THAT "FIGHT TO A FINISH."

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 750, 24 February 1910, Page 4

THAT "FIGHT TO A FINISH."

THE HOTEL' EMPLOYEES' DISPUTE: ' [To the' Editor.] . Sir,—While -returning from 'Wellington to Auckland;, on .Friday - last I read MiV. Carey's statements to., your, reporter, in reply, to-mine,- which appeared ,in The ■Dominion- of; the • previous ; day. I now .tako the 'earliest; opportunity of replying to them. •; . ( ■ .It is,' l'thinTc, greatly to be regretted .that-Mr. Carey so completely ignores the real merits of the. dispute, and raises such falso; and misleading issues in coll-, nection with tho demands of the' unions' ■he represepts, for.a new industrial agreement befaveen : the. hotel, workers and the employers. 1 He starts off, by' endeavour-, ingto saddle the hotelkeepers -.with. theresponsibility for the failure' of '/ the re-, •cent conference,' stating what" is distinctly incorrect,viz: • ,i''Mr. ■ Palmer ■knojvs very well.that it.was-;on his own suggestion that tho unions' submitted "to the; conference a. set of .demands, which it was expected would form/itlie basis' of an agreement."- He also charges us yrttli "putting the, unions to .the-expense of 'bringing delegates from'v'Auckian'd and Duriedin,. whilst their (the:; hotelkeepers) intention was not to discuss with us even .the slightest, concession." i.That charge, sir/is as, contrary' to fact as the statement previously . quoted. , - Now, to the proof that both; are misleading,, contrary, :to fact, and absojtately': without -foundation. ' ; 'The conference- was arranged-"on-'tiie suggestion of Mr. Carey and Mr. T. Long (secretary of the Auckland Hotel", andKestaurant ; Employees' r Union), '. who ■waited upon mb-on- Saturday, January 8, by appointment, Mr. J. H.. pagni' and nil': J._iloiloy (the former secretary,'and''tho latter a vice-president. of ,:tho Aucklahd -ij-V. ' Association); being .present ..with me; .at themterviewv Mr. Carey informed me .that tllD .Dunedin av.-ard- expired, at the end" of: February/and -. that: the " Wellington award expired at the end of January'.' The;. Auckland agreementowing : to -.an informality, had not rcceivfed tho force ,of : an award,, but Mr. Carey; himself- adniit-; tive | .(vide Wednesday's Bomikioh),' that tho.-'agreement .is ''.'being generally well observed by • employers," although -'it has not the. force of law behind,-it" Mr. Carey'.suggested 'tbat;a-conference should be. held. between: representatives. or' dele--gates.from-.the'vDunedin, Wellington, 'and-. ; AucUan,d'.<:distric^ -taining-,!i uniform /agreement', which; would M Satisfactory--. to -all,-.'parties/- and'- ,'- ! he': (i-e:,- on January -8) promised to •6upply me with a copy of the union' de--•jpands within. a fortnight 1 from date. X that Jlr. -■ Carey should com- , mnnicate; witK >the secretary of the L.V. : Association /of New',;; Zealand. *' He ..-agreed'. • to; do .so,/; but suggested: that the: discus-i-sions that , might, ..take placo should be limited to the-'-representatives -of cither. side,-, and thjit neither 1 tho press nor advocates, should be admitted to the.conference.- - No-' doubt -ho had -his 1 own, ■ and' very good, reasons for making that suggestion:./:; : z-.-/■ ./ Here,-in Auckland, we' called a meeting.: of our .'association, by ' circular dated .' Jan- ' uary - 21,', but/tho ' dewands with 'which Mr'.' Carey proniiGed to 'furnish' us',;' did"; . hau'd: : 'until- the ;27th. > The' conference had meanwhile; bcen : arranged.: ; -In; further < proof; of 'my that' tho^nf«rehbo ? ,)irais*'.ii6t'' df.Votir '.'seekifigi l -; and ; that'we; are; riot ' responsible,' for its > failure,' and'' the' 1 consequent expenso J to which' tho unions wero ana in ' disproof of Mr.V Carey's'- contention to tlio contrary.;-I quote;his''Own>\vbrds : to"the. .-representatife/ 'as -• published •by you on conference:was-brought: .about fbJ-?the!ifcderatiohi'f' etcij;i'and : again,"When; SpptffadKedVoii', the-'subject'' the .employers agreed ; without hesitation to the, conference.-"'. . . •[: :■ ;i' -■/; Now,-- dealingt-for. a , moment' <with; ; the. fomulated,'bxrtho .unions/, . 11. :havo.:.v,beforeviho/as.,;l '.write, a - memo. : l-from-.tho -seo.r.etaTy: to 'theiNew/.Zealand-,-yktuallers!' Association/ to- the: libllowing. effect"Ho'-. (Carey) . does not .apprarvto--understand-''thß--stßtement' that' the conference was arranged prior to the "circulation of ' the , demands.' ; Had the demands been issued' before 1 the _'; conference;' was,-..-; arranged '-fori f ip is , doijbtful if any such-arrangement ■would havo'been'maue.". Most certainly ,wo ; should not;have agreed-.to. meet the .linions -in l , conference, had we conceived "P* even' dreamt.,,that they would have sub-. ..mitted...such,/outrageous demands.; 'Wo -were ! prep(ired;.tp discuss,a fresh' indus-' : . tfial agreement/on a "-basis,, or,' Upon.'lines so'ttjewhat "similar--Jo '..'those:' which 5 - were then'to. all intents and,purposes 'cor--ront, but not; 1 to, bind ourselves to - the'acceptance' of ; tin.-almost', entirely : new : agreement, r'ine'reusing tho .'wages. of 'hotel employees by 'eVen as much ,as .100 per pent., their holidays, by 200 per cent.,' and so' modifying the -working/ hours that it would" be.. next to ' 'impossible to carry on without, , in- many.'instances', largely increasing the l staffs. : Hay/over, as "the ■ public will, bo afforded the opportunity |qf: judging of the nature of those de- - fijiands later/on,:I need not refer t6. them -farther,, beyond remarking; that, in the qase :of one ; of- :tho: hotelkeepers present .the conference,':.a'. new,; award, based on /Mr. Carey's : would : mean ;an; increase of <£750':per -annum in: his- 1 wages bill, and would/have ' added at least .£SOO to ■ the,/'wages -sheet in my :own case. ■ ...

Mr. Carets-allegation-that:listated,- at" thp conference.'l" was .under/ definite; instructions to grant' no ■; extra concessions is untrue... I expect.that;;"the -Trade" .representatives were -prepared discuss' it agreement on the lines ..of those then current, and-the opinion was .strongly, held. by - employers ''that' .but for the,-aggressively , hostile attitude ' • '¥f:~ Ca tfy •thew.jwould not .havo been 'any difficulty in arriving at an agreement;' the; other delegates. evinced, a . desire to discuss the ; whole: question reasonably; At the outset Mr. Carey decisively stated that the demands on the- questions of working hours, holidays,' aiid wages,' except m -a" few instances,, would not -be modified,- 1 and -declared his preference for taking 'the'-'whole '.matter to the ,Arbitra-tion-Court, as these , questions were 6f .parainount importance iii-- the demands. ' Mr."iCarw -was 'himself; the ■ stumblingsblock to discussion;. which was absolutely useless'- ill.'the face .'of;'his ultimatum* ;wiiich. itv tfas- ; a'pparont'.;did ; hot accord with the 'views., of 'his own colleagues. :Mr.-. Carey's' quotations from a fornier report, said- (incorrectly -again) to ' have been .presented- by myself, and the Licensed' Victuallers'; Association,; arc al- : together teside the- 'questions he raises.'' ,As a matter of -fact I knew nothing of the; contents of tho report tb ■ which' he refers,' Tintil ; !.;it; Was submitted to the Jjnnnl meeting of the association. ' 'But the: statementsi-'-to 'which he "takes ex-ception-merely "deal", with facts, and; as' an-'cmployer of • labour,l'. have :surely tho . right, if I "bo to' express niy opinion.upon;.the. merits of-any phase of' a dispute in which I am concerned'.' Now, coming' to 'Mr: Carey's statement in connection with the demands of the hotel-workers who (he says) at that time worked: sc\'en days a week and 365 days a year without a ■ single • holiday, • etc." ,-lhere is just :enou'gh"6f"truth' in the statement . to make it' the -'most mischievous aiid malicious , of all mis-state-ments.. I " think it would be extremely difficult; for, .Mr. Caroy ,to produce a single' hotol-' Smployco who, even .in the - daj;s. ljeforo.,awards obtained, / worked 'setai days a week and 305 days a year without ; a.-,-holiday," Such .relaxation'sand. holidays' as . were. practicable wero I-believe.- -granted by- : every sensible hotelkecpei- m the Dominion.' Mr. Carey ignores i all - the. voluntaiy action' of the' employers .in -this direction; he ".wilfully disregards/the. conditions -appertaining' to the., employment of . labour generally iir hotels, although he knows they are wholly'' different to those of any-other trade or™Hiag, : and ;,he - also ;-ignores tho fact that tho, hotel licensee is' compulsorily; and necessarily,- practically, on dutj-' 2-1' hours-per day valid seven days per week.-'' I: do not for.a moment say'tliat ho-oc--tuolly works through-iall -those hours' and days, but that , he is legally" sup.posed , to -be on call'and within reach.--Prior. to any - award coming into forco hii iunwritten- rule-with', hotelkeepers was to :allow: their hands a liberal. .time,' off duty, : and'such'.holidays as' were practicablev and the ' ciroumstances : of "theTrade" permitted. - Concerning'. ; any ' use of - the' term "wastors,"..l.certainly-did say, when giving- evidence befors the Labour Bills Committee -in; tho House' last - sossi on, 'that' • a section of the hotel omployoes had proved to bo;"wasters";-but it-is'altogether-un-true, ..that I: branded the' workers as -a

wholo as Such. I have had, and have, now in my service, good employees:. Three'of my present siAff have been with me for over .two iyears, and.,l have never heard, of. any discontent or dksaiSsfactiohi .on their part. Mr. Carey knows perfectly well the class of men. of whom I, spoke, and he knows as well.as Ido that.they are unfortunately : to be : found .in. his ; unions, as they are. found in. other, sections . of tho ~ community. '.He knows,' moreover," that 'I spoke of. a, section and. . a section' only.'. Hence, his statement that' I characterised tho /workers, as'., "wasters" is as -unwarranted and contrary.. to > fact as,l have shown other,of his statements to be:. Dealing with tM" next of Mr.' Carey's, misstatement. ... He says: "I: challenge Mr. Palmer to state publicly whether or not 05 hours is a fair working week for a woman; whether a wage of, 225.;6d; for. 65 hours is a living wage for a married hotel worker." etc...... Of course, ho -iii- ' 'tends it to be assumed , that Iv.said they wore. But his very challenge covers one of those half .'truths,, that are' ever.vthb - greatest of mis-statements.: ■ Tho Auck- , ;landi Wellington, Canterbury,' and Otago • awards,'■arid'the. Roto'ruavaward-alsb (the; 'latter, agree'd/to as recently as November ..last) each provided that a,'week's work for all classes" of- hotol /workers shsuld not exceed 65- hours.' -That is the half grain of truth contained v iii the .first portion of Mr, Carey's challenge. : My ex-: perience of the working of those awards is j that the. exact tinie the average hotel employee' aitnally works is not. inoro than 25 per cent." of the maximum time mutu- : ally - agreed upon, in the..several agreements. But the hotelkecper himself must be available foy the full ICS hours, every .week. But Mr/Carey speaks of. the married' ehiployee'jat ( 22s.. Gd. per. week. Who is! he?. And:' where, do, we find/,him? The'.,rouseabout—though 'often designated as' porte'r—inust / havo 255.,\ and - he. is; the lowest •in the scale: of. 'iuale hotel/employees likely. to undertake marital obligations. And he gets his boWd.and lodgings J : as : well, so, that the':'!HTifig,.wag<l" 'bust;;, . ness cannot'possibly enter, into the ti6n , .in his 'case. . ,Mr. Carey's liko liis.'stateihents', is, therefore,-seon;-to rest' upon','unwarranted assumptions,that. : ;certain':-things. have .'existence, that - are not to be:'found'.in 'the/awards.; ,: j Then :Mr/ Carey '/speaks of! election; time: He says iitji "too" tar .off.,";.'. That, affords : another,/striking' . instance " of - the - iin-. prober , 'retaliatory '' methods', the •' labour agitator makes us« of, in/ brmgihg/pres-. 'suro^jb.;'be^;'upon, ,;the,V employers.-//I may-remind your..readers/that this.,sam.e Mr:Carey publicly" announced,' iipmediately prior to the.last.election, that 90 .'per cent/of-the hotol::employees would .vote. ■ "No/License," , and that/if . they ;failed -to do so, it/would not be because any'efforts be wanting .on',bis' .part. ■'/■/ :/; ; A 'word, in : conclusion, concormng. Mr: oirn'pMtin>this:,controversy.He;' ; orio'-V:'of; hbse-'.'WhO .are/.never, happy,'aridrhever.comfortable,''unless they'; are doing something to stir up', and "perpetuate'strife between, employers/and employed, thereby.;' creating ( . unnecessary friction,; uiirest,. and, discontent. .'lf .Ke were to take the employees into his confidence aad' tell them just how much ho makes "oilt" of the business, the; salaries and picicings/he receives as .secretary of ■ this and that: union, etc.', together with the travelling allowances he draws, and the- style, in - which,he 'travels,; the eih- ' ployees themselves might berin -to appreciate his!, "disinterested" (?)' services ; on their behalf 'at. their true:..worth./ . , :l-might'sayva' : good deal more, but': re-; frain, lor , I /'have 'already- taken; up a'' , great'deal d£ your time. My only excuse' for doing',so :is."the., importance of .tlio • issues raised and, their bearing: upon the ' welfate .of .';tho ; ,ptiblic. generally—l-. am, tt0 ' ' J. S. P4LMER, • J - ■ President; New .Zealand Licensed... Victuallers'.Association. .' Auckland,, February 19, 1910. ; , > /