POSITION IN CANTERBURY.

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

POSITION IN CANTERBURY.

TWO MANIFESTOES ISSUED. AX APPEAL TO REASON.

The following communication from | tho Striko Committor of tho Lyttellovi .NVatorswio Workers'- Union was lianded', to tho • Press this afternoon: "Coronation Hall, Lvttelton, from the Press Committee ro strike; matters in Lyttclton. : —An cntlinsiastic meeting of delegates from the Canterbury 'organised unions was held in the Trades Hall, Christelnirch, last night. Over twenty delegates were present, and avoat enthusiasm was shown. Offers .were received guaranteeing tho billeting of the wives and children.ot strikers, and full support from all organised unions in Canterbury. It was stated that matters were very satisfactory, and that splendid was being .shown on tho Lyttelton waterfront. Regarding the Ulimalon fruit question, it was stated thfit that an endeavour was mado by an agent from Christelnirch to handle the fruit under various plausable reasons, but the handling of fraa£ was firmly and promptly refused. Re tho hoNpitaland asylum necessary, tho strike committee will be only too pleased to give every aissistanee. '''bo committee emphatically deny having stopped any local food supply, and the action of some local retailers n standing by the watersiders in thc»-e present troubles has earned the gratitude and support of all unionists. By I order of tho Strike Cbmm'ittee:; IF..' I Luch."

Tho President- of the North Canterbury Farmers' llni<wi has issued the following manifest;* to 'iho waterside workers at, Lyttelton • ' While we callnot but. admire tho spirit of loyalty .'which has prompted you to cease work in support of yrtur confreres in other centres, wo much regret that your action is causing, and is-, likely to eonsidera.ble> loss fto the iar•nors ;i nd tit'* whole coinxiYunitj , -and whilo we have every sympathy with tho legitimate aspirations of labour, we submit that strike methods are the worst possible of securing that -objective. At tho present moment there is a large quantity of produce and merchandise awaiting shipment and landing, and to hold up this business will entail serious and irreparable loss. Particularly is this the case in regard to dairy produce, which, ■as you may know, is the product of the small fanner. This, if barred from shipment, will miss: tho Home market at' the best part of the season, namely, the winter months. Moreover, the small iarmer's. wool-clip will also bo blocked, and thus; the fimti sale of the series in Londonj Under these circumstances, we tnisfe that wiser' counsel*- v i!! prevail, and that worlt will be resumed a.ss heretofore, leaving any question,s nt issue to

be settled by arbitration, or other conciliatory methdds. Failing this, the farmers of North Canterbury may be compelled, however much they regret it, to take such action as may be deemed necessary to ensure the work of loading and unloading produce shall proceed." The only arrival of importance on Saturday .morning was the ferry steamer "VVahine. She came up about 7 o'clock, with a largo number df passengers. As in the case of the Maori yesterday, the Union Company's permanent men were told off to coal the Wahine. The hulk was taken alongside the steamer, and work was started at 8 a.m. and continued without a hitch all day. The permanent men did goad work, and a large supply of bunker coal was. put aboard. No attempt was made to load any cargo, and none had been booked. The ferry wharf is usually the sceno of great activity on Saturdays, when the ferry steamer and East Coast-Auck-land steamers are working. It was unusually quiet on Saturday, the only other steamer to enter the inner harbour to-day being tho Opouri, with a full cargo of timber. She arrived last night from Greymouth, and anchored in the stream. At 6.30 this morning she came to.the wharf. Pickets were in attendance, but as there was; no intetttiim onHihe part of the ship's, people to : rig her ;geai\ for discharging,' they left her severely alone. Her crew will be paid off on Monday. The auxiliary scow Te Aroha, which arrived last night from Napier, berthed at tlio Gladstone pier. Out in the stream the Union Company's collier Kini lies at anchor. She was joined this afternoon by the Kaitangata, which arrived from Newcastle with about 2000 tens of ooal. She was boarded by the health officer and Customs officers, and granted pratique, but was not brought into the wharf. Her crew will be paid off on Monday. Some months ago it was announced that H.M.S. Philomel, & light cruiser of the same type as the Pyramu® and Psyche, wag on her way to New Zealand, and under the new naval scheme she vvould be stationed in New Zealand waters as a drill ship. Last night a wireless operator on the VVahine heard the Philomel "talking" to the Psyche in a naval code. The position trf the ship >s unknown, except to othlfr men-of-war, but she may turn up at any molnent at Lyttelton, or whatever port is decided on. The crew of the Wahine held a. meeting on Saturday afternoon, and discussed the question of leaving the ship. They received a telegram from Mr Belcher, general secretary, advising; them, tO;remuni .where they were, and not te-take.action. , It is stated that a mass meeting of seamen and firemen will lie held next Thursday to discuss matters. At 5.30 p.m. matters took a .serious turn, when the firemen and.tiimmers went to the chief engineer and gave 24 hours' notice. This will mean that unless they reconsider their discussion, they will leave the ship tomorrow night at Wellington. The Canterbury Employers' Federation has. decided, that it will make an effort to work the wharves, and in pursuance of that plan, called for free labourers.

The Contra] Employment Bureau.is the rooms of tho Employers* Assoeiation in Cashel SLroet, and strikers decided to picket Enrolment was noi- fast-, but tho 'employers claimed that tlicy had over, thirty-seven applicants in the niornm'g, in addition to others who were being enrolled at places not specified, or were being got casually. Tho federation officials stated that 800 men wero required to work the wharves at Lyttelton, mid 300 to protect them, and if this nuriber was forthcoming a. start would be made on tho wharves on Thursday. Further suggestions wero mado that the employers should concentrate the free , labour on Wellington, where the scat of tho strike lies. Once broken in Wellington, it iy hoped that the strike will ceaso in other ports. This proposal is regarded as most feasible from tho employeis' point of view, «a all the police «u'e concentrated in Wellington, and the shipping is heaviest, but the employers do not disclose whether they are going to follow it out. At present they state that they intend to start at Lyttelton on Tuesday, and some reports say Monday.

WATERSIDERS STOP WOEK.~