282 A HISTORY OF THE COLONY OF VICTORIA 



gathered under its wings, was unduly inflated with its anticipated 

 powers. It denounced the request for the officers' withdrawal as 

 an insult aimed at the Council, and pledged itself that if the 

 marine officers remained affiliated all the Unions would support 

 them to their last shilling and would teach the shipowners a lesson 

 as to what labour could do when true to its own cause. Thus all 

 round the contest became a question between union and non-union 

 labour. The Council forthwith issued a manifesto setting forth their 

 views of the dispute, and appointed a Committee of Finance and 

 Control to take charge of the fighting operations. Upon this com- 

 mittee devolved the serious responsibility of providing for the 

 temporary maintenance of the men whom they had called out, 

 numbering about 2,500, on the 20th of August. 



Two important factors contributed to failure. One was the 

 large number of the unemployed previous to the strike, who were 

 now clamorous to get work and daily bread, even at the risk of 

 personal violence offered to them by those whom they displaced. 

 The other was the passivity of the strongest and wealthiest of the 

 labour Unions, the Institute of Marine Engineers, who refused to 

 come out when urgently pressed by the committee. Generally all 

 the other minor associations threw in their lot with the strikers, and 

 the Seamen's, Cooks and Stewards', Stevedores', Carters' and Wharf 

 Labourers' Unions refused to allow their members to work. The 

 revolt of the last-named body prevented the discharge of coal-laden 

 ships in Melbourne, and the railways, the gas-works, and numerous 

 factories were faced with the prospect of having to cease operations 

 in a few days. The picture of Melbourne plunged in darkness, 

 with thousands of workless men roaming about, bent on preventing, 

 by violence if necessary, any penniless worker taking up the labour 

 they had abandoned, seriously alarmed the citizens. With much 

 difficulty, and in face of attempted violence, the officers of the Gas 

 Company had succeeded in securing the discharge of a cargo of coal 

 at their wharf by free labour ; but when it reached the retorts, the 

 gas stokers refused to touch it, and by direction of their Union walked 

 out. A number of free labourers were smuggled into the gas-works 

 to ensure a limited supply of light for the city, but a howling mob 

 surrounding the building was so threatening in language and de- 





