TRADES AND LABOUR NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 65, 16 March 1916, Page 8

TRADES AND LABOUR NOTES.

CMOS MEETTXGS FOR THE WEEK. Tai* Evenins. March 16—Stonemasons, Boilermakers, Xewmarket Carpenters. 31' clay. MarcU 20—Plasterers, Furniture Trades, Cutters and Pressers. ■Wednesday, March 22—General Labourers, U'-'o;uiakers. THE BIG EXEMPTION. In nearly every dispute of any magnitude coming before the Conciliation k'oumiissioncr or Court of Arbitaton there U usually a more or less eoni-l-rehensive Hit of firms asking for exemption from the award under consideration. But the biggest exemptiou o: all is that of the enterpriser managed i>v the for instance, the Public \V jrks Department, a= well as the Department of Railways: for under the .Act the workmen employed by the state are exempt from the operation-? Government Departments, although not under any award, were careful to eea that the ruling wage in any award was paid to Government employees, bu* iately this practi-ce has been uepartei from. The Auckland branch qf the Amalgamated Society of Carpenter* and Jo'.ners has lately been crossing s words with the heads of the Railw.iy department over the discrepancy in t'.ii> wages paid to the award rates. Th-. matter is dealt with in an article eonwined in the March number of the Auckland district "Monthly Journal." a j-übiication Lesued gratis to members oi the society, and edited from the Aur-U----land oSce in the Trades Hall. Til--""Journal" cays:—"One of the biggest Wildings under construction in Auckland at the present time is that which is U:nj erected by the Railway -Department on the reclamation in Mechanics' Bay. Tie carpenters employed there «crk 47 hours per week, and receive 11/ per day (a lew get 11/6 per day). That is three hours a week longer than the award hours, and 1/ per day le=j than award rates of pay; the three extra hours, which if worked for an outside builder, would have to be paid for at overtime rates, are worked by the-s , : men :or the Railway Department fur nothing. Most of those men are members c'f our union: they do not want to work lomer hours, or for less than award r:\:: . but jobs- are scarce, end there v- not murh choice in the rcatter. The public due= not know that cno Department of the Government makes awards and another department ignores.them. We think if it liid kr»ow it would tell the Railfvay Department to pay award ratis at least; but in thu meantime, what have >ou got to s.iy it"' . Already some corresponden; .• j'i= passed between the Society and tb« Department, but nothing ha* yet been dene to remedy the matter complaice-l of. If the union decides to pursue tiio matter further, a position of affairs inisht eventuate that may be quit" (■ilbertian. Being denied redre-s under the Arbitration Act. the carpenters night take action under the Labour Disputes Investigation. Act. and notify V.r. Masaey, a* Minister for Labour, tbat his colleague. llr. Herrice. a? Minister for Railways, has refused to yay the ruling rate to carpenter*, an 1 to obtain a definite ruling on the nutter. After giving due noice they Jniiint even decide to strike, alter having failed to obtain a satisfactory cctl'.i;iiient. ASSISTING IN RECRUmXG. T-abour in Otago has '.taken up the work" of recruiting. At a recent demonstration conducted by organised Labour, "iic speakers included Messrs. A. Walker, M.P., R. Breen, and .S. K. Brown. It :•> argued that, even if there were no other reason, 1-abour should stand by the thousands of its own who have gone to tbe front, and see that their sacrifices are nut in vain. In undertaking this ■work, Dunedin U merely following in the steps of organised in (Jreat Britain, which rendered such great service in the Derby campaign. In Auckland also, it was announced that during this week there would be a series ofshqrt mid-day addresses by-Labonr leaders from the platform of the recruiting- offices at the foot of Victoria Street, the first being given on Monday by Mr. Arthur Ros=er. others to follow each <iay. The Monday address was duly triven. but so far the officer in charge has not been able to secure a succession of labour leaders, so the addresses have had to be given by other speakers. It is rather unfortunate that the Auckland I-sbour men. who have the ability and willingness to make the appeal to the pnbiic, are too near the age of eligibility thern-elve* to urge others to K've their iervieea to their country. Ail who strenuously oppose conscription, shoulu do their utmost to push the voluntary sr/item to the utmost that lies in their pOTor. THE ORDER-IX-COVSCIL. - Resolntions pas.-sed by unions that have considered the effect of the recent Ordr>r-m-Coirneil, which suspended the underrate workprs clause in any award that may he required, are being sent to the Press, and also to the Prime Minister, and they are all condemnatory in tone. Thf= Auckland Bricklayers' Union passed j.he following at its last meetfrig:—"The under-rate -workers are provided for in the award, and the proposed Siiisperinion interferes with the local control of the jnion. Jit would establish a jjrewdent, and no pruarantee is »iven as to- when the incursion would end. The inspector of awards cannot possibly understand tbe value of labour in the different occupations: the whole question is illegal, and the question is asked. the Government, which is exempt from the provisions of any award, allow the inspector to fix an under-ratc workers' 'wage, in any Government Department?" , — FEDERATED MINERS." Recently a dominion Minersl .Federation -was formed and' registered' under tiie Arbitration Act.." Following upon this a request was preferred for a meeting with coal mine owners. jThe owners however, declared that such, a meeting would bo futile, and it -was" announced that they had decided to confer only with individual unions, using for the pur-po.-.e the machinery of the Coneiliutioa mid Arbitration Ac-'t. The federation has no power to compel the owiicth to grunt n. i.onfcreiicq, uud it is reported by a Southern exchange 'that, the Government i.s to be approached with a demand for the removal of this disability. The ICtiilaiignlii Miners' Union, which ia ufiiiliated with the. federation, is etated to hpve decided by ballot with an overwhelming majority to take jts dispute, ■before the Conciliation Council, As the awards ol a number of other miners' unions have expired, their decision yyil J be awaited with interest.