LABOUR TROUBLES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9638, 2 November 1909, Page 5

LABOUR TROUBLES.

STRIKE OF QUARRYMEN.

HIGHER WAGE DEMANDED.

United Press Association—JSy Electric Telegraph Copyright, Received November 1, 10.5 a.m. SYDNEY, November]. The majority of the quarrymen about Sydney will be idle to-day, having decided to stand out for an increase of a shilling a day. The strike will affect other branches of tne building trade. In a few cases the men's demands have conceded. The coke works at the Clifton Colliery have been closed, owing to the strike of the miners.

PRIVATE QUARRIES IDLE

CLIFTON STRIKE CASES

Received .November 2, 1 a.m. SYDNEY, November 1. Most of the private quarries about Sydney are idle.

The strikers demand not only a shilling increase but a reduction in the working hours from 48 to 44 hour 3 per week. The hearing of the Clifton strike cases has been resumed. The strikers decided not to attend the Court unless they were kept in custody or supplied with fnod, declaring that they were without means to obtain food, and could not leave the district to get work because of having to attend Court.

The strike at the South Clifton colliery is as unfortunate in every respect as it is stupid in several and almirable in others, says the "Sydney Daily Telegraph." However much the foolishness and the wastefulness of the rupture may be deplored, one cannot but admire the moral and physical courage which the two men against whom it is being waged have shown in standing up for their rights even at the expense of their livelihoods and the community's toleration of them; and also the devotion shown by the 300 odd other men who in times not at all plentiful ; haVH sacrificed already more than a fortnight's work in order to assert the principles and the authority of their unionism. The pity is that all the bother shuuld be about so paltry a matter, and that there would now j seem to be no end to it honourable alike to all parties. The trouble started about June 30th last, after I the quarterly cavil. This was an ordinary cavil, not providing for any ] special places. When the first idle day came round 37 men were put | on to work specials. That was abuut one-third of the complement in the colliery. Those men went in and worked, while the other men employed in the mine had to take a day off. Next idle day there was a call for 27 men, and the others became still more dissatisfied. It was asserted that instead of the special men being employed only on stooks. they were put en to work pilars hardly yet t niched A special meeting of the lodge was held, and it was decided that nobody should be allowed to work special, except those actually emDloyed talcing out stooks, and next day two men were posted at the lamp cabin to tell every miner about the position of altairs. Out of the 247 men whose names had been pos-ted for special wntk 13 went in, and of these 11 were fined 10s each for disobeying the order of the lodge. At the special committee meeting held to dtal with the matter, all the men fined, including Williamson and Phillips, were present When to!d of the fine, Wil liamson said: "You have fined; now get it." Phillips said he would see the colliery st ipped before he would pay thi fine. The committee gave the men two months in which to pay, and offered to receive the money in fortnightly instalments of 2s 6d. At the <>fld of two months the only fines paid were those of two men who had discharged the whole of their liability as soon as it was imposed. With regard to the remaindtr, except Williamson and Phillips, a satisfactory understanding was come to; but these two men remain d rontumacii us and it was de cided to deal w:t'.i fiem. A month ago tn> whi'e of the front shift, wh/.\. t. y assembled at the pit • top, interviewed the manager and protested againts working with Williamson and Phillips. The manager said that if the shilt went in as usual he would post a notice that the two men in question would be refused their lamps unless they discharged their indebtedness to the lodge. This was done that day, but later on both men were reinstated. After that the whole of the men remained Idle. That is substantially the union story. It differs in several vital particulars fro that told by Williamson. The refusal of Williamson and Phillips to pay the tines is based on their contention that, as they had broken no rules, the fines were illegally imposed. _______„_„.