THE LONDON STRIKE

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10677, 25 July 1912, Page 3

THE LONDON STRIKE

ITS CASJGE AND EFFECT.

A ,SPIN,ELKS&

A Masterton. firm ha;; rrod il.. Iio« :bg intorcjyting cix. c. cj.: .vJt-n j .'1 , unc M'.i i, f.jjin a .n ,v ! English merchants : j "You iwll r.o doubt have been 11:- ■ formed try newspaper cab 100 that strife between dock 1 ;iboirrers and dock .authorities litis again broken out jiiil London. 'This p; v jy:nt gtrugglc is <w;cr.rleaiiy the of Labour lender .agitators, and it has never received hearty support from the men thom<3oh*C3. J t is undoubtedly to a large oitont t]io irosiiilt of eoeouragamont given to Trade I)nion agitators by the •piKKSont .Government, whose every in- ; tcirfcrcnco in ,industrial affairs has had Jamontablo remits. The various j Miners' Strikes and tho Groverrnnent's •action 'in tlie matter in ,parsing a }aw to the effect iU:ai: nxnci'j shali bo 021ttitiiled to a minimum, wage ii::. r.i;i J lira! cci rxqi:«:c<! in every i:j;:ko j 'tlio esuniiy bo:i..vii:g that jh.'.v. i hiave a Jog.al minimi:rn v.T.go too. Li; 1 . I tba ]r.-ii irni;. h!e p-.rt (f ih:> vrlu-lo cf ! fair : a il'iafc this law hsrer prr>i c>! e:>;r:- 1 plutpiy .abortive. 'J:-; 1 Lav. - it.srM' .no:: w;n.; l'o l~f ;i:l ( a ,z;.'i:.i, h;.l hj::;; nuthc.ris:-d the apjn i :tn:ri:t local Coir.mil'kvs pm/ded r by ar. cfficH ck*.ri:x.n, to fix i-Jio wage s » tho respective district?,. Xo avva.ri I 'lwr. yet given rafcirfac-tion to the men : iu cfiße (r»> tho a..;.art! baa Ift {::u | nien :n receipt • f ..••mailer wages. And j £0 to-day we have iVr.'/.j separate u:i:> ' er-s' strikes all ever the ;;''.ar..lry. 'ICio attitude of linden deckrrlias bo en very half ilioarbaj all through and they are .r-ati:.r:v!'y iboccmrn-g fated by the f.xt that thc-ir nxxcc-r I

are. being gradually fJ'.cd v.p by no I'mion men. 'Je-c'.ay ihrr. l are at werk i'n London Do;>ks ocir.e ll ; 0f;(), as a;:aiii£.t a ncccr.al

It has to bo borne -in m-ind. : ihat a:: •agreement v,m r.rrived at cn hho re•cas'ion t.f .the last deck olrike, suno 'eighteen .month's age, /u hereby a:lj ■coirflpflaint or grievance? that tin; ia;i anight have, or oorr.'.dcr they hid should bo axiecrcd to a o;nci,;iati::ri •Board, before any c'lrike was declared. The «'st&nisible 'reason for -the prestrike was ilhe facrt ef a r.on(ur.icr.ict wcrkirg fcr .a .certa'i.i firm. :No notice was given, tlio men leaving 'their work suddenly on tho pica that they would not worn .alongside a non.i:nioni:.';. Naturally, in face cf tlii'f; 'fiapraot breach cf .for.tract, the Eofk Authc.ritici '-and other employers <:-f . dock labour suy they will not disci'.:.!, 'itMy prepcsaJs until tho men observe ■the last agreement by returning to ■work. The Government have- attempted to over-ride tho master..?, arii have urged them very etrcngly t:i ifoi'Tn a Federation, rin .olh.er v.-crds tc: ifor.m a Trr.iit wherehy every git-pi oyer ■of la.bo'ur ' i the dcclu o1k>: 1.2 ret in ■rJiiitv, (but the employee^-ha re ctood in thfir C'i'ig'i.-.'.il position, and resisted the pi'CiXiUiv cf the (Jevc.rn.niont. This etroug ei;.:leavour cf the (Government to fonn a lu:ge Trust in abra-nge contradiction to their usual .attitude cf opposition to Trusta, which they s.iy.- ar-» 'i.-iinucal to pi.f.>lite inter cets. At the prc'S:nt mcmc-nt, tho ■Govf-iia-ment have intimated that the-V; endeavours to bring about a conciliation have failed, and that they do not see their way to take further action.

I La&t week tho Chief Ccrofcibb cf 'the County cf Essex (in whk-h 'tv are the :Tilbury Decks) applic-d to ■tihe Horec Secretary fcr ro;ij;r."eoinent)3 o:f police fcr tho propose c.f protecting incM who were !uinp; to work, but were intimidated by t.lie ti - :kor^ 1 and their hooligan companions. A eerKdanvble sensation was oansediby the reply of. tho Hovne Svcrotary (Mr M'eKa:<na). who sa'cl thai he could only <?p;iro men to reprcr.r' actual outbreaks cf violence or lv; ■convoy provisions into London. In fact, it amounted to a refusal to pretext men willing to work wlio wero intimidated' bv the slrikera. Tho presen, t position is that mo:i are beirrr 'steadily brought into London and aiv ■working under pchce protection, and that the Royal A wart and Victoria ■Docket, where most cf the Australian nntl New Zealand boaload, are in an exceptionally good position. The otiie.r ports, tuch r.a Bristol, Liverpool and Glasgow, ;uv ])ir.ictically unaffected;. And so -wo hope that we may get our clients' goods through without groat delay by ca.ici?ully w-atr.hing th? p:v:;tion at the Louden Decks a,:xi «va:hig ourselves more J:an cf tho facilities cf tlie west ccaofc pcrts. Tt ;o romarkabb that notiy-ithstanc;-n:g thceo labour trcuW-ee, and the idi'.T.vba:-ks xbey inflict upe.y British •trade, (some cf which, o'las, wil;l never be recovered) ec-irancree, finance and .banking are all exe.-pticoally bi»y and ficurif.biug. Tho general! returns .far 1911, notwi'tlutnne'aig the almr-ct •ront'ivucus Inborn- faxuMt« throughout tlie year, wero goo.d, ar.d ;o f*:;\

>1912 j-> •better. Hut we arc fenrsomely certain that sooner or later we shall.bo feeling very seriously th« '■.•Prvi':, s cf present troubles. The volume of trade is reflected in th.-< price ■cf I'a'iv n:nr:e rials."