THE STRIKE.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 August 1920, Page 5

THE STRIKE.

, fEW MEN RETURN. NO COAL DISCHARGED. IHJXIi LABOR EXPECTED IQ-DAYj Br Tel*r»Jli.—P»« AMoelatlon. Wellington, Last Night. The waterfront trouble was only partally settled to-day, and no coal at . »U wis unloaded for the electric light . ing station, the poweriouie, or the gasUrorjcs. A meeting of the Waterside Workers' Union, held during the morning, carried ' »'■' resolution to resume work on the Japanese steamer Meikai Maru, hut when th*. call for labor was made at 1 p.m. the. response was so poor that the employers decided not to ask the men to onload tie coal boats lying at the •' pfcaJvtt, Then was an attendance of about 1000 men at.the of {he Waterside Wt*kets> Union, and the discussion BMrtred ia the (recommendation from tile Bffiro executive to the effect' that work eri the-Japanese steamer should be resumed on the understanding that ♦he Disputes Committee would be'called together afterwards to decide whether the nature of the phosphate cargo would (warrant -any inSrease on the agreement irate rf pay. -.The proceedings, it is stated, were very lively, the executive feting subjected to & good deal of hostile criticism by a noisy section. Eventually, fe» a majority of 280 votes, it was detHei to adopt the executive's recom* >e&4ation. "* FOREMAN HOOTED.

At tha conclusion of the Union meetbag, the president (Mr. Glover) informed (fit, Burnett (manager of the Waterside Employment Association) that the men Had decided to man the Meikai Mam on the understanding that the Dispute* Committee would visit the ship afterwards and examine the cargo whilst it was being discharged, for the purpose of BajlWssetfl6r an increase in the rate of pay Wis justified. Mr. Bennett agreed to* this arrangement on behalf of the empldtetß, and at 1 p.m. a call for labor WWtau&e by one of Gannaway and Cp.'s fonktta. There. Was a great crowd present, and Jntreh. eteitement prevailed. As soon as the foreman appeared on the stand he was accorded a hostile reception, being fiooted and counted out. The foreman Jffas tfttH withdrawn, and Mr. Aucher, another of Gannaway and Co.'s officials, toolc his pliee. Mr. Auoher succeeded in engaging, barely two gangs, and on account -of the noisy demonstration made bji hostile section of the Union memfceft lie -also had to leave the stand. . Onl* about SO men were taken on, ,tMqnas fully three times this number !»e» required, to work the vessel. The tnen engaged included several members .ef the executive, of the Union. The,action of those men who signed <m,fyr dbty was viewed with considerhbfc disfavor by a section of the crowd, • wid ode worker was subjected to rough by a couple of his fellow unionfetri Despite this, however, the men engaged at once proceeded to the Meikai Sbirtjt at the railway wharf, and the worlc of discharging the phosphates was Jfeaumed, being continued throughout the kttenwn and also at night.

, COAL IN PORT. Ag soon as it ww seen that no more labor would be available for working theSSteikai Maru, the employers reafariaed their former attitude that the ship mini be fully manned before any other men were put on to man other Ships, including the vessels which have [ Mai cargoes on bond. The only excep- , tiopg were- the inter-Island steamers. A ttteeting of employers was held in the Afternoon, and the whole matter was discussed at) considerable length, but .it wjtf.decided not to swerve from the previous decision. To-morrow morning, at 3 o'clock, it is proposed to call for the full number of gangs to.work the Meikai Maru, and it is hoped the men will be prepared to earrjr but the decision of the meeting of m union. Besides the coal-laden vessels Komata, Xini, and Bona —which have been in port for several days—the barque Raupo arrived to-day with about 1080 tons of ' coal from Newcastle. Owing to the fact that no, berth was available to-day the Raupo anchored in the stream. The Karamu, with about 1400 tons of coal, arrivefl in; the evening.