TRADES COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 466, 26 March 1909, Page 8

TRADES COUNCIL.

THE ANNUAL REPORT. j WORKERS' COMPENSATION ACT. SAFETY OF STEAMERS. The Trades and Labour Council met last evening, tho president, Mr. W. Noot, boing in tho chair. Tho annual report, which was hold over from tho annual meeting, was read by tho secretary. Tho report congratulated tho council on its satisfactory financial position, and rccommonded that £100 be transferred from tho general account to tho building fund. Thero wore at present thirty unions affiliated to tho council. During tho year ono union had withdrawn, and ono new union became affiliated. Unemployed and Immigration. "We aro deeply distressed," tho report went on, "at tho largo amount of suffering that is being causcd through want of work. It is cruel in tho Government not'putting a stop to all kinds of assisted immigration, with perhaps the exception of the wives and children in tho Old Land of husbands and fathers now,, resident in our midst. .It is tho boundon duty of tho Government to issue instructions to . tho High Commissioner to contradict the fabrications with regard to tho state of employment in the Dominion that aro being_ daily circulated in tho British pross by interested parties. Wo havo lately pointed out to the Government ways ill which tho unemployed could be supplied with work, and we shall soon see if they nave (what they loudly profess to have) tlie welfare of the people at heart. At present they seem to be only tinkering with tho problem." Strikes and Breaches. During the'year had been witnessed tho bakers' strike, if it could be termed a strike, for, though tho public were inconvenienced for a few days, beyond that thero was nothing J® s Peak about. Tho report mentioned the disloyalty of those members of tho Bakor«' Unions, not only in Wellington, but in othnr portions of tho Dominion, in taking work when the strike was hardly begun, and thus playing into tho h'ands of tho employers." The maximum fino, £100, recorded against tho union for striking, was surely a sufficient answer to tho assertions mado by the employers' associations that tbe industrial law -only operated against them. For tho year ending Juno 30, 1908, thero were 240 convictions for breaches jn the Wellington industrial district against employers, and tho aggregate fines amounted to £4SI, boing an averago of £2 os. Id. for each offcnco. It was high time_ (vido regulations to tho Industrial Concilation and Arbitration Act) that tho Labour Departments, as well as unions, wero empowered to put in tho plaint noticcs tho amount of fines they fished to bo recorded, as a fino of £2 .against an employer was only playing with law. It was pleasing to note that Dr. M'Arthur had imposed penalties that would act as deterrents to alleged oboyers of tho law. The council trustor! that ho would take no notice of tho hysterical ravinp of tho employers' organisations, but that lie would continue the good work that ho had begun, iu seeing that tho workers' rights were conserved, and justico' meted out. This innovation of magistrates trying breaches was tho result of the persistent efforts of this 0 Trades and Labour Councils in New Zealand. It was true that they had not got all they wanted, namely, experts to sit with magistrates.

Conciliation Councils, A new departure had become law in the setting up of Conciliation Councils, and the demolition of the Conciliation Boards. The council regretted the demise of the Conciliation Boards, for it still averred that they had never been given a fair trial. To the two workers' representatives on the Wellington Conciliation Board—Messrs.'Collins and Cooper—appreciation was expressed for the services that they had.rendered to' the cause of labour during their occupancy of the position. Notwithstanding the new Conciliation Councils, the council was still of opinion that the Arbitration Act by itself- would not work salvation to tivo workers. Their emancipation lay in the formation of a political party ,111 Parliament, to get justice for the workers. The report was adopted. Purchase of a Dreadnought. A delegate asked if any representations were going to bo made by the council in rcgard to Sir Joseph Ward's intended expendi-' turo of some millions of tlie country's monoy in purchasing a battleship. The president said that no action had been takon m the matter. A Largo Ordor. _ Notice of motion was given for next meeting, "That with a view to this council becoming more progressive and better qualified to further the interests of Labour, it is desirable to. set up a special committee to con 7 sider and report to the council on the following propositions:—(l) Revision of rules and constitution. (2) Economic basis of the Conciliation and Arbitration Act. (3) Labour's attitude towards tho defenco of the Empire. (4) Methods of organisation." Brick and Tile Workers. Mr._ Purchas moved that it be an instruction to the Management Committee to reorganise into a union tho brick and tile workers of the city. Tho matter was discussed in committee. It was finally decided to consider the matter at next meeting. Workers' Compensation. Mr. W. T. Young urged that the provisions of the Workers' Compensation Act should be extended so that relatives in any other country might be able to claim compensation for deaths happening in New Zealand. At present there was a sort of reciprocity with a few States where there was similar legislation. Ho was bringing the matter up largely as a result of the Penguin disaster. John Rafferty, a greaser of the Penguin, who was drowned in the wreck, was the sole supporter of an aged mother in Ireland, who was barred from claiming anything under tho New Zealand Compensation Act. Thero were other similar cases, though tho men who had lost their lives had been sailing off tho New Zealand coast for years, and wero virtually citizens of this country. He thought that if a man met his death in this country, and partly by tho error of liis employer, his dependents should bo entitled to claim compensation, irrespective of their placo or residence. He moved that'the Government should bo asked to introduce legislation to extend tho provisions of tho Act.' .

1 Mr. \oung said that ho had consulted two solicitors, who told him that tho Act did not cover the caso indicated. Mr. P. ,7 O'Regan had written to tho Minister on "the matter. Tho motion was adopted unanimously. Safety of Ships. Mr. J. Dowdlo moved: "That this council ask tho Minister for Marino to insist that periodical examinations ho held of all lifesaving appliances on ships in Now Zealand, and that it bo made compulsory on tho part of ship-owners that every ship leaving port must liavo her appliances up to dato and fit for uSo." He declared that if an examination of life-saving appliances on ships wero held to-morrow, 75 per cent, of them would liavo to bo rejected. Mr. W. T. Young referred to a leaky boat which ho said ho had noticed on a certain steamer. Ho had watched tho boatdrill of a steamer that day, 'and two of tho boats were not put into tho water. Tho manning of ships' boats should also bo carefully regulated in view of possiblo emergencies. Tho manning scalo in tho statute was an under-manning scale, and it was mado tho maximum by ship-owners . The motion was adopted. State Mines. Mr. Purchas moved: "That in all cases whoro minos of any description, and especially coal mines, are closed down at tho present time, tho Government shall take them over and work them in tho interests of tho public." Th« motion was adopted unauimnus.lv..