UK unions declare strike
Last evening, on the invitation of the Prime Minister, the Trade Union Congress’s Negotiating Committee lengthily conferred with Mr Baldwin and members of the Cabinet. It is understood the Trade Union Congress representatives stated that if negotiations were resumed immediately there was a prospect that, while a general strike was due to begin at midnight on Monday, the threat would not be carried out. The unexpected recall of the mining leaders to London at midnight to see Mr Baldwin gave hopes, but the Cabinet finally broke up at 12.30, when it was officially announced that the negotiations to avert a general strike had broken down.
Expo exodus
The closing of the Exhibition is now making its influence felt in the way of the small number of travellers arriving in Dunedin and the heavy outward traffic by the various express trains. The railway authorities were called upon yesterday to cope with exceptionally heavy traffic. In addition to the ordinary expresses, an extra train was despatched for Christchurch at mid-day, and two were despatched to Invercargill — one in the morning and one early last evening. Every outgoing train was heavily laden, especially the express to Christchurch, which carried 624 travellers, while the 8.33am train to Invercargill carried 1150 people. Dunedin’s great attraction has drifted into the past, and the exodus will continue until to-morrow or the next day. The number of people departing yesterday outnumbered the arrivals by 3926. The relief express which arrived from Christchurch brought a meagre nine, while the 4.18pm express from the north, which is usually crowded, brought only 75 travellers. The exodus yesterday was the heaviest since the Exhibition opened. The Railways Department has every reason to be satisfied with the manner in which all members of the staff responded to the appeal of their superiors to put forth every effort to meet the demands which would be made upon them during the Exhibition period. — ODT, 4.5.1926
