The Indianapolis journal., 1903-07-19
THE STRIKES In VICTORIA
SHORT BUT SHARP CONTEST on A
RAILWAY OWNED BY GOVERNMENT.
Settlement Due to Firm Attitude Of
the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Is n Blow
mt Trade UniOnism.
Letter in London Times.

Melbourne Letter in London Times.
After short but sharp contest the strike
of the engine drivers and firemen employed
on the Victorian government railways has
been declared "off" and large proportion
Of the strikers have been permitted TO re-
sumo work. This result has been brought
about by the remarkable firmness of the
government. backed up by the practically
unanimous support of the Parliament, the
press and the people, and the cheerful read
mess with which the latter submitted to the
inconvenience and losses caused by the
stoppage of the regular train services. The
men evidently miscalcuated the power of
the forces opposed to them. They had
formed an exaggerated idea of the conse-
quences that would follow from their de-
sertion of their engines. They imagined
that the railway lines would remain COM
pletely idle and that the whole trade and
traffic of the State would be brought to a
standstill AS matter of fact, however,
the passenger traffic was never wholly dis
continued.
The men were called out at M might on
Friday, May 9. and 1900 drive band fire
men obeyed the order, some of them aban-
doning their engines at all kinds or incon-
Yet even on Saturday, the 10th, the railway
| commissioner was able TO command the
services of a sufficient number of drivers
to run a limited number of trains from
Melbourne to the suburbs and the chief
I country towns, and from that day to the
| collapse of the strike the train service grad
uatly improved as enginemen came forward
| in response TO the liberal terms offered
| by the government. Moreover, the people
| generally set to work TO do all in their
| power TO minimize the effects of the partial
| paralysis of railway communication. In the
/ metropolitan area thousands of bicycles
were brought into requsition to convey
their owners TO and from the city The
| cars in their possession into use and ran
| them, crammed with passengers. from ear
all Kinds drawn Ti 'd by everS description of of
| more or less broken down horse that could
| be pressed into the service, made their ap
pearance on the suburban roads. Indeed
| troubles that the government were recon-
| mended to disregard them altogether and
bring all their resources TO Dear on provid-
| ing communication with the country CEN
| ters
| FOOD SUPPLY WELL MAINTAINED.
The food supply of the metropolis, regard
| ing which great fears were at first enter
| tained, was we'll maintained throughout.
| BY road and by cattle and sheep were
brought regularly to market, and prices
were at no time seriously enhanced. Milk
| eggs, butter and firewood rose in price,
| but never attained TO anything like famine
rates. Coal. of course. is mainly brought
| to Melbourne by sea from New South
Wales, the supply from the Victorian coal
| fields being very limited and easily dis
pensed with The country districts were
put to considerable Inconvenience at first
through the failure of their usual supplies
| of groceries, candles and other illuminants
and the metropolitan journals were snapped
only from Melbourne. But teams were
| quickly put on the roads, and after few
| days, country requirements were gradually
| being met News of course. was eagerly
| looked for throughout the State. The tele-
graph department. did a roaring business,
and the metropolitan journals were snapped
| up at high prices whenever they could be
| obtained. Penny papers were readily sold
| at any price from Is to IS Cd. In a few
| days, however, regular supplies of the
great metropolitan journals were circulated
horse vans and the limited train service.
/ which improved from day to day.
There can be very little doubt that the
strike was deliberately planned trial of
strength between the enginemen and the
| government. The mems refusal to with
| draw from the Trades Hall Council was a
action. They have openly expressed their
| regret that they did not strike last August,
| when they resented the percentage reduc
ton of their pay, to which every one in the
| public service was then subjected. One of
| their leaders has said that they knew their
| power, and has claimed credit for not hav
ing used it sooner! They have been encour-
| aged by the success of a similar strike in
| western Australia, where the government
| and the Parliament were beaten, while in
New South Wales the railway commission
| ers had to give way to demand for an
| eight-hour day, thus adding fS0000 per an
mum to the expenses of the department. An
other such victory in Victoria would have
| had most serious and far-reaching conse
| quences. 1t would have practically trans
| ferred the government of the state from the
representatives of the people. constitution
| ally appointed, to the Engine Drivers and
/ Firemen's Association, and. as this associa-
ton Is federated with similar organizations
! throughout the commonwealth, II Is impos-
sible to foresee what might have happened.
| Fortunately, the strikers met in Mr.. Irvine,
| the Victorian premier. a man Of unbounded
courage and iron determination, who ham
| Summoning the Parliament to his assist
| ance, he pointed out that these strikers, the
| paid servants of the state, were really rebels
in revolt>a gainst their masters, the people,
and he demanded drastic powers to enable
| him to suppress the revolt. That he would
have obtained these powers, perhaps with
some notifications. there can be no doubt,
but the men. without waiting for the bill to
pass, Internationally surrendered. They
| saw, 1t is to be presumed, that with a reso-
lutte man like Mr.. Irvine against them. sup
| ported in the strongest manner by Parla-
ment press and people. their cause was
| hopeless.
| CONSEQUENCES EXPECTED.
| have not gone into the details of the
settlement of the strike, as these have been
fully reported by cable. But 1t may be de-
sirable to say few words as to the conse-
| quences which are expected to flow from
| the complete rout OF the strikers. Even
the workmen themselves admit that a
| great blow has been struck az trade union
| ism, especially at the departmental unions
which ramify in the State railway services
throughout the commonwealth. The mas
| terly treatment of the difficulty by Mr.
| Irvine and his colleagues has been OBJ
| ject lesson in firmness and courage to the
| other State governments from which they
should derive great benefit in similar emer-
| gencies. The politicians who belong to the
| party of labor have also received severe
| lesson The labor members of both the
Victorian and the Federal Parliaments
| openly sympathized with the strikers and
! several OF them attended their meetings
and in other ways actively encouraged
| them in their revolt against the govern
| ment and the people. The public are so in
Il