MARITIME STRIKE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 2828, 28 August 1890, Page 2

MARITIME STRIKE.

THE UNION B.S. (JO. AND THE LAHOUR UNIONS. PROBABLE LAYING UP OF ALL STKAMKRS. (liV TEf.EliKAl'II.— J'KKS.S ASSOCIATION). DUNKDIN, Tuesday. KiiiilTV mon have Riven 21 hours' notice to loave tlio steamer Wairarapa, dating from noun 10-duy. Mr Millar, secretary of the Seamen's Union, wired to the Executive of tha Marine Utticer* Association, apprising them of what had taken place, and is confident they will take similar action. Ho explains this action is taken because Urn Union Company are connected with the Shipowners' Association, and the only way in which a satisfactory settlement can he arrived at would be by the Union Company sec«dit)K from the Shipowners' Association and paying the men in their employ the rates which the Australian ship-owners refine to give. The luii'pers will discharge the ship here, but no cargo will bo put on board by Union labour. Similar action will be taken in regurd to the Hanroto and Te Kapo. Tlih Klhs line of steamers nre not affected, as they have complied with the terms of the Association. It is understood the Seamen's Union will not interfere with the interprovincial service at present, but business men consider it inevitable thai the coastal service will eventually be involved. A report was freely circulated that the company intended to lay up the whole of their fleet. The company have received telegrams from different places containing offers of services of large numbers of non-union men to fill all the positions on board their steamers, and it is believed that nearly the whole fleet could bo kept going by nonunionists if tho company choose to adopt that course. The Jubilee is not affected, and a large amount of freight was yesterday booked at high rates for Sydney, the agents refusing to take more. Only about thirty of the men belonging to the Tarawera have given notice. The engineers have not, and are not likely to strike. The U.S.S. Company have suspended notices both of the intercolonial and interprovincial services until further notice. It is evident that the Union Coirpany intend to h'ght the question out. They are advertising for men to man tha steamers in which seamen and firemen have given notice. The act of calling out thn crews from the intercolonial boits of the Union Company by tho Seamen's Union was done at the instigation of the Maritime Council. Tho directors of the Union Steamship Company met yesterday to consider tho situation, and at a late hour to-night issued the following manifesto :—■ •'The directing of the Union S.S. Company of New Zealand have arrived at the conclusion, with much regret, that the proien t policy of tho Labour Unions of all Australasia, which has led to tho imminent paralysis to trade in nil the colonies, and which has kept up constant irritation and unbearable uncertainty in all departments of trade for some months past, is the outcome of a general determination on their part to try their strength with all employers of labour. "There has been no dispute of any serious character in New Zealand, and the disputes in Australia cannot be considered to bear any relation to tho measures adopted by the union*.

" The directors have therefore no alterna lave left but to fall in with the resolutions of the Steamship Owners Association and other employers of labour, and to support, them to the utmost of their power in opposing the encroachments of the labour unions by every possible means, until it is found that nuzotiations can be re-opened with some prospect of such a settlement as will t.uable them to conduct business with some degree of comfort and confidence. " They have no hesitation in declaring that the wages paid by them for many years are such as no reasonable man can complain of, and that their relations with all classes of their men have always been such as they have a right to regard with satisfaction. "Therefore they unhesitatingly throw tho whole responsibility of the very serious disorganisation which is about to ensue uiion the shoulders of the leaders of the Unions." Last Night. The crew of the Wairarapa left tho ship at noon, when there was a lars;e crowd assembled on the wharf. Several fresh men were engaged, and it is believed a crew will be obtainable by to-morrow. Consequent on the engagement of free labour, 24 hour's notice has been given by all seamen to leave the coasting vessels. A good deal of free labour is otferitig from the north as well as here. The local secretary of the Marine Engineers Association, denies that they are favourable to the strike. They are not in any way associated, either with the Maritime or any other organisation, and decline to take notice of the instructions of tho former. They hiive no desire to be drawn into the present difficulty, and they also deny that their organisation in Australia has given notice to leave the ships. Wki.linoto.v, Last Night. Shortly after noon to-day Mr Taylor, secretary of tho local branch of the Seamen's Union, requested all the seamen and firemen on the Union vessels in port to give 21 hours' notice of their intention to leave tho ship. Tho men complied with the request, and go out at noon to-morrow. Only Clio Union Company's vessels are affected. The (iiiverniiient, if necessary, will put on the Hinemoa and Stella to carry tho interprovincidl mails. Tho l'ostal Department have completed arrangements for the convoyance of the mails in the event of tho coastal steamers being laid up. From the Bluff to Lyttelton, and from Wellington to Taranaki and and Napier, the mail lines of communication can be kept open by the railway, and the government steamers Hinemoa and Stella will be placed at the disposal of the Department to convoy the mails between Lyttelton and Wellington, and between New Plymouth and the Mt>nnkan, if necessity arises. The steamers will bn managed by members of the Permanent Artillery. The Union Company's steamers in port to-day when tho crews were requested to cive notice of their intention to leave the vessels were :—Rotorua, Takapunn, Manawatu, Orafton, and Waihi, and the l'engmn came.in later in the day. The crews of tho Roturuu, I'onguin, and Takapuna will not bo taken out till thu vessels get to Diinodin, as a uuinbur wero shipped at that port. Tho crows of tho (irafton, Manawatu, and Waihi have boon shipped in Wellington and they will come out here. The Union Company have withdrawn their advertised time table and are advertising for A. Uα. fiiemen and! trimmers. J n anticipation of arising from the want of fuel the railway commissioners will at once reduce the train service on the Napier, Waiiganui, and Wellington sections to four days a week, and large reductions will also bo made in the service on the Hurumii-Kluff section. In coinequenee of tho suspension of all port traffic all the workshops are to be worked only four days a week. Later. The Union Company here are receiving offers of assistance. A resident of I'icton writes, saying ho would make one to help to run a boat between the two Islands, either as seaman or fireman, A well-known Wellington resident offers his services alter 5 p.m. daily, and knows of others who will do the same. The Manawatu Railway Company, who use wood largely as fuel, do not propose to make any alterations in their trains at present. Latest, A number of tho mercantile firms have given their store hands one week's notice, in ordur to be prepared for a possible stoppago of business. From enquiries mado by tho New Zealand Tunes in town, it appears tho ntock of many important articles are oxtrmmily low. There is only a fortnight's Hour on hand, a hundred tons of potatoes, 1,500 sacks of oats, a very small quantity of wheat, HO tons of cliiilV, and ;">NUO cases of kerosene. The supply of household coal will scarcely lasfmore than a week, and the gas works have only three weeks' stock, this is irrespective of the steamship company's supplies in hulks. Of the cargo by the Ratokino, expected to-night, half will be put into the hulk and half sent to Dunedin. Tho Hear Meat Company close on Monday, if coal is not obtainable, and other establishments will follow suit. A meeting of employers of labour will be hold to-morrow to consider the situation. It is understood that the small steamship owners will support this Union Company. BiusiiANK, August 27. Ttio uliwsi-j aud mow uf tho Arawatu

were iirruHtO'i nt Cooktown fur refusing duly, but thi; charge was withdrawn upon tlin men returning to work, and forfeiting fuur days' pay. TuiAKu, Liis-I, Night, No notice has boon Riven lien; yet (3.20 p.in) re Hdiiiitiful Star nr Cohic loading fur iiri-ibniiH via LytUilton. .\.~ Ilii! crow are Australians thuy may b« petmitterl tn take the. vessel over, or may go iu spite of the order of the Union. (l'.Y TELHlillArll—OW N COKIIKSPONDKNi). Auckland, List Night. The iiKiiitime stiike is the chief topic ->f interest in the city. Tin! Mararoa, which failed tor Sydney at seven o'clock this morning, will, by the i.resent look of things, be the last of the Union Company's steamers to leave hero for Australia for comik time. She took away a very large caigo of produce and breudslufTs, and was compelled to leave quite 200 tons of eurgo lying «n the (Jueenstreet wharf nnshii)|;ed. There was quite a rush of local shippers to secure space for the consignment of produce, which is now daily increasing in demand and price on the other sicie owing to the strike. There is great demand for farm produce of all Hor f s, and breadstuffs are going up ill price daily, The price ot all produce lines in New South Wales is rising rapidly, and high rates are ufi'ereH to New Zealand shippars. Every available pound of potatoes, onions and other produce besides all the wheat available here is being bought up and held in reserve for a produce "boom" on the other side. Through the laying up of the steamers sailing tonnage is in great demand and all intercolonial sailing vessels now here not otherwise fixed have had tempting offers of high freights for produce cargoes across to Australia from the South as well as Auckland. Sailing bottoms are increasing in demand daily in view of the present contingencies. The Union Company today decided on a move which will douhtless place them in direct antagonism to the Labour Unions. This afternoon. Mr Thomas Henderson, manager of the Auckland branch received a telegram from headquarters at Dnnedin, instructing him to advertise at once for peamen, firemen and trimmers for Union • learners, this necessarily implies nonUnion men so that this company have evidently decided to fight the Labour Unions,