TRADE AND LABOUR NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 77, 31 March 1928, Page 20

TRADE AND LABOUR NOTES.

(By INDUSTRIAL TRAMP.)

UNION MEETINGS FOR THE WEEK. Monday. April 2.—Drivers. Tuesday, April •">. —Engineering Trades, Tramway Officers. Wednesday, April 4.—General Labourers, Auckland Carpenters, Onehunga Carpenters. Kelated Printing Trades. Thursday, April s.—Boilermakers, Rope and Twine Workers. LABOUR ACTIVITIES. Mr. E. Wadham, secretary of the Auckland Gas Employees' Union, is away from his oflice, on a well-earned annual leave.

From tlie Trades Hall this week went congratulations to Mr. D. G. Coleman, on his election at a by-election to the Mayoralty of Gisborne. He has been prominent in labour polities at Gisborne for years past, and is well known throughout the Dominion. He is also very active in the work of the Salvation Army in the East -Coast township. He stood for the Mayoralty, at the municipal elections of last year, but was beaten by the late Mayor, the votes being: Armstrong 2446, Coleman 1672. It was a triple contest for the Mayoralty this week, and Labour won. At the last Parliamentary election in 1025, Mr. Coleman also contested the Gisborne seat against Mr. Lysnar, the sitting member, securing 2772 votes against 4353 obtained by Mr. Lysnar. Speaking with a Gisborne businessman yesterday, ho gave his opinion Mr. Coleman will do a lot of good in his administrative work as Mayor, but will not have much chance of doing much in the council, for, like Mr. Rogers, Mayor of Wanganui, he is the only Labour man in tho council. His councillors are all either lawyers or business men; still it is a step in the march of progress. Mr. T. Cain, local secretary of the Shipwrights' Union, is slowly recovering from a severe attack of bronchitis, and expects to resume duty next week. Owing to his illness the Shipwrights' meeting for Monday night is postponed.

Trade matters at the Trades Hall show a very slight improvement in one or two trades this week, but in the majority of offices there is little difference. Among the painters, a few renovation jobs have been taking 011 some of the men, but there is no new work available, therefore the easement is but temporary. The Bakers' Union is now experiencing its share of dull times, after a period of fairly constant employment.

Several sections of the furniture trade show an improvement, but the cabinet making branch is slacker than ever. Mr. P. Hally, Conciliation Commissioner, expects to arrive back this weekend from Palmerston North, where he has been presiding over a dispute between the country journalists, and the newspapers concerned.

The Auckland Storemen's Union, which is also the executive of the New Zealand Storemen's Federation, is in for a busy Easter. Mr. Miller, the secretary, is preparing for the Easter Conference, which will be held this year at Dunedin. Amongst other items on a lengthy agenda paper, is- the consideration of new awards or agreements for three sections of the federation to take the place of those shortly to expire. They are: Storemen and packers; oil store workers and wool store employees. At the conference Messrs. W. Miller, H. Webb and J. Murdoch will be the Auckland delegates.

THE BIG INDUSTRIAL PARLIAMENT. This most important function, probably the most important and far-reach-ing in the industrial history of the Dominion, opened in Wellington on Tuesday, and beyond appointment of a chairman, and academic addresses on arbitration as a principle by the leading economic professors of the various universities of the Dominion, their work has only just started. The first brush occurred over the election of a chairman, and the employers' twenty-five nominated the Hon. John Barr, M.L.C., as their choice, no doubt, expecting a good measure of support for their nomination from the labour side, owing to the fact that for many years in the past, Mr. Barr, a stonemason by trade, had been a very active member of his own union. He had also been secretary of several other Christchurch trades unions, as well as a member of the local Trades and Labour Council. But these activities had been previous to his elevation to the Upper House, and his subsequent re-nominations to that august chamber by the Reform party. The labour side could not see eye to eye with the employers in this respect, and wanting a later edition of a labour man to preside nominated Mr. J. A. McCullough, for many years workers' representative on the Court of Arbitration. A deadlock occurred, and the matter being relegated to a subcommittee of three from each side with power to act, the choice fell upon Mr. A. D. Thompson, who for a long period had held important posts in the Civil Service. After mapping out a line of conduct for committee work, committees were appointed and the conference has now adjourned till April 18. In the meantime investigation committees are at work, and the work has only started. How many journeys to Wellington will be needed before the work is done; what will be the result on the Arbitration Act, and who is to pay the piper for fares, board and lost time for some of the delegates, who are not officials of unions, it is hard to say; but the Government certainly ought "to come to light with passes on the railway, seeing the responsibility that it will be relieved of, by a mutual adoption of an Act that will satisfy both contending parties.

EXTRA WORK FOR CONDUCTORS. From the same paper I take an account of extra work being put on to the already harassed tram conductor. Will it extend to Auckland? Short Skirt Ban on Tram. A girl, aged about 20, travelling on a Sheffield team from Millhouses to the city, found herself confronted with the option of standing up or getting off the car because her skirt was considered to be too short. Her dress was shorter than most dresses that are worn to-day, and two elderly women sitting opposite her apparently made a complaint to the conductor. He approached the girl, and, after saying something about her skirt, told her either to stand up or get off. She got off. There is a law which gives power to tramway officials to ask people to leave cars if their dress or behaviour is likely to cause offence.