AT CHRISTCHURCH.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 6 November 1913, Page 5

AT CHRISTCHURCH.

RESOLUTION BY STRIKERS FACTORY CLOSING DO^N,

CHRiSTCHURCH/ Last Night.

The sixth day of the 'strike at Lyttelton was characterised/ by the same deadly dullness.. '• .■ •; Six idle colliers are'. still' swinging at anchor, and the waterfront is practically deserted, the only break .in the monotony of "the .scene being the ferry steamer Maori which was the* centre of activity. '

The Maori arrived from Wellington, and berthed at the ferry wharf at 7 o'clock and disembarked her. passengers as usual.. ' - Only a few pickets were in .attendance to watch/ the, landing" of mails and luggage, which" 1 were handled in* the usual manner, and-the. train was despatched to Christehufch;\at\ the usual liQur. ■'"-'• '.' i At 8 o'clock tlie coal .hulk.- was .hauled alongside from the opposite wharf, and was manned by the. Union Company's permanent hands. - Coaling operations were Carried out without let or hindrance all day, a full supply of bunkers being slumped. : The only ojher ships at the wharf were the Opouri, Cygnet, John Anderson, the harDtftir tTftders, tlirce schooners, and coal hulks.; : At a late hour last night the Storm .arrived.at tHe heads from Nelson. She was empty, and had been" delayed by a strong southerly;gale. The steamer communicated .with the signalman by a Morse lamp, and received orders to proceed to Timaru.. At 1.30 a.m. the Petone'entered the heads with a shipment of cattle from Wariganui. She also was behind time, having been delayed by a gale. ■■ The Petone remained at anchor, in the stream until's.3s a.m., when she landed er cattle, no pk-, kets being present to interfere. ,1 At noon to-day the Union Company's collier Flora, one of the eix vessels at anchor inNthe stream, paid her crew off after the roll call. At 8 o'clock this, morning the watersiders held a meetiug in the Coronation Hall. There was a large attendance, nearly every member being accounted for. The president (Mr F. Lurch) presided, and the strike question was fully discussed. No reporters were admitted, hut it is understood that matters arising out of the abortive conference at Welling ton were carefully considered. The meeting lasted over two hours, and at its conclusion the r>ress cbmmit-! tee informed a reporter that the fol- \ lowing resolution had been earned j unainniously:■•'•"That this meeting/of the .Lyttetton;.r ■watersiders,. "seeing.: that the employers •havei declared; hostilities" ujion'" the.. organised': industrial working class movement, by. their rejection of the'eminently; reasonable proposals of' the United. Federation of Labour, decide to remain on strike, and to loyally support the orders of the offioijils controlling the strike." \

A deputation of members of the Merchant Service Guild,' including several masters of steamers laid up

at Lyttelton, waited ou a News reporter this morning with a request that he should make public the fact that they resented the statement that the masters and officers were prepared to come out in sympathy with the watersiders if the company's steamers were worked by free labour. They stated that they concurred with the action of the masters and officers who met at Dunedin on Tuesday, and assured the Union Company of their absolute loyalty. At a meeting of the Lyttelton Harbour Board to-day, some resolu tions passed at an informal meeting, held ou November 3rd were confirmed. These resolutions included the nomination of about fifty persons as special constables; the granting of the right to erect barricades on the wharves, should "It "he considered«necessary ; the appointment of the harbourmaster as wharfinger; and lastly the notification of the secretary of the Stevedores' Union that the chairman of the Harbour Board was authorised to take charge of the Coronation Hall should it be considered necessary. Mr George Scott, of. the Atlas Confectionery Works, stated to-day that the biscuit portion of the factory had been closed down and a number of hands, including men and girls, 'jhad been thrown out of employment. This had to c be done in order to keep the confectionery portion working a little longer. Unless i fresh supplies of sugar came to hand, the confectionery portion would have to be closed down in a fortnight. Statements are in circulation locally that the Territorials, and especially the mounted men, are to be used in *Ehe event of trouble arising. It is understood that there is no foundation for the statement. On the contrary, it is alleged that the officers commanding units have received instructions to inform the men under their command that if they volunteer as special constables they must do so as civilians, and not as Territorials. ' Just recently the arms and ammunition on issue to members of the East Coast defence forces in Lyttelton were called in. The arms were recalled in the ordinary way for inspection by the armourer.