MEETING OF DREDGEOWNERS

Otago Witness, Issue 2490, 4 December 1901, Page 29

MEETING OF DREDGEOWNERS

The annual general meeting of the Otago »aA Southland Gold/ Mining Industrial Union of Employers was held on Tuesday afternoon in Messrs Garrow and Stewart's offices. The. President (Mr J. C. Thomson) occupied tho chair, and there were about a dozen picseut. ANNUAL REPORT. _ The Secretary (Mr Jas. M E., Gairow) re^d tne annual report, which was as follows- — " The Dredgeowners' Association was formed on August 20, when a large and representative gathering of directors and others interested in dredging met in the Agricultural Hall Buildings to consider the advisability of foirning an association to conserve the interests of dredging companies. At that meeting a committee of five was appointed to act with the chairman (Mr J. C. Thomson) and Mi Garrow (.secretary) in drafting articles of association, and to report to a future meeting. It was also decided thaf steps should be taken to have the association registered under ■' The Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, 1900.' On the 30th Augus, a meeting was held to consider draft of rulei, which was adopted with some slight amend ments. The necessary step? were then taker 1 to have the association registered, and a ceitificate of registration was issued on the 30th September.

' As soon as the association was formed ihe board took into consideration a number o.' questions that were brought before them Among these the most important were the dis pute with the Dredgemen's Union, the question of the certificates to be held by engineers and firemen under the Inspection of Machinery Act, and the question of gold leakage. "Witla, «$«!& to the fcej&emea's &gsul&>.

your board collected all the information they could obtain on the points in dispute, and so ' Jar a" th°y tfould see there was little or no ground of complaint. In no case that csme under th^ir notice had the companies any quarrel with their employees or been apprised of any feeling of dissatisfaction. The Conciliation Board sat first at Roxburgh and aftervards at Dvinedin, and the evidence produced by the Dredgemen's Union in most cases only confirmed the conclusions we had already come to. No good reasou hat been advanced why the industry should be interfered with in any way, and the best thing that could be done would be to give no award at all, but leave thing* ss they are. The question of engineers' certificates was brought under the board's notice by the Kelly and Casey and the Matau Companies. The Mimstei of Mines pnd several members of Parliament were written to on the matter and a short bill amending the Inspection of Machinery Act was brought down and passed, requiring only the engineer in charge to have a first class certificate, thua relieving companies from the necessity of employing three drivers with first class certificates " Regarding gold leakage, the board sent out a circular to all companies advising them to adopt the plan of having covered-m tables on screen dredges. As time goes on doubtless all companies concerned will adopt the suggestion. " Re West Coast Companies. — Owing to requests made by various directors of West Coast companies, the board decided to accept West Coast companies as members of the union. So far the response has been pcor as only four West Coast companies have up to the present joined the union, and unless a fair number come hi the board could not undertake the responsibility and cost of defending cases on the Coast. However, as it is only a short time since our circular dealing with the subject was sent out, we raav yet get good support from Copst companies r>

The Chairman, in moving the adoption of the report, said that, although the association had not long been in existence, it had performed a certain amount of work that should in the long run prove of use to dredging companies. The Dredgemen's Union was largely responsible foi calling the association into existence — not that that was the only thing they had to consider. There were many other matters of interest to companies that would have to be dealt with in tho course of time, but no doubt the union had brought the aseociation more rapidly into existence than would otherwise have been the case. Aa to the case bejore the Conciliation Board, it would not be proper seeing the matter was still under the board's consideration, to make any comments upon it. The question of gold leakage was an important one, and the suggestions of the association would doubtless be acted upon by many of the companies. The matter was one of the most important that the incoming committee would have to deal with. Aa_ to the association's finances, the revenue amounted to £154 7s, and £28 7s was still to come in. The disbursements amounted to £30 ss, and there would probably be an additional sum of £20 in connection with case before the board, so they would have a balance in hand of about £132. The association was fortunate in having an energetic committee, and matters important to dredging companies were receiving their earnest attention. He moved the adoption of the leport. Mr H. Stokes seconded the motion. Mr Wheeler thought that in the short time the association had been in existence it had shown evidence of being alive to the interests of dredgeowners and the industry generally. Every effort should be made to endeavour to get other dredging companies to join the asso ciation. The industry would be benefited by the association, and members and delegates shotlld endeavour to enlarge it by inducing companies to join. Mr Kyle said that some companies urged as an excuse for not joining that they could not afford to pay the subscription. These could join and pay their subscriptions when they got in funds The Chairman said that there were 57 companies in the association. The motion for the adoption of the report was then carried. ELECTION OF OFFICERS. The President moved that Mr R. T. Wheeler, jun., be elected president for the ensuing year. Mr Wheeler said he had only consented to be nominated because the president assured him that he could not find time to take office again this year. A number of those present urged Mi Thomson to again take office. The President said that his position as vicspresident of the Employers' Association would prevent him from giving the time to the two offices. The Dredgemasters' Association and the Employers' Association's interests were identical, and they should really become affiliated. He would declare Mr Wheeler elected.

Mr Wheeler and a number of those present again urged Mi Thomson to stand, and Mr Wheeler resigning Mr Thomson agreed to take the position. Other office-bearers were elected as follows : —Vice-president, Mr R. T. Wheeler, jun. ; committee — Messrs A. Kyle, J. C. Short, G. M. Grigg. H. North, W. J. Somerville, H. F. Nees, and \V. R. Frost. Mr Nees urged upoa the committee to lako some steps to endeavour to secure a daily mail with Alexandra, now that the railway line went as far as Blackstone, and the President intimated that the matter would receive the attention of the committee.