CARTERS' GRIEVANCES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 156, 26 March 1908, Page 7

CARTERS' GRIEVANCES.

i. ' "v.".:. ■ r POSSIBILITIES -OF A GENERAL STRIKE. < [liY TELEGHAI'H, —SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] ' 1 . Auckland, Marph 25. ;. A writer of Labour notes in the Herald " i says-.—There is a possibility that in the near fufcuro a' general „ striko of the carters will .take plaoo in' New Zealand. At tho present time, : urider oxisting awards,, the carters' pay ' amounts, to 10$ d.. per hour ■ whilo" they are 1 ongaged at their; work' outside 'the stable; and they have to eivo free 25 hours each day, including Sundays, 1 foi< .attendance at the stables,..for which they receive nothing. The'total amount of hours they work in tlTe •year- for .-nothing; is over 900, for which the ' only allowanco made is nine holidays'amounting to 72 hours. > Their hours are-long, u.id their pay is less than what; an ordinarv ' generallabourer gets. ■' They havo littlo cr -■ no home comforts; as they havo to be i.i the stablo at 6 a.m., and seldom leave it beforo 6,p.m. The resolution to.strike.will not bp 1 : arrived at withoutdue consideration,' but the ■mon say that, according to present conditions, they havo 'no alternative, as the em- 1 ployers',. representative on the ;Arbitration, Court (Mr, S, Brown) is a master;.carter,, i and thus they aro handicapped in presenting their ease. -.They also allego that their, past expcrienco with tho'.Court shows .that Oieir evidence hag been ignored entirely by tho Court in the framing of their awards. Should the strike eventuate, it will have a wider and • moro far-reaching effect than any since tho great striko' of 1890, ,',as. the whole of the transport trade will bo practically hung.up.