TRADE AND LABOUR NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 60, 11 March 1915, Page 8

TRADE AND LABOUR NOTES.

TBAMP.Y,

1 CXION MEETINGS FOB THE WEEK. This Evening, March 11—Dairy Employees, Hotel'and Restaurant Employees, Trades -Union Band Annual Meeting. Friday, March 13—Fellmongers. Monday, March lot-l'lasterers. Furniture

Trades, Cutters and "Pressers. Tuesday, March • 16—Plumbers, Ponsonby Carpenters. .'>•,• Wednesday, March 17—General Labourers, Bootmakers (Executive).

Walter Thomas Mills, who paid a visit to Victoria some .time ago, and sojourned in New Zealand for a short period, is now acting as organiser for the Socialist party .in the State of California.

The annual conference of the unions comprising the New Zealand Federated Bakers and Pastrycooks' Industrial Association of Workers, was held "at the Trades HaD, Auckland, last week. The delegates present were:—Dunedin, G. F. Bewley and J. Haynes; Chriatchurch, H. Chillingworth and P. Dunn; Auckland, E. J. ' Watson and O. J. Veale. Mr. Bewley .was appointed president, and the principal business of the conference was the revising of the rules of the association, and the terms and conditions for a new. award, the present award expiring In October, 1915. Other matters of general interest were also dealt with. Dealing with the question of affiliating with the United Federation of Labour, it was resolved, "That as the constitution of the United Federation .of Labour does not permit of associations becoming affiliated thereto, . the conference recommends unions affiliated to this association to join the District Council of the United Federation of" Labour-in theirs respective localities." . A strong resolution of protest was recorded by the conference, "at the ineptitude of the Government in hot immediately "enforcing the "recommendations of the Royal Commission regarding the price of wheat and. flour. The public is being- - exploited,, .while: there is good reason to believe that there is .no genuine iscarcity of.wheat." .A resolution was I adopted, "That an emphatic protest be forwarded to the Right Hon. W. F. Massey, > Sir J. G. Ward,' and Mr. J. 1 McCombe, M.P.,. that the., new. unions formed -as the result of the 1913 strike should not be allowed to make themselves 'vehicles-of victimisation,' referring more . particularly to the • Auckland Waterside Workcre' Uni on." 7At a sm pke I social tendered to the visiting delegates, on the of March -3rd,- the president (Mr. Bewley) counselled the members of the unions to assert themselves politically." The political and industrial activities of unions must operate conjointly to secure satisfactory and perma--nent- results. •It was decided that; the next conference be held at Christchurchin 1916/ and the president and out-going officers having been accorded a hearty vote of thanks'for their- past ..services, the'conference closed on "March 4th. As will he •jseen from the unions represented at-the conference, the- Wellington union is not affiliated to the association.,- Some time ago the union -in question seceded from the association on account of some petty-difference of opinion, and the result is that, although not federated at present, the Wellington union has practically to w:drkun'der : the same, conditions, as the. bakers and. pastrycooks' award'ls, in effect, a Dominion a ward;:" Hopes -are: tertaincdrthat the differences -in question | wiH be. overcome,' and there. will^be.a j solid Federation once more in operation j right throughout"the: Dominion.-: ~\: \

I ;'•.; The Auckland Labour Representation Committee, at its meeting on Thursday i evening last," decided 'to Tcscind 1 : ; -ite previous determination to run a7t:cket of twelve candidates'for the City Couni cil,' and: reduced.-the.- number to six.' : In this * theNiommittee has acted wi^ly; for' it is not always wise to be too aggressive. 1 There -were eleven nominations received, and a" plebiscite of the members to determine who shall, form the ticket is being taken'- on"- Tuesday, ;Wednesday, , and Thursday of this week. Tne ballot closes at eight olclock this eve-ring. • . Bather an interesting document came into, my - -possession," this- week, -in -the. shape- of a. small book entitled "Rules of the Auckland \ Carpenters - and - Joiners' Trade: Union, .1890.?- 7This evidently refers ,to-' a local union established in Auckland some .25 years ago, in opposition to .the'; Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and.. Joiners. - The. entrance, fee was two "shillings ; and: sixpence and the .contributions threepence per week. This .was fouryears.-previous, to the advent of-the j Hon. ,W. P7Reeyes' Conciliation 'atid-; Arbif tration Act,.and the given |at thdend of "the union rules give a good I idea. of -the ■ march: of: progress -under'- the Act, so Jar as working :condltions are con|ceraed.7.l;quot;e them for.: the inforaia* I tion of carpenters of a younger "genera ° ti*)ii,;who' now .are. in: the enjoyment of a week and eighteenpence per hour -.—, . . -... . "7 1. That the week consist of forry-seyen hours.. . -.'.. ■7. '.-'•"'.-..■.':,'.'

7 2. That any member working'over three miles- from - the) junction "of 'Grey Street and Queen Street shall receive or be paid travelling expenses, or "time. allowed to reach the job. :'.-.-•-7 .'.

■ \ 3 v That overtime from sto 8, pan., from 8 - t0 .7 2 ■'P^--.*™ev«nd.Vbilf;'.'itaii':ia l to' 8; a.m., double time; : Christmas Day and. .Good Friday and Sundays, double time; I and in no case shall overtime'be worked when members are out of work, I - ■*- 5 Th * t youths .under years of. age. shall, be -treated..; as ; above that age as men, and to obtain full -TOges : .ln:-no^.case:shall -more than twenry-fiye.per cent be allowed.- Boy labomr: One>boy apprentice ? aUowed. in one-to. four- men Every man working on a.job,to be a member .of.the union or/Amalgamated. Societjv of Any ? man :getting rpaid off.to have two hpursto'sharpen.anid grind his tools, or:twojhours at; ordiiary rate, but only when he. has. worked a month or»more for the same employer, i""::.' » 6.-.That.any "member',finding. that he is woitang •; with anon-unionist must i give notice, twenty-four hours to the secretaries. Should-any member fail comply-with this rule hfr will be fined five shillings . for each - successive . day 'he neglects; to d.p 50.7 . • . .... .

• ;7. .That.no.member be aUowed to work P*.**eework, and allworkmen over the ace of .tvrenty-one years to; standard B *' or -/ or M ySaaa of work. -B.:That wages for ;the,pre^eht ; be at-the rate -of. shiUings fori fortyseven.hours^riweek's:work, subject'to alteration from, time to time, accofdine to circumstances.

:?. That for-allicountry. jobs dutside* a seven miles .radius, be paid one shillin-- a aay.ej-t-'aion town.wages.' ° •« I fi'i? h^t^ l;,, * i ? berß are »q«eßted not .to allow lal»urers A to work aa carpenters, vJSj things have -grownr The trade cond-t-ons of lWO,we re .oo mprese and ungram■sSSS"^^-^'^-««^ Now.the present award of ;the can-enters

sub-clauses galore, and teeming withfe phraseology. Then the enforced; by 'thes;uniona7by hte&Z 7 threats tos-down tools." - 01 course.would result ia the Benal-^f' being speedily put into operatibnfialS&dign punishment being inflictea^'iw' a man out of employment «L£? ' town, and country to look for wortr-X very little work offering at " goes to the Trades Hall v work through the secretary, -mm*!? preference clause of to-day and tbeS)7* ' cent increase in pay we have uc7oS-5' - to sigh for "the good old ante-Act period. One thing I : —that the unionist of to-day v J?Z3 a good unionist as those of a-cmarW*S a century ago. from principle; now many aretijE, 77 been termed '-pence card 7 T r ion l sts b * w»^Q The Adelaide branch of is distributing 800 loaves weeJdf >?;£ lieve the distress of the city and suburbs. *"*•"--'-».£ The Sydney Labour daily <"n* World, - " is to be published in SertttS;"" next. The cost of erection-of tk&jri? - mg to house the paper was awßoßCMn£'■ land cost £28,000. at present £3,000 a year. The s»£* ing director gets at present £506 annum. If in the opinion of tors the outlook in good, publication, may be further a»i layed. ' > .'-; The Labour organisations in Gemur are conducting a census- of ;t*e-.*nnrti ; of their members called up fornihaW sen-ice. The returns reported present show that cannon been supplied to: the Kaiser Metal Workers: First montiu7-Ilo,li|, second and third months, 170,07". Timber trade work*r*J:J~nS. month, '24.387,: second and 2304.: total, 27,191. Factory wlSgpp First month, 34,388; second and tiki months, 16,775; total, 51.166. Goren. ment and municipal These men have left 11,821----22,738 chilren to be maintained. ' " The Labour Federation of Pfettb (W.A.)- is circularising memhei»- : of hi* Houses asking them- to meet Council in conference to consider fl» proposal that the" Government ih-sd impost a general comes to provide work for umfflpfcml Brisbane painters have '-Vdeieiranp? cease work in Federal employ it atiK ists of foreign extraction are ref-ued em '•'The Australian Worker" iaj»i-- " Labour in Xew Zealand, ihisflf le«m of its internecine strife, and alsatednat of its long alliance with' T,i*-witj|||g|jft led by Richard Seddon, has netapl itself managed either to control tie 44----ministration or to seize the power.- To-day, to get rid of the imfe of Massey and his -Tories, it is; ; fifc t» stand again behind Joseph Wart£»fc: never iva„. and probably never wißilta man with any real Labour proriMOfc. It is a humiliating i worse ;ban might have been akfi|§§H! from a'party that never was reakh*« party, audi never knew k"*»SS§H! local differences and sit on nfaiffltafe I individual- ambitions:"'-The •-cgiag I able individual ambitions'* just '-mittt I fills the hill mil In iiniii "f f JhTjßH] 1 is that the " ambitions " are Ja I portations and misfits in: movement:, from- the -Comaijij3jj|l:B United States - and "else.whewj^^jap[MS dumped here;not,for the 7*coiuit#J~~l4f I but for their "' own good." ---• V I