THE OTIRA TUNNEL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10153, 1 February 1911, Page 5

THE OTIRA TUNNEL.

WORK AT A STANDSTILL. TROUBLE'WITH THE: MEN. By Telegraph—Press Assocuttioii. , ( ■■■ ,CHRISTCHIJRGHv:Last%ight;-' , Work at the, Otira i; end of/'the Arthur's Pass tunnel; is at a standstill, owing to the refusal of ;Mr Murdoch McLean to receive 'as /a member of a deputation from the workers Tim Armstrong, secretary of jthe Tunnel Workers' Branch of thei West Coast General Labourers' Union.'.-" • •'■."■

, Negotiations have been broken off, and.the Union.'has decided i;o hand over the dispute, to the New Zealand. .Federations <jf Labour: Mr Semple,. "of 'arrives; "at Otira ib-morrdw.. ■.

; The men's grievances are similar ix) fthose investigated by Mr" Hally, Conciliation Commissioner, about twenty months ago, the principal being the absence of a definition of wet places. : :

Thoiimen held an open-air meeting 'to-night, and 'discussed matters, but no resolutions were passed!"*" ,

No definite news has heeji received as to the attitude of the men at the pnd r 'of the tunnel, but it.-is: ; confidently expected by the Unionists that' they will follow The example oif, the Otira men. Armstrong went to Bealey to-day, and was to be meeting the men there this evening/:

The. present feeling at Otira is that the struggle will be a keen one, bu,t the unpreparedness of the for a,long and continued .conflict is one .point against rt, being a lengthy one.''•''.'.'.' '' ..' ;<''•' '".' '"■■ ..'*• '" ''■"". ■■'.■'.•