Strike Fizzling

Out

Position on NG Goldfield

From Our Own Correspondent WAU, May 10.

THE strike of European miners em ployed by New Guinea Goldfields Btd., is still going on, but it is in a condition of collapse and almost ended.

The company has been carrying on all its alluvial works for some time with the aid of staff men.

Altogether, 90 men went on strike —but that by no means represented the strikers.

The actual position was that a small band of militants, dissatisfied with work ing conditions, succeeded in getting the strike declared, and were able to per suade a considerable number of other men to “go out”, although unwillingly, with them. This applied particularly to many tradesmen —carpenters, black smiths, electricians, etc. —who apparently had no grievance against the company.

Two of the miners returned to work a fortnight ago and are carrying out repair and maintenance work, under police pro tection, and 18 more resumed this week.

A good many of the strikers left New Guinea within the first few days of the strike, and several others, who have not yet resumed, are applying for a resump tion of work on terms satisfactory to the company.

The Administrator (Sir Walter Mc- Nicoll) came specially to Wau in an endeavour to settle the strike, but failed.

A serious aspect of the incident is that outsiders were allowed to interfere in this matter, who had no connection whatever with the company or the strikers.

The most unfortunate aspect of the whole unfortunate affair is the plight of a good type of men who had really noth ing to do with the strike but who are suffering most from it. Brought un in the Australian industrial atmosphere, they felt that they were in honour bound to cease work, along with their mates.

They seem to be the men who now are “carrying the baby”.