POSITION IN WELLINGTON.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 3 November 1913, Page 5

POSITION IN WELLINGTON.

ARRIVAL OF SPECIALS. STONING OF CONSTABLES. A HOPEFUL OUTLOOK. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) , WELLINGTON; Last Night, j Wet weather to-day made matters ; quiet in the city. A large crowd of strikers and the general public, headed by the watcrsiders' band, left?' the Post Office, . Square about, 2, o'clock and marched -away to Newtown Park, to hold a meeting, at which strikers were to ' apeak. So far as the progress i through the city was concerned, all i passed off quietly. Further contingents of mounted men have arrived from the country, j 200 getting iti by special train from , Taranaki, and another lot from Wairarapa. It is stated tEat the railway line jggisi to be guarded around Shannon, "the,flax workers hiving gathered to . .give the train a reception. . f Beyond some windows being broken by stonee thrown at the train, ho. damage. resulted. ' . . Reports were current to-day that the Rangitikei bridge was blown up, to prevent trains from crossing, and that a bridge at Shannon- was burned. These, iso far, appear foundation* less. . 'i'he Railway Departmeht had been warned of possible trouble ,in the , Shannon and Levin districts, and the line was closely patrolled. There were several serious stoning incidents yesterday. As the squadrons of mounted men passed through the .str.eet.s, a good ileal of road metal was .launched '■* against liorsomon, who. however, stood the fife well, and no' serious j casualties were reported. ■ [ At a special meeting of representatives or all uiuons in ■ Wellingtou iheld this morning, the position of the crisis was outlined by the representatives of the United Federation of Labour. After full discussion it wws -decided, "That this meeting consider the proposals now submitted by the "United Federation of Labour aS a 'basis of settlement are fair and reasonAble, and urges upon the Hon. W. "F. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward;to promote a further conference between the parties, with a view to tion of these proposals, and that a delegation from this meeting be ap- \ pointed to wait upon the Prime Minister and Sir Joseph Ward to .urge j upon them the need of calling a conference." Two proposals' were submitted by the Federation of Labour as follows: —

(1) That all water,siders should at once resume \Vork on the same conditions as were operating prior to the cessation'of • operations, and that a ccnferenco be immediately held between the shipping companies and the parties concerned' for the purpose of drafting a new agreement. (2) That the present national agreement be extended, for a period to be arranged from date, to cover the water-fronts of the Dominion, ( with a penalty to he arranged for stopp&ge of work as v defined fey clause 28 of the old agreement. It is understood that Mr Massey, Sir Joseph Ward, and Messrs Young, Hickey, and Semple holding a conference this afternoon on the foregoiitig proposals. • The meeting at Newtown Park attracted between 3000 and 4000 people despite the pouring rain. Addresses were given l>y Professor W. T, Mills, Mr Holland, Rev. -Brainslee and others, and the following resolution was "Geclared carr.ed unani-nim-Tsly.: "That this Meeting of Wei-I lington citizens protests against the j unnecessary invasion of our city b> | jn med men,. while the workers are ■swll ready to return to work, and before all peaceful methods of settlement have been exhausted. 1 Toward the end of the meeting, Mr "Young, who had just arrived -from the conference at Parliament House, made the following announcement "Since the procession 'left the Post Office Square, . developments have place which entirely! change the position, and 1 am in hopes that before many hours have " passed we shall have effected a settlement of the trouble." Til© tramwaymen met thrs morning, and it is understood passed a resolution of sympathy with the strikeis. The W«iiine's seamen and firemen gave siotice yesterday at Lyttelton aud are to be brought ashore this evening, the vessel being now in the ■stream. v , The crew of the Mapoiihka, which arrived this morning jrom Picton, have also given notice.