SEAMEN'S UNION CONFERENCE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 145, 13 March 1908, Page 4

SEAMEN'S UNION CONFERENCE.

' (BY-'.TELEGRAPH—SPECIAL COItHESPONDENT.V ' ! ' Dunedin, March 12. Sir James Mills'has, received tho .follow r ing telegram from the Hon. ,J. A,/Millar, Minister for Marine:— , , "I. liave much pleasuro in informing ■ > you that.l,have received an.official com-; munication from- tho,'-executive ';of tho Seamen's Union notifying me of tho acceptance by'the Union or the terms >ar-:'.. • ranged betweeni ourselves at the Confer-',' onco, namoly, tho 10s. per month; in-. : crease in'wages, 3d. per hour overtime, , working cargo on 'morning watch in. East : ' Coast boats,' and Saturday half-holiday for firemen at terminal ports where practicable. Tho Union further requests mo ' to arrango for a subsidiary conference to 1 discuss tho wording' of sonic of the other clauses in tho agreement to bo submitted to tho Court to, be mado an award. Tho Union suggests March 24 as a suitablo. date, and Wellington to bo tho placo of meeting. I need hardly say that I am highly gratified with tho-result;' ' / ' Sir-Jas. Mills has fonvaided'the following J in reply : — : V " I dcsiro to express on behalf of ship- , ' owners our thanks t<? you' for presiding ' \ at the conferonco, and for the trouble : you liavo taken in -tho matter. The sue- , ' cossful'adjustment of tho differences be-' ; tween and employees in this • : case: lias certainly been owing to your; presence with us.: Your,intimate practical knowledge of the'ciroumstanccs; and the excoptional influence which you wero - . able to exert in the-direction of preserv--ing good feeling throughout the negotiations, were invaluable, and undoubtedly . contributed to tho sett-lenient which has ' been arrived at." ' • ' ' (by TEr.r.aEAru—srECiAL coruespondbst.) Christchurch,-Maxch 12. Tho " Press," commenting on tho -result of the Shipping Conforenco, says: — " It is clear that if every industrial dispute could bo dealt with as frankly and with as much common-sense as has been tho caso with tho demands of tho Seamen's Union, Con:ciliat/ion Boards and tho Arbitration Court would find their occupation gone. At it is, tho confcrcrico'affords another proof that tho Conciliation and Arbitration Act is not fulfilling its purpose. , It was meant, in the first place, t-o provido for tho settlement of disputes by Conciliation Boards, and the conferonco lias'shown that agreements can bo reached without recourso to a Board. It wiis further intended to prevent strikes, and a hundred men liavo been on striko for' a fortnight on tho West Coast, whilo many hundreds went out last year. Tho Minister himself, has-'practically-, thrown tho Act overboard '- Whatever is mutually agreed upon,' lie says, ' is moro likely to bo observed than anything which contains tho compulsory element.' It would cortainly bo difficult for less regard to bo. paid to this mutual agreement than has been: accorded to . some of the legal awards of tho Arbitration Court. ,Wo shall bo curious to.seo .if Mr. Millar, will again attempt to find some substitute for a system which has so obviously broken down."