LABOUR DISPUTES.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 11102, 22 October 1901, Page 3

LABOUR DISPUTES.

. il'«»l — '* (PRESS- ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) - . / *; /, i- :W_sa.£lNoToN/ October' at. - The '"dispute of' the Wellington Brick, Tile, Drain", /"and other Pipe arid' Pot*ery v MijkeTs'' Union,' wfiich hid previously !been: be/ore the Board, and- had been withdrawn in brdeit to .aSlgw, of '.a ; conference.between the tVo.' parties, was reopened before the Conciliation'" Board this .morning. -The' nature of thte demands has already been stated./;- Mr ;Hi_teori/-fo-r r the said. 'd_at wheh'he said a conference- would settle the matter he thought he would have reasonable men to deal. with. •' At the conference he had tried his "best to .bring about a -.settlement. J. Thte Union delegates would not bjudgejon the' hourly c pay_questfon. "En "ho part of the world that hte knew of-was tftw weekly/wages system adopted in the trade." The men were" other paid by the hour or by the. piece." This was the system.in,the New Zealand brickyards. He- claimed that Wellington paid a higher, xata of' wage than' was paid in any other' part of the colony, or of the world, excepting, perhaps. South Africa or the Philippines.' it' was a trade that depended wholly upon the ■ weather, and could only be followed about ' eight out of twelve months of the year. Personally, 'he was in favour of leaving the Board to decide, and not calling evidence, or, if tho other sides were wilting, he would favour the case being referred to the Arbitration | Court. If. the demands of the Union were I granted; it would-, anean an increase to his pay-sheet of £1796 without counting overtime. That sum was more than he had | made during the past ten years. In Auck--1 land the .men worked fifty-one hours, and received less pay than was received by his (Mr - Hutson sjemp.oyees. Mr Hutson handed in a return showing the hours and pay in 1 the principal cities of the colonies. The hearing of evidence'is not concluded. NELSON, October 21. I The Collingwood Miners' and Labourers' Union filed a plaint, against the Parapara Hydraulic Sluicing Company, Ltd., demanding a rise of miners' wages~froui eight to ten shillings a -day. The Conciliation Board proceeded to Collingwood, and after taking evidence and viewing the' works, I have filed an award, in which, they recommend thafc the miners' wages be increased from- 8s to 8s 6d per day during, the ensuing .twelve months, commencing on the Ist December. The : Board expressed the ! opinion that 9s a day, the minimum rate on th_ West "Coast, is not excessive for j sluicing work, but, considering the adverse. ! circumstances under which the company i has been struggling for the last nine years, .coupled with the fact that the miners employed by the company have less broken time than the other sluicers in the district, the miners should accept the increased rate.