H.—ll

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the members of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants " struck " in support of the abovementioned organization. The dispute was settled by an agreement to submit the matters to an independent tribunal. The strike occupied five days. Waterside Workers, Wellington. —A number of waterside workers refused to accept engagement to unload the Japanese boat " Mukai Mara " without payment of a higher rate for the cargo of phosphates, whereupon the employers of waterside labour decided that none but urgent work would be proceeded with until the men accepted the work in question. Owing to the shortage of coal occasioned thereby the tramway service in the city was suspended for a number of days. The dispute was settled by the men again accepting work at the agreement rates and referring the matter to the disputes committee provided for under the agreement. (Note: As already stated, a refusal to accept engagement does not constitute a " strike" under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act.) A number of men working on the s.s. " Calm " ceased work at 11 a.m. on account of rain, and the employers thereupon dismissed them, paying them, in accordance with the agreement under which they were working, for the minimum number of hours. The men claimed pay until noon, and this was refused. At 1 p.m. when a call for labour was made the men refused to accept engagement, whereupon the employers decided that no labour should be engaged whilst the " Calm " remained unmanned. The trouble, which affected eight hundred men, lasted about fourteen days, at the conclusion of which the men returned to work. A number of men refused to work the " Port Nicholson " without being paid 6d. an hour extra for handling " dirty " coal from the Port Kembla Mine. As the employers refused to accede to their request the men ceased work. The employers thereupon suspended all work in the port. The disturbance lasted five days, and was ultimately settled by the disputes committee provided for in the agreement by the men being granted 3d. an hour extra. Approximately eight hundred men were involved. Sugar-refinery Employees, Birkenhead, Auckland. —In order to compel the Colonial Sugar-refining Company (Limited) to accede to demands for increased wages and better conditions of employment 199 employees of the company discontinued their employment. The men were members of the Birkenhead Sugar-works Employees' Industrial Union of Workers, but were not at the time bound by an award or industrial agreement. An endeavour was made by the Conciliation Commissioner to effect a settlement, but the men refused to resume their work until an award of the Court of Arbitration had been made. The Court in its award granted increases in wages, but owing to the failure of the men to return to work pending the making of the award the Court refused to grant preference of employment. The disturbance occupied thirty-five days. Coal-mines, Blackball and Rewanui (bound by Industrial Agreements). —Owing to the refusal of the management to reinstate a trucker the union decided to "go slow " until their demand was conceded. As a result the output from the mine was considerably diminished. Finally the matter was referred to and settled by a board, the company agreeing to reinstate the trucker subject to his offering a full apology for certain language used by him to a mine official. One hundred and ninety-six men were affected, and the disturbance lasted about nineteen days. Goal-mining, Denniston (bound by an Industrial Agreement). —A three-days stoppage took place at the Denniston Colliery over the refusal of certain members of the union to pay a levy imposed for the benefit of the Broken Hill strikers in New South Wales. Work was resumed when the levy had been paid. Three hundred men were affected. Goal-mining, State Mine (bound by an Industrial Agreement). —The refusal of certain men employed in the State mines to pay a similar levy was responsible for several one-day stoppages. On one occasion, when there was adequate accommodation in second-class carriages for miners travelling to work, a number of men took their seats in first-class carriages. When asked to vacate these seats, as there was sufficient room in the second-class carriages, all the miners left the train and did not proceed to work. It was stated that the above-mentioned stoppages wore part of a combined effort to compel the Government to repeal regulations that were brought into force during the war. Coal-mining, Huntly, llotowaro, Pukemiro, ami Waikato Extended Coal-mines. —632 miners employed in the Huntly, Rotowaro, Pukemiro, and Waikato Extended Coal-mines, and bound by an industrial agreement, discontinued their employment for twenty days owing to the refusal by the Railway Department of concessions on the railway similar to those granted to miners employed in the State coal-mines. The strike collapsed. Goal-mines, Stockton. —230 miners, members of the Ngakawau Coal-miners' Industrial Union of Workers, and bound by an industrial agreement, discontinued their employment for a period of fifteen days as a protest against the appointment by the management of a brakesman who was not senior to others eligible for the position. The custom in the past had been to appoint brakesmen in order of seniority. No attempt was made by either party to submit the matter in dispute to the local disputes committee provided for in the agreement. The disturbance was settled by the appointment of a senior brakesman. Goal-mines, Taratu. —Arising out of a dispute over the wages clause of the national agreement between the Mine-owners' Association and the Miners' Federation, made in February, 1920, sixtyfive miners discontinued their employment. The men were members of the Taratu Coal-miners' Industrial Union of Workers, and were at the time bound by an award. Several conferences between the miners and the management of the mine proved abortive, but in consequence of the intervention of the Prime Minister the union decided to resume work and refer the matter in dispute to the national disputes committee. It may be mentioned that few of the strikes took place on account of claims for wages or hours, but many were rather of a frivolous nature. Examples : — Minors travelling in first-class carriage with second-class tickets ceased employment on being called upon by the guard to move into the second-class carriage, whore there was room.