TRADE & LABOUR NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 7, 8 January 1908, Page 8

TRADE & LABOUR NOTES.

(By Industrial Tramp.J j

(Secretaries of the various TJnIoD3 are requested to forward copies of their Union engagements to "Industrial Tramp," "Star" Office and a list of Union MeetIngs will be furnished at the head oi this coinmn for etch, week.l UNION MgSTINGS FOE. THE WEEK. This Evening, Jan. Sth — Trades and Labour Council; Grocers' l'icnic Coniniittec. Thursday, Jan. 9th — Engine Drivers; Tramway (Committee meeting). Friday, Jau. 10Ui — Furniture Trades; Shipwrights. Saturday. Jan. 11th — VTestfield Chemical Manure Workers (at Otahuhu). ilonday, January loth — Gumworkers; Butchers: Timberworkers. JTnesday, Jan. 14th — Tramway Employees (annuali; Plumbers; Moulders. Wednesday, Jau. loth — Waterside Workers. The Auckland Trades and Labour Council holds its annual meeting this evening, when the annual balance-sheet "will be submitted, and the election of officers for the year will take place. The Grocers Assistants' Union held its first meeting for the year on lionday evening last, and there was a good attendance of members. A visitor from the south -was welcomed by the President, and. in replying, he made some caustic comments on the way the award "was worked in Auckland —or, rather, the manner in which it was engineered—as compared with the trade in the southern centres. "While in Auckland he had evidently used his eyes to advantage, and quoted instances ■where the employers had read the award, and ignored the Shops and Offices Act. or vice versa, according as it suited their businesses. For instance. he had found that whereas in the south all assistants ceased work at 9 p.m. on Saturday night, with a half-hour's grace for closing up, according to the •Act, in Auckland, although the award was practically the same as in the south, many assistants did not knock off till 10 o'clock, because the award permitted, thereby forgetting that the Act overrode the award. But when it came to Christmas Eve and Xew Year's ■Eve the award was overlooked, and the Act conveniently observed, and the assistants worked till 11 o'clock. His remarks caused a good deal of discussion. Nomination o- officers was received, and the election of such will be held at the annual meeting next month. The Auckland Stonemasons" Award came into operation on December Ist last, but the increase in wages does not affect those jobs that were contracted for prior to that date, and the men employed on those jobs will not receive the increase to 12/ per day until they get on new jobs. The men are in a peculiar position; they have received notification from the local Inspector that the hours shortened to 44 under the award must be observed, the result is that on all such jobs the men will suffer a reduction in their weekly wage until the job finishes, instead of a rise as anticipated. Thus, on all jobs, there will be a reduction of 4/ per week, instead of a rise of 6/, the wage being £2 15/ and £3 6/, respectively. Mr A. A. Pratt, minute secretary of the Trades and Labour Council, returned | from his brief holiday trip to the Commonwealth, in the Mokoia, on Sunday last. He reports great activity in labour circles on the other side, and enjoyed his flying visit immensely. A labour writer in England says that from statistics privately sent to him, he learns that there are now in Russia 6.12 trade unions, with 246.272 members. The strongest of these are the unions of ! "the metal industries, which number 54,173 adherents, and the weakest is the Miners' Union, which comprise? rive unions with 2475 members. "Still," he observes, '"they represent a solid body of opinion which the Government is trying its best to injure by its new electoral law. In 1006 the workmen formed -A per cent of the electoral college, but now according to the new regulations, they will only have a percentage of 2.1 per cent. Queensland is again in the throes of a General Election, although the present •Parliament has only been in existence barely twelve months. Premier Philp came into power on a minority vote in a three-party House, and asked" for a dissolution, which was granted by Governor Lord Chelmsford against the advice of the late Premier Kidston. The Labour . party claims that the dissolution granted ' is unconstitutional, and is girding up its loins for the fray. It is practically settled that the elections will be held on February Ist, that being a Saturday. Labour must come out of the coming Queensland fight with larger gains than either the Kidston or Philp parties.— "Critic." (Q.) The Auckland United Grocers' Picnic Committee held a well-attended meeting last ilonday evening, and transacted a fair amount of business in the way of making preparations for their second an- . nnal picnic which takes place at Motutapu on Wednesday. February 19th. Replies from the wholesale houses, donating trophies for the sports prizes, were Very encouraging indeed. Owing principally to the slump in the price of lead, there are now nearly 2000 miners idle at Broken Hill, New South j Wales. Nearly 1000 men have drawn their clearances from the A.M.A. The Junction mine is closed down. Nearly 2000 men. women, and children left Broken Hill in three nights during the week prior to Christmas. Most of these folk ! are going away for the regular Christinas > holidays, but many are leaving because of the depression. The members of the Auckland Electric Tramways Union hold their annual meeting on Tuesday morning and evening Dext. A warm time is expected at the meetings. Some of the placards in the cars have been defaced lately by someone, and one man has been discharged Irom his position as a conductor, on the ground of being unsuitable for the job, after a charge had been made and withdrawn by an inspector of being the delinquent who had defaced the aforesaid placard. The defacing has been quite pathetic and scriptural in character, consisting of the request to "Lead us not into temptation." Other men have been told that their services have been dispensed with, while other men junior to them on the list have been kept on. and these are sore at their treatment. A branch of the Industrial Workers of the world has been formed in Wellington. This organisation, started in America, has ior its object the consolidation of all working mcn —it is not confined to members of unions—in order that whenever the opportunity arises they may "vote solid labour." and act as one body in all that relates tc the improvement of tne conditions of labour. A Wellington committee has been appointed to draw up a constitution based npon the American one. with ench alterations in the wording as local conditions may necessitate.