TRADE AND LABOUR NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 303, 20 December 1917, Page 3

TRADE AND LABOUR NOTES.

(BT INDUSTRIAL TRAM! , .) UNION. MEETINGS FOB THE WEEK. This . Evening, December 29—Engine Drivers, Dairy Employees, Storemen, Stone- ,-. masons, Printers' Machinists (Committee). 'Saturday, December 22—Beamsmcn. Monday. December 24—Painters' Quarterly. j SOFT GOODS' EMPLOYEES. It will be remembered that when tile 'Auckland Soft Goods Employees ,1 Union dispute came before the Conciliation. Commissioner, there was a battle royai between Mr. Croskery (one of the unionVs assessors) and Mr. W. Pryor, representing- the-employers, concerning the right of the union to call evidence before the Council, as to the trade conditions ruling-in Auckland. Mr. Pryor contended that the proper place to produce the evidence was when the dispute reached the Court xtf Arbitration. , The Commissioner, I understand, ruled' in favour... of the union, and thereupon the union issued about - forty subpoenas to the leading employers to attend and bring their books co as to put them in as evidence* On the day appointed, with the witnesses, willing and unwilling, in' attendance, the Commissioner decided not to hear the" evidence. The union hae now decided by resolution, to send a strong protest to the Minister for Labonr against the action of the. Conciliatiou Commissioner hi refusing to iear the et|> denoe. At the last meeting of the Auck> land Grocers' Assistants' Union, the following- resolution was passed and ordered to be sent to the Soft Goods Employees' Union:—"T_h c Auckland Grocers' Assistants' Union-extends the hand of friendship to the Auckland Soft Goods Employees Union, and -welcomes its entrance into the ranks of organised labour. It also wishes the members of the new union every success in its com*' ing fight ibefore the Court of Arbitral tion." THE TRAMWAY UNIO>? BY-ELECTION. Last week I intimated.the fact thai the members of the Auckland Tramway Employees' Union -had decided that the recent by-election for president, in which Mr. P. Pvichardson (who lias filled the ■position for Some years past), had been defeated.by Mr. \V. H. Haslam, by a narrow- majority" of two votes, ehould be declared null, and void, on account of cejtaiii alleged irregularities in taking the ballot. It was decided to hold a , fresh, election this week; The same two candidates were nominated, and on Tuesday the ballot, was taken.' wiin the result that Mr. Haslam was again elected; thi* time by the more substantial majority of 53 Votes over" his opponent. The eonteefc was a keen one, and the supporter* of both candidates strained every poJafc to catch, votes. The result, of the. keen interest taken was a slightly increased number- in the aggregate of votes polled. ■ THE TROUBLES OF THE TRADE. ' Those of the" Hotel , and Restaurant Employees. Unions who were lucky enough to secure an award •prcvi6us "to 1 ' the '•■■ institution.' of the six o'clock closing, can congratulate their exceeding good fortune. The Canterbury Hotel Employees' Union is not amongst the. lucky number, for in theiy dispute before the Arbitration Court at Christchurch.'on the'lith inst* the presiSeijtof tKe ..Court ..(Air .Justice Stringer) had something to say on the question. The' Hon.' John Bany appearing as secretary of the union: said that "this was the first time, the union and employers had. been, unable to settle their • affaim by-private conference." ' Discussing the question of equal 'pay,' Mr. Barr said, •there- was a tendency to replace men in the kitchens of hotels.by women. Tjhat was', all, right in certain. circumstances, but if women- were called upon to carry out. the-full'duties'of the men-they replaced; they should receive the came pay. The. union, therefore, in cases where thta ■was ■ shown ;to • take' place, asked for. eqftal pay for equal work. « His Honor said that it had-crossed hie mind that the present was a rather ii»opportune 'time "for the hotel employees to press for a rise in wages.. Considering ■the recent legislation-in regard to the trade,-he' thought , it would be as well if the proceedings were- deferred to see what, the actual was going to be ■to the trade'; This course might really, be of advantage to the workers, for the emplo3rers and the Court might take an unduly-pessimistic view , of the hotel trade at the present time. He would also point out that the increased:cost'of living wouldnot interfere much with the workers in thie business. ".".' ' Mr.'W. Pryor, appearing 'for the em« ploycrs had something, to eaj; on- the ■ hardship. ' of; being '".■.»' liceneee'of an hotel under present! conditions. He. explained. that the employers, objected >to the proposed holidays .for .barmen, as. under; the early closing law, the men could not be worked as-formerly. - At -the best they, could only work them about 52 hours per week now. : as against the 62 hours possible under the old award. He pointed.'-but j that the conditions'. under which; the trade had" to work,now were such ac to absolutely prohibit the payment of higher wages. . He believed that 1 Mr. Barr would;have been well advised to take, his Honor's suggestion, and hold over the application for twelve months, from both points of view, for matters had reached such 'a pitch now that the .employers would be obliged to oppose to the utmost any further restriction Tipon a business that had- already been; most drastically interfered with.to its detriment. "I am not exaggerating when I say that the result of this legislation is ruin for not a few 'hotelkeepers in the' Dominion. Al« ready some, hotelkeepers have felt that, in common honesty, they should call their'creditors' together to consider their position." It might be said that prices had, also'been* raised, and this was so, but the result was not sufficient to recoup the hotelkeepers' losses.' ; CONFERENCE OF UNIONS. The Otago Labour Council (writes th* Hon. J. .T. Paul in the Otago "Daily Times ") has decided to call a conference ■ of local'unions, and is now circularising the bodies interested. In the official call for the conference it is pointed out that the council recognises tie necessity for closer contact between unions, so that uniform action can be taken for their own welfare. The conference will open in"tue Trades Hall on February 21. It ie hoped amongst other things "to get aa expression of opinion on the necessity of closer organisation locally and nationally. Tho 'decision of the conference wiH -b* ; submitted to «ach union for approval. Remits are invited on the fol. lowing matters:—(l) Questions of or* ganieation both' industrially and politically; (2) any question which majj detrimentally affect Labour through oireumeiancee arising out of the warj (3): any other matter which would heusifc Labour . ■■--. y -~:^