TRADE AND LABOUR.
A conference of Employers' Associations in New Zealand will be held at Wellington during the next session of Parliament.
At a meeting of the Wellington branch of tho Trades Union and Federated Wharf Labourers' Union, it was decided to secede from the Maritime Council, and another meeting is to be held to consider the advisability of affiliating with the Wellington District Labour Union.
Mr James Mills, managing director for the Union Steamship Company, Dunedin, says there is no foundation for the report re amalgamation with Huddart, Parker and Co., and Howard, Smith and Sons' lines of steamers, which has possibly originated in the fact that there is a likelihood of some arrangement being arrived at) to terminate the cutthroat competition carried on along the Australian coast.
The polling for the Wellington Committee of the Public Service Association for Wellington district resulted in the election of Mr H. W. Robinson, R.M., as Chairman, and Messrs W. Pollen, J. W. Davies, S. Allport, F. F. O'Neill, H. McCardell, J. H. Davies, E. F. Warren, H. J. Knowles, S. Costall, and E. J. Greville as members of the Committee. Mr H. Thompson'was elected unopposed to the office aa Secretary and Treasurer.
A conference of delegates from the Master Printers' Associations of Christchurch, Dunedin, and Invercargill, was held at Dunedin on April 1, when it was resolved to constitute the Federated Master Printers' Association of New Zealand. The constitution and powers of the Federal Council were settled — a unanimous feeling prevailing. A deputation from the Typographical Association was received next day.
A meetingof the Auckland Master Bakers' Association was held in Dallen's Rooms on April 11. The matter under discussion was the advisability of raising the price of bread. After a little discussion ib was decided that the price should be 3£d instead of 3d the 21b loaf for cash. The reason given for the rise is that since the maritime strike flour has been £110s moro per ton than it was before the strike, and now it bae been raised another £1 per ton by the millers. The bakers say that it would be impossible to sell at 3d the loaf with such a rise in Hour, so as to aake a fair trade profit.
Mr Lomas, delegate from the West Coast miners to the Miners' Unions in Australia, returned to the colony by the Mararoa. He has been very successful in his mission. The .Australian Unions unanimously resolved to support their Naw Zealand brethren in the assertion of the principles of Unionism, and'gave a substantial evidence of their goodwill in the form of a money vote of £1,000, of which £400 has already been forwarded. It is, we believe, intended to use this money, if possible, in assisting the locked-out miners in starting a co-operative colliery on the West Coast, a suitable mineral lease having, we believe, already been placed at their disposal. Mr Lomas is confident from the experience which they have already had in the working of a co-opera-tive quarry on the West Coast—which left a balance of £1,500 after paying the men ten shillings a day—that co-operative coalmining can be made an unqualified success.
A dispute in the butchering trade has for the past few weeks been growing into serious proportions. Abouc eighteen months ago the Frozen Meat Company had several retail establishments for the sale of meat in different parts of the city. The competition-, between the Company and other ..batchers became very keen, so keen, in fact, that both parties were making very little money out of it. The reeulb was that the filaster Butchers Association entered into an agreement with the Company to take a certain quantity of meat from the latter, in consideration of the Company entirely giving up the retail trade. The retail shops of the Company were closed, a bond was signed by ten of the Master Butchers agreeing to take so much meat at the fair market price, or to forfeit £500 in case of breach of the agreement. Some time back certain of the butchers did break the agreement by taking less than the stipulated quantity of meat from the Company. These butchers claim that) the trade has for various reasons so fallen off that it is impossible for them to take the full quantity ; but when the agreement was so broken the £500 was of course forfeited, and the money has been paid over to the Company. All the bondsmen but one have paid their chare of the money. Still the agreement was being acted on as far as possible by both sides. The majority of the master butchers have been taking the stipulated quantity of meat, and the Company have till lately refrained from taking parb in the retail trade. The Butchers' Association now allege that the Company have entered into the retail trade by supporting , a butcher who has been hawking meat in a cart and selling at greatly reduced prices. They admit that, the agreement having been broken according to the letter,the Company have a perfect legal right to do as they like. Still they say. it means ruin for most of them to have to enter into a cut-throat competition with a powerful Company.
On his return fco Wellington the Hon. J. G. Ward, Postmaster-General, was interviewed by several officers of the Postal and Telegraph Departments, who asked him to grant official recognition to the Post and Telegraph Officers' Society. Mr Ward, in reply, said that as an Association to assist its members in improving their positions it had the support and sympathy of the Ministry, but when it was asked that the Society and it erules should be officially re- • cognised, they felt bound to decline the request. There was no desire to stifle the Association, because Ministers considered it a proper body, but if it usurped the functions of the administrative head the two interests would clash. There could not possibly be two heads controlling the department, so he could not recognise them officially. In reply to questions, Mr Ward said the classification was settled by Acb, and was thus beyond the power of the Government, bnb if the officers had withheld their appeals against tke present classification until after the time they were receivable, in the hope thab the Association would be recognised, he would extend the time for lodging appeals, provided the Government h*d power. Mr Ward pointed out one rule allowing outsiders admission to membership to which the Government could not possibly agree, and it was stated that these and other rules to which the Department might object
would bo struck out. Mr Ward promised to carefully consider the manner in which officers have been classified, after which the interview terminated.
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Bibliographic details
Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 93, 23 April 1891, Page 6
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1,123TRADE AND LABOUR. Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 93, 23 April 1891, Page 6
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