["The Koombana Strike", The Hedland Advocate (Port Hedland, WA), Saturday 25 November 1911, p?]

The Koombana Strike

Every Effort Used To End The Strike

Perth, November 18.

Strenuous efforts have been made to solve the trouble in regard to the Koombana firemen.

The Premier received an urgent telegram from the Labor Senators in Melbourne, requesting that everything possible be done to induce the men to resume duty, pending investigation.

Carpenter and Bolton (M.'s L. A.) attended a mass meeting of the Firemen's and Seamen's Union, in Fremantle Trades Hall, and later, with two of the men, conferred with the Acting Manager of the Adelaide S.S. Coy.

The Capt. of the Koombana and the Company offered to thoroughly investigate the grievances.

The Capt. gave his personal guarantee that the food supplied would be good in quality and quantity, and that the Chief Steward would treat the firemen with respect.

The deputation reported to Trades Hall, and a ballot was taken, but only three men voted in favor of accepting the terms.

The negotiations were a failure, the men refusing to board the vessel unless the Chief Steward were transferred to some other vessel.

Another Repudiation

November 20.

The dispute between the Adelaide S.S. Coy. and the firemen on the Koombana is still unsettled.

On Saturday the Coy. was notified by a union official that the men were prepared to proceed in the vessel prividing[sic] the Chief Engineer chose the crew the old and new men. Later the men repudiated the proposal.

There is an advertisement by the Company calling for 16 union firemen.

Liable to Suspension

November 21.

A representative at Fremantle of the Seamen's Union received the following telegram from the General Secretary of the Union for the Eastern States.

"The Adelaide Council has decided that the Koombana should be remanned, leaving the dispute regarding the Chief Steward for investigation.

"The members' action is detrimental to the best interests of unionism.

"A special meeting of the men cannot reverse the decision of the Executive.

"The Fremantle meetings were informal, and the men who signed the agreement in Adelaide and afterwards broke it are liable to suspension and expulsion from the Union."

This communication was brought under the notice of the men who came over by the Karoola to replace the men who had left the Koombana, but they still refused to man the vessel.

Later.

A number of firemen have signified their willingness to join the Koombana, and an early settlement is anticipated.

Arrangements have been made for the men to sign on to-morrow morning, and, if no further hitch occurs, the Koombana will leave for the Nor'-West at an early date.

The men agree to waive their objection to the Chief Steward, and leave the matter for independent investigation.