AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8405, 20 April 1907, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

THE COAL CARRIERS' STRIKE. Received April 19, 10.58 p.m. SYDNEY, April 19. The trouble in connection with coaling the mail steamers and the subsequent action of the colliery owners and stevedoies in establishing a bureau, culminated in the members of the Coal Lumpers' Union taking concerted action, eight hundred engaged on various vessels refusing to work. A mass meeting of the men affected was held A during the day, and it was resolved that during the present lock-out no member of the Coal Lumpers' Union shall engage in employment from any member of the Sydney Coal-owners' Association, as their conditions are contrary to the recent arbitration award; also that no member shall work for any stevedore who employs bureau labour. It was further resolved that, if all the stevedores and colliery owners outside the Coal-owners' Association give a written guarantee that they will not aid the Association during the lock-out, the members of the Lumpers' Union will work in conjunction with them. The officials of the Lumpers' Union state that there is every desire on the part of the men to work in accordance with the Arbitration Court award, but they could not be expected to work under the unbearable conditions which are not equal to those of the other organisation. It was also claimed that the present action is an attempt to break up the Union. Received April 20, 1.10 a.m. SYDNEY, April 19. The strike practically affects all steamers coaling in Sydney, and will probably drive many vessels to other ports to coal unless a speedy settlement is arrived at. New Zealand and other steamers which coal at Newcastle are not affected. The steamer Yorck has finished coaling, the work having been carried out by her own crew. The Jap-. anese.mail steamer is also utilising her own crew for coaling purposes. I DEATH OF A CENTENARIAN. Received April 19, 11.42 p.m. SYDNEY, April 19. An aboriginal named King Cobbler died at Narrabri, aged 100 years. He was a strict teetotaller. GERMANS AND AUSTRALIAN TRADE. Received April 19, 11.42 p.m. SYDNEY, April 19. The rapid inroads that are being made into the Australian trade by the Germans is causing some uneasiness among shipping firms. Figures have been prepared showing that out of 720,000 bales of wool shipped during the present season, 255,000 had been secured by the North German Lloyds and GermanAustralian lines.