THE AUCKLAND STRIKE

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 14188, 31 October 1911, Page 7

THE AUCKLAND STRIKE

CONFERENCE TO BE HELD TODAY.

miESS ASSOCIATION TEf.ECnAM.)

AUCKLAND, October 20

Tho labourors' strike is Gtill in progress. The Drainage Board mot tonight, and after a full consideration of the matter at issue between themselves, thoir contractors, and the General Labourers' Union, namely as to sub-contracting, it was agreed by tho three parties concerned to meet in conference to-morrow morning. Five delegates from tho Board, five from the contractors, and five from the men will meet. Tlie two former parties of delegates will have power to act, and the Union leaders have given an understanding that before the conference they will inform the Boaid what course they intend to recommend to the strikers. The issue has been reduoed to one—tho definition of a sub-contract to apply to the labourers' award. Tho result" of tto Board's meeting was awaited by a large number of members of tho Union, who had gathered at the door of tho Board's offices. When it was intimated that the dispute bad not been fixed up. as-was expected, there wero mutterings of discontent, which were only partially allayed by an explanation of the circumstances.

Tbo crowd afterwards proceeded to the Grey statue where speeches were delivered by the President and secretary of tho Union, and another prominent member, all three of whom are members of the delegation appointed to attend to-morrow morning's conference. Tub tone of the speeches was one of " No compromise anu no backing down," and it was indicated that the deletion of the obnoxious clause from present, as well as future, contracts would be insisted upon. Hitherto the issue has been confined to tho Drainage Board on the one hand and the strikers on the other, but an important factor has now been introduced, in the shape of a definite 6tand for their rights by tho contractors who have taken contracts under the Board. A deputation of contractors waited upon the Mayor in the forenoon and made their attitude clear. Tho main points then discussed, and laid before the Board in the evening, were that the co-operative system of carrying out work does not come within tho legal definition of "sub-contracting," that to sub-contract is to sub-let to a man who employs labour, that the contractors signed their contracts under certain conditions and objected to a variation of those conditions at this stage, that they had obtained legal advice that the clause in the contracts providing for subletting on permit from the engineer is legally a right as distinct from a permission, and that generally the contractors were determined to refuse to •yield to the demands of the Union V> abolish sub-contracting. The position in which one of tho contractors finds himself shows that subcontracting is a vital question. His particular contract requires the installation of expensive plant and certain machinery, and ho declares that to debar him from sub-letting a portion cf the work would involve him in tho loss of several hundred pounds. The strike pickets were busy to-day in pulling men off work who had already been called out, but whom the pickets, owing to the weather, had been unabio to reach.