LABOUR IN COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 256, 22 July 1908, Page 8

LABOUR IN COUNCIL.

CONFERENCE CONTINUED. • CONCILIATION AND ARBITRATION. : ' REMITS DISCUSSED. , Tho Trades arid Labour Councils'. annual \ Confereuco was continued yesterday morning: \ The Hon. J. T. ■ Paul; and' Messrs. G. Laurenson, and H. G. Ell, ; M.P.'s, were welcomed by tho Chairman (Mr. J. Thorn). - , Mr.' Paul said:—"We have arrived at a peculiar* point in our. industrial. : history, and a great deal depends on the result of this Conference; ,1 am a , whole-souled'' supporter -.: of; arbitration -against, but',l.-don't say .that ire should swallow any Act that it/may be attempted to foist upon us. With all its drawbacks,,the. Act is.miles ahead of : the strike —(hear, hear)—and as'such I .will .support .arbitration', against strikes until some genius. comes along with some practical - ; systemby,;which,we coiild drop. it." The / . federation ;of laiour, ,he continued, . was - a' very important proposal. Tho matter had v.been brought, up before,; but unsuccessfully,' and -he . hoped !that this Conference ' would : bring it much nearer to realisation. • '-. . LABOUR LEGISLATION. The discussion on Mr. Carey's motion/re-, larding the' after effects of certain legislation w'iis resumed. ■ ~Mr. Jackson (Westland) rose to.a point of order. He said that the motion opened up- . the. question, of tho. Arbitration Act, and it . was a distinct blow to it. He asked for tho Chairman's ruling. -! .•• ; ■Tho Chairman held that'the amotion dealt: with what had taken placo during the year. The riiotion was quite in order; Several, delegates' thought that' 1 the "mat- ' . ter should bo' discussed later. . 1 ... .'" Mr. Rusbridge (Canterbury) said' that tho motion was. a .distinct incentive to striking. Mr. . Whiting (Canterbury) moved- that the , ( debate on:tho motion .be adjourned: t . V This was caried,. and tho: report • as ,'amen- . ded was adopted. .. .. • -. . The Speaker.of tho House, the Hon; A. R. Guinness, attended the Conference, and he was welcomed by the Chairman. The Hons. J. R. Sinclair, and J. Itigg, and Messrs. I'. EBaumo,\J. F. Arnold,, and J. A. Hanan, M.P.'s, wero also welcomed. •:. , Tho Conference tbc'n proceeded todeai with '.' the-various'.remits.', v - Vlf ACES AND HOURS. : The fallowing.remit from the'Executivc,was • first dealt with:— • . - ■.. .. '.••••That tho .industriar'Cqnciliation:;and.:,. Arbitration Act bo amended by providing < . for a minimum wage, and regulating the : hours of labour. Tho miiiimuni wago v' shall not bo 'loss .than' Is. lid. per, hour . , for all male, workers, and for all female " workers not less than ninepence per hour. ■. The- hours of labdur shall,not be moro , than 44. hours per- week, eight .hours, on': ~ ..'five, days'/in- the ' Week,' and. four - hours'on.tho recognised- half-holiday.; : The wages and hours portions were taken leparately. ' ' ■ - Mr. Whiting (Canterbury) said that if wo-' , men workers did the same ' work ho would . accept'. an ,'amendment.:that' they should:' re-' ceivc tho. same wage. : It was impossible to expect workers', to bringup families and keep ■ the law on' 10Jd. per hour.' It .was no v/ondor. that tbe'ro : was, a : cry . about the birthrate.- Perhaps ah increase! of wages: would not -solvo" tho .difEciiltjy but it■ would '-'go ' in'/ that direction. The . wage had frequently been fixed by _the Court at lOd. per hour, and a man could "riot,supporta wife and family with' decency oil'.such an'amount. ' ; Tho motion was_ an attempt to take tho,power from tho Arbitration' Court. : . : Mr. E. Howard; (Canterbury) seconded the 1 motion. 'He: considered that; the p.resent Judgo on- the Arbitration Court would be properly limited 'by the motion. The Court had broken down any spirit of conciliation that might'have existed. v., > ■ Mr.' J;' Foster (Westland) disagreed with .the motion. ' •" ■ ■ • ' ". Mr. P. H. Hickoy said that tho difficulty was that a minimum wage becamo ! a maximum; : Ho: contended that , females Should receive the samo rates:of pay.: - (Hear, hear.) Although'the present 1 peculiar system decreed that women should rcccive less than men, it did not follow .that. tho' Conference .should bo bound by. it. - Mr. D. Sl.'Larcn :(Wellington) said' it was a fallacy to suppose that this imatter'.could settle the problem of the distribution , of wealth. y.Ho'gavolnotice that ho. would movo, as an amendment that the 'first portion: of, the remit bo negatived, but that" the Conference affirms ,tlio need - .for a statutory, limitation of working hours to 4'l per' week, ; as : a,maximum..: i 7 ; \ Mr. E. J. Carey opposed both motion and amendment. Ho submitted that if- thoy. Ac?" cepted Is.: ljd, per hour, it would, .result in a-general levelling down of: wages. The only, iway, -to gain anything.was to get. reduced hours.:.. They could get nothing 'out of the Courtj .which was usurping, tho powers of Parliament, and they should appeal to Parliament. ~, Mr. Parke agreed with the motion. The.' only- practical solution of tho difficulty.'.Was" ' to fix not. only a minimum wage for", era-: ployeos, ; but,,a . maximum profit ■ for, employers.: . , ..- V . ■ ''' ' ' Mr. S. E. Brown (Otago) sfCid that if women ivero paid equally with men, they would / drop out lof competition. He opposed tho motion. . - " Mr. W. H. Westbrooke (Wellington) opposed tho motion, because the benefit should come'from Parliament'; He held that' "if 'a • woman, did work men. could not do,' sho should be well paid. j ' •■'. • .' . Mr. Ijightfoot opposed the ' motion and amoridment;as they would-havo a bad effect on tho" workers,,,ls. lid.! being;'such a miserable pittance. . .'. : Mr. Whiting; rogrotted '• tho! inconsistency of some or the delegates, who expressed dif-. forcnt-opinions at previous conferences.'An amendment to exempt wharf labourers and'mincrswas lost-. '- : iMr. Henry (Auckland);moved as an amend-. ,ment that'women performing the same-work as mon ! recoivc Is. lid! per hour; but : that otliorwomen receive 9d. per;hour.' ■ .•- Mr. Long- (Auckland) seconded' tho amendment. Ho thought,that tho motion should refer, to adult men and .women only. The amendment .and the motion were lost. ;Mr. Whiting thon > moved tho'second portion of tho remit'(regarding hours of labour). Ho pointed out-that tho New Zealand workers got through moro work, in eight 'hours than those of other countries did in ten. Mr. A. Hart (Canterbury) seconded the motion. , : ; ~ ■ . . ' In reply to a qucstioiij the Chairman replied that 44 hours per week would , not put ■ the farming, industry to:'any inconvenience - if it , became law .'to-morrow. -: ' He thought that this resolution should bo passed unanimously:. : ' Mr. Carey, moved as an amendment that ' the 4-1 hours apply to- all trades, whether governed by the Arbitration Court or not. Mr. ;We3tbrooke-said that ho was constantly being applied to by employers for, permits-to. employ. Americans who: were unable to keep pace with "the New Zealandors. Mr. Long mentioned that the engineers on the Devonport Steam Ferry Company's boats at Auckland worked 84| hours per Week- . motion :was'carried, 1 with the. addition of tho following :; "And.that this minute take precedence over any award of tho" Arbitration Court." . / RETURNS. Mr. Rusbridgc moved as follows That- clauso 17, sub-section I, Industrial Conciliation' and Arbitration Act, 1905, bo amended by. striking out tho whole and inserting in lieu thereof, "In . the' month of January -of,,every, year, ' there shall be 1 ' forwarded by overy industrial union a list of officers and the total THiinber of members of the union at. the close of the last- preceding month. The motion was carried. . A BALLOT. Mr. A'sweiler moved aa follows:— ' That the Industrial Conciliation and' Arbitration, Act bo amended to provide that where the necessity occurs of discharging hands in any industry under an award the employees may demand a I. ballot to. decide which of their number j shall be-discharged j

; . Tho mover said that Jl, would not inconvenienco employers, and would prevent discrimination against unionists. , ,Mr, ..Cooper (Wellington) moved that see-.tion-103' of the Act bo-amended to provido tiiat the ;onus bo, placed oii. an employer to prove that an e'liijiloyee' had'' been discharged for. soriio!legitimate : Tho amendment .and'motion wero carried. , ; PREFERENCE 1 TO UNIONISTS. ■- Mrs Long moved as follows: — •••" -That-'in' the. opinion .of this Conference, profereiWfl ttf unionists .shall bo compulsory, • and not at tho' discretion of the *•> Arbitration Court,' asitho'capricious witli- > holding of tho prcferonco clauso from such unions as tho Seamen's, Tramways' and Carters' Unions the workers to lose faith in the'administration of the Arbitration Act. Tlfe mover remarked ,tliaf,"what, preference had. 1 been conceded' ivas"'(if' 1 a wishy-washy nature.,; Ho 'hoped that,, the timo was . not far distant Vwlien bo a Government, to'support preference. , . ' Mr. .Carey' mentioned that the Cooks' and Waiters' ; Union had preference, but' this -was , taken away ,''from the femalo members.'. Ho, wanted tho name of this union 'add&Tto Ith'o motion.''• • Th6\*,Chairjnaii'T,.Wliy| particularise? Give tho ' Tlio,,iiiotion was th'en'altered by the deletion of 1 tho names' of. tlio ; uriions Ari,amendment,,was,.mbve<l that, tho words compulsory',' ..bo added to the inotioiil' s'',;." , " } 'It was dccided'tbat tho word unconditional ] should,not;bo'.;included,,'preference only to ibo ■ ■ 'The motion a3 amended was carried. [: DOMESTIC .WORKERS. ',■ The '.'..following letter;, .was' received from i.Mrs. M. A.i.Trasker:— . \, \;"The' domestic - workers'-. union having ;. boon!;refused: registration,-.I beg to ask your Coiiferenco to support our efforts to : secure the samo. The grounds of the ' . refusal 'wore that wo.aro-not industrial , workers in'the sense of the Act, viz., ' : that-domestic helps aro only kept for comfort and'-convenienee, and not for , -profit..: We dissent most emphatically; : from,:this ruling, because private board- ■: "ing' houses,' lodging houses, thoso who ■ keep so-called paying guests, and people in, busiheks ,who employ household holji, :do not do .it 'for comfort or conveni-, ~ once.', lam now awaiting an interview " '• with, the .-.Minister; on..the. subject before ; taking further'proceedings. Wo would ". i.; tako. it .as ,:a' 'favour .if,, your' delegates,- . would, support our action.. Thore are .. many reasons why wo should bo regis- '. .terod, - but I think] tliat I : liavp already, ■ , named sufficient ..'The'"Registrar,bases- . ; his refusal on' the ruling of Dr. l Findlay-" . , , It was! 'decided, to'/'dedr"with the letter at a'liiter stago.' ; Tho namo of : the Hon. J. Rigg was mentioned yesterday instcad'"of tho Hon. J. Barr in connection -with 'the representation 'of tho East-Coast'Trades"and:Labour Connoil.;,.";;;; •' .