NORTHERN STRIKE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1273, 31 October 1911, Page 4

NORTHERN STRIKE.

A NEW PHASt:', CONTRACTORS TAKE A HAND. (By TolecraDb.—Press Association.) Auckland, October 30. Tlio lalxmrers' striko is still in pro gross. The J)rn.iiiafG Hoard met: to-night, "ind, after full ooiifci'.k'Miiion of the matter at issue between themselves, their con!ractors, ami liio union-namely, us lo sub-contracting—it was agmyl by llio three parties concerned to meet in conference to-morrow morning. Five delogutcs I'roin th:: Ixj-ml, live from tho rtintractor.s, and lire from tiie men will meet, ; The two tormer parties of delegates will ' have |»wer to act, ami the union leaders lmvo given an undertaking that., be.fcro the conference, they will inform tho board what course lliey intend. Tlio issue has bean reduced lo n definition of ' a sub-contract to apply lo tlio Labourers' Award. The result of tho board's mooting was awaited by a large number of mcmliero of the union, who had gathered at tho door of this board's offices. When it was intimated that the dispute had not boon fixed up a.s expected, there wi re mulk-r----ings of discontent, and this discontent was only partially allayed by an explanation of tho circumstances. The crowd afterwards procoedod to tho Grey Statue, where speeches were delivered by the president and secretary of tho j union, and another prominent member. All three arc member.-; of I lie delegation appointed lo attend to-morrow morning's oonforainc. The lone of the speeches was one of "no compromise" aud "110 backing down," and it iras indicated that lh<j deletion of tho obnoxious clause from tlio present, as well as future contracts, will be insisted upon. Hitherto the issue has been confined to the Drainage Board on tho one hand and the strikers 011 tlio other, but an important factor has now l>ceii introduced ill the slia.no of a definite stand for thoii rights by the contractor, who have taken contracts under tho board. A deputation of contractors waited upon tho Mayor in tlio forenoon, and made their attitudo clear. The main points then discussed, and again laid before tho board in the evening, were:— (1) That the co-operative system of car. rying out work doc's not coino within tho legal definition of "sub-oontracting"; (2) that to sub-contract is to sub-let to a mail who employs labour; (3) that the contractors signed their contracts under certain conditions, and objected to a variation of those conditions at this stage; (!) that they had obtained legal ndvico that the clause in tlio contracts, providing for subletting on permit from tho engineer, is legally a right as distinct from a permission; (5) that, generally, the contractors were determined to refuse to yield to tlio demands of the union to abolish sub-contracting. Tho position in which one of the contractors finds himself shows that subcontracing is a vital question .TTis i>ar. ticiilar contract requires the installation of expensive plant and certain clerical machinery, and lie declares that ,to debar him 'from sub-letting a portion of the work, would involve him in tlio loss of several hundred pounds. The strike pickets were busy to-day ia pulling men "off work who had already been called out, tot who, owing to tho weal her, (ho pickets had been unablo to reach.