LABOUR MATTERS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 114, 6 February 1908, Page 8

LABOUR MATTERS.

~p INCREASES IN WACES. KFFItCr ON EXISTING CONTRACTS. i: • (BT TEI.EORArit-Sriciil.' COBREsi'ONnENT.) ' . -•••!". -- • ' February 5: ; .A peculiar.? pbsitiouitos arisen in connec- ' tionPwith a-..Calliopo.iDpck: contract and an .award of tho.Arbitration,Court.; At .yestermeeting. of- -the'iHarbou? Board the coiit-rabtors 'foi-,'t-he';orection of the sheer-legs ■ Syrdto 'stating'tbatitho Engineer bad notified ' the'iiii that -as the foundations wero approach- ' 'ihg. cobipletioii,.they f ,would soon bo required • ';to,procc«l;,with tho, erect ion of the sheer-* legs. -Thov drtw the attention of the Board -' .to/tbe riso'tliat' had taken 'place.- sinco'the coritftfct wrts"let ! -'iii''tiib cost-of. all laboiir : in'ciderital: to' the 'contract. , -Iri. making . the, new award, which came iiito/orce in Nov- - ember, last, ptli'e' Arbitratibn Court had. made' tlje''impVacfcicable. .suggestion that.. ,tho awa rd should'not aftoct. ex'i'stiiig. contracts. At the, Kamo'. i'inie, tho Coiirt 1 'brought. the award, iiito.Pcffcct'.isVa.ight away, and this nullified .all jiossiblo'^oliiiiicb. ofytho suggestion, beiiig ..earned oiit., M 'lho,!icisult of tli.ri increase.in , jWfagesi,- would' liiean an,;additiOn. of £60t) in . /carrying out their contract as compared wltli, -the rates prevailing' when tlic' tender■■ was subftiitted; 'for tho Board's cori'sid'eratipii ,in .respect to. these circumstances, :.wHich: ; could'. liot lio .foreseen or'controlled. ■ If; tho Board. deqided,}.to7fCall for fresh ten■'ders,- tliey were oiiit-6 willjtig- to agrco to, the fcancellatioii of their-contract, and take their ,chanco .in-'Te-tehrleriiig.- '' .' , .' . : v. . . ...Ml-. Vr.;.J; Napier." said that, ho ' could hardly; TVIr". '• Jtistice' Sim.-; (president''■ ~of the ''Arbitration'' Court) v giving'- an 11 inconjsisljeiit' awdrd. suth as was. suggested'.' If it . was 'stipulated-'thatf'exis'tiiig contracts, should not be . affected': thoy tould, .no doubt, bo carried out:. :i: ■: Jfr.-i AJJ. • Enlrican: llio. contractors',' ■might have power tpj'pay the old rate of wajles.- but tho .ineii might not accept it. 1 Mr; J. K. Kncen: Tho new award does not iinvoly'c a .great increase—riot iiioro than- os.' " We ,are .tclrl that it makes'p im'this cofitract. .-.' v p Knqeii: Yes. I would like to see' that Voi'ljed'oUt.;.-They .did liot submit that Justicd'Sjrii,,, (lr . .'' ' , .■* " - The letter was referred to "the Board in comniittee. i} pp . ARBITRATION COURT 'SITTINGS:'-;' ■; DUNEDIN LABOURERS' DISPUTE.: : (BT TEUialtArnrrrritESS ASSOCIATION.) ■ ' ■ ti: - Dunedm, February ,5. Tjiq-ArbitrationvCourt .to-day took tho dispute .between the .Duncdin and Suburban General,-Laljourers! Union and the eniploj-ers of Dunedin; and suburbs. . Mr. .'Scott;, instructed by tho Builders' Association,r.tlio Drainage Board,' the JUity CqrpOTat-iqn, and,tho,,MßFnington and Roslyn Muijicipalitjes, ' raisedptiie question, of 1 juris-' 'diction; / on; the/ ground . that. tho 'matter., of tho wage for : generalii.labourers had been dealt with when,tho'tlisputo was before the I Court -in November, 190b. p; -• llio President said, the held that it possessed jnrisdictibii 'iif th'o preseiit-applica-■ti'oii,'.'.'TOhich *■ was ''made' 'by-' the General Labourers') Union to fix wages. They thought ■the, coristruction to . bepput on the award of J.9OG. was. that it-lixed only the.wages of pick |-, and.sho.vel'nieiijii w'ork'for, building eontrr.c..forsj it .was -thereforo : quite competent -for-the Labourers': Union to .como ito the. ■Cpurt and ask for.an award. - - Evidonco was .then read, after which the j $pjrt.,tosk .time to iCpns.ider; its award.'. I PROPOSED LABOUR FEDERATION. , DISCUSSION AT AUCKLAND. [' ■ s ~, (BY IHLKOIIAni—riIKSS ASSOCIATION.) ~■. ;■ :Auckland, February a. ij > The proposal:,to. t federate' the .Unions is i.ntjji'est'in , Auckland, la.bo.ur circles.., Mr.. Arthur Rosser, president of the Trades'.and''Labpur.'.Coimcil,.,agrees that the principle 'is' good," but' that ;;sucli' federation .would be too unwieldy and costly.. Mr. G. ■Ij.-iyis, j'epresontativo of numerous Auckland 'Jabo.ur -' orgaAi'sations,' 1 Si'ys the . only, chance, of tho workers lies m"fedoratiou, sinco tho omployors l have l done likewiso. \ ■ ■ : . , Last-'iiight the ,'Ariialgamated .Society ,of ;Engineers .-'decided :'warmly. to .'support the jinovcment, as the only - palliative. ; of the itrpubles'-besetting labour. " ' ■ BUTTER-WORkERS' DISPUTE. •EMPLOYERS OBJEQT. TO MR: COLLINS. Y- : -,(BT TEMpß.U'il—piles'p.AS^OClATl'p^.)., ,P;-.. •Palmersion : North, February 5.. J . . Tho Conciliation "Board sat here, to-day in connection ,witlir, >.<tho .i disputo between tlio ibuttoworkers !yid employers.. ■ ~:Tho.eniplovQrs. refused' to give evidence on account of MrP' Collms'sitting oil tho Board, ('and • aMiigcd him',.'of ac, ting' in 'the .duahcap(acity of-..agitator and judge. . '■ ; ...ppTho Chairman' tha't : ''they itakc that-;stand, and. -lriformed'. them . that,, .according : .ti)' ! Scctiori '.GO .of' tho ' Act,they' .could' be'.'cpmpelled'jto appear, ' and if the .meeting'was -adjourned' this: would bo done. ■ ;.'iTlio omployersi.theri .withdrew,.and .thb.sitj ting of.ltho .Board was- adjourned'to -Welling-, itoh'.atra dato.to.;bd fixed..SOUTHLAND FREEZINC WORKS UNION. ' . .-;'«!/■ \ AGREEMENT ADOPTED. •■■ (BT- TEI.EGBArn—rRESS ASSOCIATION.) . I nvercarglll, February ,5. , :p,.Tl}e7Southland "Freezing Works 1 Union -has . adopted , l an', agreement .coiiio ,t'o between'.the delegate's ,of ..that body-! and . representatives . of the; Freezing' Companies . in coriferenco re--:cpntlK'v.liie r hew':pgreement.pproyidc's fbr ; 'an increase -pf wages to' 1 Is; '3d. Pper.hour or- , dih'any..: time, 'pand. ,ls; % ',, od.': overtime,, :with .do.iible" time on' : ;Chi;istmas .Diy and .-Good ;Friday,. tiuie.'apd a'-'lialf, pri ! Sundays,''Easter ;Mon'dayj.. Prince !of Wales's Bii-'thdav, -Soveroigri'tf 'ißir'thdhy; .'PLab.b.ur.VDay,. ' Regatta ■Dnv, -anjl 'Anniversary. Day; Preference'is . given-to'.'Unionists., p; • /. OTAGO'AND . SOUTH LAND"FARM . LABOURERS. ~, 'PROPOSED .AMALGAMATION Or UNIONS . ■'• (by telegsaph—muss absociaiion.) ; ... . ■ , Dunedln, Februarv o. ' '■ At a of. delegates 'from the •chemical.; manure-workers, ,• shearers,., mus- . terers, . and' Milton farm labourers' unions to-day,- '£25 was guaranteed vas the -tfucleroc of;■ a 'fund 1 to»bj *ng' aboilt • the auialgamation of the whole-iof"the ■ Otago and Southland. : agriculturalpand- farm' labourers', unions' arid kindred, unions into one federation, with, the ; object 'of - obtain in e■ | pol it icjal representation ■so' as -to 1 secure-..the. administration of "tho : lab.our,Haws 1 as,'they,"stand':,on the,. Statute .Book. i. • -'- . , - ■ : THE SHEARERS' CONFERENCE. (Bl*. TUIiEGUAFJI—-PRESS ASSOCIATION.) • , ; Palmerston , North, I'ebruary 5 ' 'Ilie'conference , between tho shearers -arid sheep-owners yesterday agreed to. 'certain < amendments.Pto. ithe n 'claims 'of 'tho.'former, which, are, to be ■ submitted --to the executive bodies.-pf":both;parties. .It is understood, the "men, agreed ,to -the',.'omission .of proference, ' and the. owners.accept„tlie.rato of £1. per 100 for both' machine and hand work. "\,.. ~ " LABOUR REPRESENTATION COMMITTEE. ', •Tho fortnightly meeting of tho Lfibour Re- ' presentation'.Committeo,'.was held last, night. : Credentials' were received' from tlireo' addi'tionabUnioiis; yiz-y thb.Cooks' and Stewards': Unidn,' the Federated Seamen's 'Union of, New 'Zealand; and • tho Industrial Workers .'of the. World. • A long'discussion ensued as to what should be itho. objective of the committee. : and- oventually k' .was, decided that it should bo! as follows Tho.,nationalisatioii of the means of'production, distribution; and exchange." ' Subsequently',. the .'following-re-solution was passed-—jyThat-tho coniniitteo take united action; so. securo tho return .of candidates, pledged -to ■ form- a distinct Labour group ' ill Parliament; and : to' abstain from\identifying- thomsblves with either Hie : Government or' the. OcDOiit^ACi 1 '- ; '

■ The suggestion that the grim frowning building on- 'Mount • Cook, can bo converted into a Doiiiinion ■ museum that shall invito tho public, has been . received in many 'quarters'.with.; sipilos';[ Some persons ,who aro acquainted the intcrior-pf tho building, and • with' the massive 1 construction of -its many' ceils,''liayo'expressed surprise, that the idea .•shbiili'' , bo for ono ini{ment ontertaincd of opening 'to form the roomy halls that' are 'MsentiaV to a museum.' Tho cost and. labour that -.would bo involved in snch .a> work '.would'vbe,; -tliey sayj enormous. Tho present barracks j contain a few - large rooms already; but the building'' consists mainly of tho cells which liayp dividing .walls;'of, solid brick.. Externally ternally no strueturo moro, unlilve a museum .could well be imagined than'the Mount-Cook ■barracks.;' .:'' ' " ' ' ' ■'■ AN EXPERT'S REPORT. ThePpractiCability of bj-eakiiig- up the cell partitions and. : .c.onvqrting,,tho strong building to .vory different purposes '. has' already,; teen afprino^l,howover,vby."'"experts,'-'who -have 'made.-a ..thijirpugh invostigatibn-. of.'the 'P'rbblerii. . ,The plan heye; reproduced,, shows. the, Mount pook building as .it.-would hayo_ looked if; it" had',..beeil, cpn'Verted into.'a' University. College,7ns;:jyas:pfo'p6s.ed seven or eight years ago.-.'Before..Victoria' .CoUego'was ;buj!t',' at a cost' of .'£3o,opo;p a '-potitibn. contoiiiijrig close on 7000 signatures was presented, in'tho form ■of.'a. bound/.volume,' to the late Air. Seddon, asking that ■ iho'ibuilding'should'.lie ..adapted "to"''serve this purpose', and an' agit-atioi.i" with 'this object pwas'';ca'rried oil for sovoralycars. A was formed'to, press the scheme,of which 'Dr. Chappie, 1 who was a' member of thp first Victoria College Council, was an eiithusiastie advocate, and the Jato • Mr. Thomas Turiibull,' a leading ; areliitect, .of was asked to report oil! tlib practicability of'modifying tho; building in-o.rder (to imake it' suitable - for ; "'Uiiiycrsity require-, 'meiitsp. Mr. Turribull had to report,' in fact, on the same question of breaking-down brick .walls and converting small cells into -roomy halls; which the .Cabinet has now referred.to the Public Works Department. Hepinado a thorough .inspection or." tho. building together 'with GMr. James' Barry,: Jbuildor, and they de-' cidwl that the building could be converted into a Univcrsjty .College at a cost of. £9000, and that Itho'. resultant, building would ha'yo a 'ivalue' of ;£45;p00.' .'Mr.vTiiftibull .made' put plans, of ,tlio alterations, th'a't. would' bo fe'quired'; arid 'fr"pmp'thesb : aii' ielevatioh -'of : tho' • adapted. building was .prepared, which, by tho courtesy t pf Dr. Chnpplcp u'e are enabled, to / ■reprbciijce'.this morning'. It represents a yej-y' ijiahdsom'e'University College, and the cpii,elusion .naturally drawn, is that ,a muspiim. no less haiidsomo might .conceivably ,bo prpduced from-tho present gloomy pilp.; : . Doubts'having 'been cast,' in August,-1900,. on': quotations of Mr. Barryestimate, the ;followiiig-letter of Mr. Barry was and .received newspaper ,publicity :-t- " ' I •'! ."This is; to certify .that with Mr. i Turiibull, architect, and- .from' plans' and details as to class and lccturo rooms supplied by him,..l' estimate , . that tho; present building on "Mount Cook can be converted into .a, univer- , sity; building -according to> this jilaiv at a cost, of £9000.", ' 1 J ' ' DIFFICULTIES OF ADAPTATION. Mr. Turnbull himself, writing', to. one of ■the Well.ingtoh Ppapers '.on the'feasibility of ;adapting the, fiuilding,'said :'— '. ; s "As an authority, lam y of opinion that. the, interior. of-the building caii be remodelled .by taking ..down such of . the internal . brick r cross and ..party walls and , floors' .'as are necessary to conform the,'interior to:a.plan comprising siiitalilb ,sized rooms .and lecture halls for university purposes. This'is made practicable .by : the.:fact that'.the outer -walls,carry.-the.w'holo.thrust.'and-; ~weight-., and; arci'built P.pf.;;' 1 : such, a .sulistap|ial. cha'raeterjPj.' •asito' ■..be;'ld^j>ißlp-\ • from-./ tho : r4fttexiDri^n.llili.rr."!lcibr I s - out : 'beinp;';jw^aJ;ei;ifitl...t : b. i'hy .extent/ ,am' gjjvpfcteikjndpfstahdvtM ivork.vwasvqonstriictMl : .witlt-linie .ni'(ir-',,|: tar;.,p : /r)iiii':.pra.qticn.lly. wpuW'.''riiak'o-thc'.!.'' 'dembliihihg .w,ork r 'niv?'easy.' n;at'tii-;' aiid. ,!' ,-As t6 ;the-.'..facades', ', tho ' triplicato. ,?' , .Pheight,-pf-.ivindows.c.ould':be' remodelled . . '-by' knocking oiit, the : ' , tweon ■ tho head sill of any two of tho...threbp.-in ...height,-....and,, forming ,-The .exterior.'would ; tben,^ ; ivith.'slight aJt.er'ation,.;'coii-.,,., , .fbrhi.to Tudor .Gothic, a .stylp of archi-! " tectufb, 1 usually adopted' for. this class • \ " of. building,'..l tliat' the ' , . above ivork can beP practically car- ' : - -ried; : dut.'. and completed .at;'a ,'reasori-,;;, : , :able sumvP,withbut. affecting.; the: °$tabif: C ~, lityrof.. the,building.'.' ■ '• It is"a curjous instance of history repeating itself'that .the".proposal of. having the : museum on Mount Cook .was-made by th'o same comniittee,-.which, ledpthokagitation for conversion',,of. tho .building into a university college, .It .was' statcH'tnat if'the Govbrrftnent gave tlic'building' for collegiate purposes, 'rooms added so as to provide for ij museum under-tho same roof,'the suggestion being that ,somo of 'the ' professprs. of the College,ip.ight, tako - part, m,tho coritrol iof the museum. ', .. '; , ,Dr'. CHapplo, stntes. that when •' he'visited the barracks on ono occasion witlj tlic lato Mr. Seddou and others, they were 'able''to dislodgo' bricks in somo of'the-.dividing'.walls withtheir .wajking, sticks,- which .went to show that, the .labour djsma'ntle.merit would not' be iiearly so great as'might' bo'thought from the appearance of the building. . ' ••• r ,'p ' MR. HAMI.Li;ON!S DESIRES.: , -Mr. A. Hamilton, Director of tlio ; Dominion Musoum, vyas to.have visited,thb. barracks, yesterday with- an officei;-of. the Public Works but had toi'jiostpone tho visit till-to-day. 'Mr: IJaniijtonvis- kcenlyvanxjoiis. to - get "intolarger • premises,-.' as; lie is ■ con- . fident that. the Museum would igaj<c.,twice the' . progress, i f '-its..contents ■;wero, housed ,to proper, advantage,- and- he. could develop. its jarious-featuxes-on a-natural plan. ■

NEW BARRACKS. ■ If tho Public Works Department should report in' favour' of conforming the" Mount Cook building tti'the'; purposes* of a museum, tho next necessity will. be the provision of new barracks. This is 'a matter .which has not becn ; gone into more than casually as yet; but it is suggested .that. .tho'. barracks would probably, be situated at Malmnga Bay, or some such place: