the strike against the community. The rapidity with which the Government eoMd with the raUwaymen's Budd*n ttHRe is due to the fact that plans were prepared gist months ago in vie* of the possibility of a lightning strike of industries. It is understood that if tie busdrivers strike the Government will have ftnlckt Tunning again within three hours, and also have three thousand moW Tfehielm from the Slough depot on the roads within a week. The . various adjournments by the Labor delegates is regarded as an indhotion that a general strike is «nHkaly. There Was a remarkable impf ovttneht * to-day te the tttnk lines, while the Lon- - ion BM suburban traffic is running with increasing smoothness. Volunteer , MTticaa an operating four underground railways. A Downing Street' communique says "tlttt train continue to improve; More men are resuming. One hundred and aev'ent? of the traffic staff were reinatated on one line alone. The Food Ministry in twenty-four hours cleared ten thousand tons of perishables from the metropolitan stations, not using the Government lorries. Mr Lloyd George informed a deputation that it was (juite impracticable to re<opeß negotiations with the railwayfltth until work was resumed. Mr Uoya George, unattended by hh colleagues, received a deputation from the Transport Worker*' Conference. The interview lasted font hours. The deputation then proceeded to Caxton Ball, and declined to make a statement to 4fce press. Received October 3, 12.36 a.m. , London. Oct. 1. the railwaymen'* strike pay is 12s weeklv. It is estimated the strike will «swt the National Union ef Railwaymen over a quarter Of a million weekly. Four hundred steamer* at* detained on tlie TVne. unable to get bunker coal. Cable Assn. POSITION IMPROVING. MEN RETURNING.

London, Get. 1. ■fhe latest official announcement States that the strike position continues to improve. The number of railwaymen resuming work are increasing, and normal deliveries of foodstuffs by the railway companies are starting. The communique urges that food, coal •«d petrol must be strictly economised it View of the fact that the dislocation of the traffic may continue for some time. Owing to the increased, cost of proUttetion the Food Ministry has raised plTprices of meat by 24d per pound. , The Transport Workers' Conference issued a statement that the meeting discussed rendering practical help to the rfe&waymen. Representatives of the following unions were present: General Wfekers, postal unions, Amalgamated Steiety of Engineers, Iron and Steel Trade Federation, the whole of the printing trades unions and the Railway Clerks' Aesoelation. The Parliamentary Committee of the Trades Union Conference also attended. It was decided to ask Messrs Thomas and Bromley, representing all graces of railwaymen, to state the situation. After hearing them the conference fadopted a "resolution that the whole of ■the delegates were convinced that the strike was purely a trades union strike for wages and conditions. Aftet Messrs Thomas and Bromley had withdrawn a resolution requesting an interview With the Premier was carried. The executive's announcement declar\ig that it would stop at nothing to defend the long established principles of trade unionism and the right to de<iftml wage*, constitutionally secured, i On account of the railway strike the iKing is motoring to London from Bal£Bttm], Scotland.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. THE ISSUES DEFINED.

> THE GOVERNMENT'S OFFER. ~'~ " London, Oct. 1. /he newspapers give prominence to the isffte* of the strike, which the bulk Df the public has not yet grasped, i 'The summarised issues are that the frailwaymen demand that every worker, except firemen and drivers, who have no grievance, shall receive as a permanent Standard wage the 33s weekly bonus, wfcUit wm the flat wat wage, plus the highest rate paid before the war in the rwrpective grades, with a minimum of <Bot p*r week. The Ouwument offer that the new Htes ahafl be 10 per cent above prewar rates, with a minimum of 40 per wade, and that the difference between M* tkbu and the present earrffaiM (hall be maintained until the cost , ftMrvtag has fallen to 110 per cent over »tte nre-waf flgW*. Wwn the *fore-mentioned war wage was awarded ib» ewrt ef living was 125 ■mtt «nt 4/aan the T*e-war rate. It is £o* 1M V* cent. The Government offen that a, HM when* the cost of h*ihr'ftu fallen to 110 per cent the Tesi--3» of the war wags shall still be paid oatfl tfc* cost of livine has remained at ifWc* that Wet ftf DM* ttonths. «ven then the rtsttw of the way <m«« «b»B not *»« off *« n lamp. **■ tfr*H be readjusted either Try a »M"7 scale or by reference to an independon. Industrial'trrlnmal. ~ T> different* lietweetl the flemanri jmd the offer may be briefly illustrated: The railwavmen tw a man who received 18s weeklv i-forr the war and now feceives, with the aforemen-

have a minimum wage of 60s. The Government offers the 18s man a minimum of 403, plus lis, the residue of the war wage, until Decemher 31 and thereafter until the cost of living has appreciably and permanently fallen. Then the lis may be reduced gradually in proportion to the further fall in the cost of living. Replying to a request for a clear explanation of the Government offer Mr Lloyd George telegraphed to Cardiff that in no event, even when the cost •of living falls to the pre-war level, will any grade of railwaymen on the average get less than twice the pre-war wages. A LENGTHY CONFERENCE , MR. THOMAS' ADVICE. Received Oct. 2, 8.30 p.m. London, Oct. 2. The conference resumed to-day. Mr. Thomas states that the public will get some satisfaction from the knowledge that they have come together again. It is the duty of both sides to see that they do not break away until they have made a settlement.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. * CONFERENCE ADJOURNS. Received Oct. 2, 7.40 p.m. London, Oct. 2 (12.15 a.m.). The railwaymen were still holding a conference at Downing Street at midnight. Received Oct. 2, 8.15 p.m. London, Oct. 2 (12.50 a.m.). The conference broke up at 12.30, and may resume to-morrow.—-Aus.-N.Z. Cable