H.—ll

X

and other work to be done by contract; and that there should be no victimization of the members of the union who had taken part in the dispute, but that all men employed in the mines when the trouble commenced should, as far as practicable, be reinstated if they applied for work within fourteen days of the date of the agreement. Preparations were made for reopening the mines, and on these conditions a-resumption of work followed. The loss in wages tc the workmen concerned is estimated at £40,500. The company and the men were bound by an industrial agreement, and thus came within the lockout and strike provisions of the Act. No action was taken against the company as, on the advice of the Law Officers, it was found that there was not sufficient evidence to show that the discontinuance of work was due to the orders of the company, ■ but rather that it was due to the men acting themselves in pursuance of a resolution of the union; the company had made certain demands upon the men which the latter were unwilling to comply with, and on account of the men's precipitate action in refusing to work under the proposed altered conditions of employment it was unnecessary for the company to enforce its demands, which could have been done probably only by means of a lockout. Regarding the men's action, we were advised that no strike under the Act had occurred, as the cessation of work was not with the intention of compelling their employers to agree to new terms of employment or to comply with any demands made by the workers. The workers had made no demands; they had merely refused to work under a changed condition, of employment imposed on them by the employers. Slaughtermen (January to March, 1913). —This strike was one sympathetic dispute operating throughout most of the Dominion. It commenced towards the latter end of January and lasted until well into March. The men demanded an increase of ss. per hundred on the ruling rate for killing, which was £1 ss. per hundred, together with other conditions of work, which the companies refused to entertain. They offered, however, to effect a compromise at the rate of £1 7s. 6d. per hundred, but this the men declined. Five hundred and six men accordingly ceased work, thus rendering over fourteen hundred workers idle. The various works were at a standstill for two weeks and upwards, after which other men (non-unionists) were engaged at the companies' terms (£1 7s. 6d. per hundred), and work was gradually resumed. In some cases a few of the strikers applied and were taken on again. The districts of Auckland, Masterton, Nelson, and Invercargill were not affected by the strike. The total loss in wages to the workmen concerned is estimated at £30,800. The unions had cancelled their registrations under the Act in order to engage in the strike, if their demands were refused, without incurring penalties. The effect of the cancellation was shortly afterwards to terminate the awards and industrial agreements under which they had been working, the said awards and industrial agreements having run out their specific currency just before the men struck. The men had also given the notice (required by section 9 of the Act in the case of public utilities) of their intention to cease work if their demands were not conceded. The strike was therefore not illegal, and consequently no action was taken. Coal-miners, Kaitangata (from 9th August to 16th August, 1912).- —The cause of this strike was the company's refusal to concede the demand for the reinstatement of a winchman who had refused to obey orders (i.e., to attend to urgent duty during crib-time) and who had consequently been dismissed. One hundred and twenty-three men ceased work, throwing a total of 145 men idle. The company paid off all hands who did not resume work, and decided to re-engage men on condition that those taken on should join the Miners' Union registered under the Act, and comply with the industrial agreement entered into between the company and the union. Work was accordingly resumed and the strike gradually " fizzled out." The monetary loss occasioned to the workmen was about £400, whilst the corresponding loss to the employers is estimated at £3,000. No action was taken against the strikers, as their action was not illegal, there being no award or industrial agreement in force at the time they struck. Firemen, Trimmers, and Greasers, s.s. " Regulus," Wellington (from 10th January to 28th February, 1913). —In this case the three firemen employed demanded the employment of two trimmers on the vessel on account of the heavy work alleged to be involved on them through the insufficient staff employed. The company refused the men's request and the latter accordingly struck, rendering the ship's company, totalling sixteen men, idle. Other men could not be obtained to fill the strikers' places, and the ship was in consequence put out of commission and subsequently sold, all endeavours to effect a settlement of the trouble having failed. The monetary loss occasioned by the men's action was, to themselves over £300, and to the employers about £2,000. As there was no award or industrial agreement in force governing these workers the strike was not illegal.