SPLIT IN THE CAMP.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1275, 2 November 1911, Page 6

SPLIT IN THE CAMP.

WELLINGTON WATERSIDE WORKERS. In consequence of the decision of the Wellington waterside workers to affiliate with the New Zealand Federation of Labour, tho following members of tho executive of the union, Mr. Fleurtice (president), Mr. T. King (treasurer), Mr. T. Smith (secretary), and tho trustees, have decided to tender their resignations at a meeting to be held on Tuesday night. All the members of tho executive except Mr. Farland were opposed to joining the Miners' Federation, and they now consider that the only proper course for them to follow is to resign. Their viewis that so long as the union remains under the Conciliation and Arbitration Act, the New Zealand Federation, which is a Socialist body, is no uso to it. They hold that tho wrong ballot was taken—that the first ballot to be taken should havo been on the question of cancelling tho registration of the union. If that had been agreed upon, the ballot to join the New Zealand Federation would have been in order. The union executive was strongly in favour of a Transport Workers' Federation being formed, to include seamen, waterside workers, and drivers. Such a federation, they held, would have been infinitely better suited to protect the interests of tho waterside workors than tho Miners' Federation could possibly bo. FURNITURE TRADE DISPUTE. AGREEMENT ARRIVED AT. Mr. I'. Hally. Conciliation Commissioner, held a "sitting of tho Conciliation Council yesterday (report? our Palmerston correspondent), there being with' him representatives of tho employers, Messrs. A. J. .Bishop (Wellington), F. J. Evans (Feilding), W. Pegden (Pnlmerston), and W. M'Kenzie, secretary Manawatu Employers' Association; representatives of the Wellington Furniture Employers' Union, Messrs. D. Moriarty, J. FcTguson, 1). R. Kennedy, and A. 11. Cooper. The demands of the union were taken seriatim, and finally an agreement was come to. The employers agreed (o . tho hours being 44 per wcel; oi\ tho union agreeing to allow one apprentice to any three or fraction of thr-'o journeymen. W a (T<= 3 wore fixed at Is. lid. per hour, those for apprentices being Ss., 125., lGs., 215., and 28s. Gd. per week Overtimo is not to start till the 41 lionrs per week havo been worked. The other classes were agreed to with slight alteration, tho preference clause being practically the same as that usually granted by tho Arbitration Court. MERCHANT SERVICE GUILD. OVERTIME CLAIM ABANDONED. As the outcome of a meeting of tho Merchant Service Guild held yesterday morning, Captain Watson, tho secretary, has submitted to tho Shipowners' Federation a fresh f-et of proposals regarding wages to be paid to officers on the small craft now lying idle at the Wellington wharves. The most important item in tils new proposals is tho abandonment of tho claim for overtime. Instead, tho guild insists that the owners shall so run their ships that no officer will be required to work more than twelve hours per day. Tho proposals set out the wages to be paid to officers on every ship individually, and rates vary slightly according to the size of the steamer and the trade in which she is onjjagcd. Tho minimum rates asked for are ,£IG per month for first mates, and .£l3 for second mates. On ships which carry only one mate—the smaller vessels—tho rate stipulated is ,£lB. On comparatively few vessels are the JCIG and £13 rates prescribed, the wages .on & majority of the steamers being £17 and £14. . The above nroposals were received by the Shipowners' Federation yesterday afternoon, but final consideration of them was deferred until this morning. It is not expected among shipping men outside tho guild that tho federation will agreo to pay the higher wages demanded. The award of tho Arbitration Court fixed .£ls as the minimum wage for first mates, and <£12 as tho wage for second males.

The deadlock is having a very serious effect on the trade of the port of 'Wellington. It is true that all the ships laid un aro small, but there are upwards of twenty of them, and they in the normal state of things are in and out of the port, every two or three days. At this period of the season all the sheds 'would, under ofdinary circumstances, have been full of Roods,, carried by coastal vessels for transhipment, but none of these goods have been coming to hand. As a. natural consequence, there has beeo a great deal less work to do on the Wcllington wharves, and the waterside workers have had to put up with some enforced idleness. • The older men especially, who ordinarily pet most o£ their work handling the smaller cargoes, have been feeling the slackness. It is' said that it was owing to tho discontent, arising from a more or less general shortage of work that the wharf workers were so ready to join the New Zealand Federation of Labour, as thev decided to do by ballot on Tuesday, i'hey have been unable to pet work and it is suggested that in their idle liours they have listened to the "right to work" talk of the Socialist faction. Two small steamers, the Wairau and the Tainui, both less than 100 tons, and therefore not obliged to carry mates ,will run trips to-day to Wanganui and Patea respectively. Two masters, who commanded vessels now lying at the wharves, said in conversation with a Dominion reporter yesterday that there was a deal of dissatisfaction among masters about the present deadlock. Both of them said that they would run their ships to-day if they could get officers to sail with them. They said with some assurance that they would bo able to Tun. Concerning the same subject, an official of the Waterside Worfters'_ TJnion said yesterday that ho did not think tho wharf 'men would work ships manned by "scabs." So that tho owners and the disaffected masters may meet with a serious difficulty if they seek to carry out their avowed intention.

VICTIMISATION ALLEGED. AUCKLAND LABOURERS THREATEN LOCAL BODIES. (By Telcsraph.—Press Association.) Auckland, November 1. While the ]alx>ur strike was in progress two local bodies decided, for financial reasons, to curtail expenditure on street works. These bodies have reinstated only some of the men they employed previous to the strike. The union now asserts that there has been discrimination shown in favour of a few men, and call upon the local bodies for an explanation, threatening that if not satisfied it will call out tho men employed, and if necessiry extend the strike.

for Children's Hacking Cough at Night, Woods' Great Peppermint Cure, Is. Gd.* Tho New York Women's Lcaguo for Animals has during the summer given vacation to tired horsas at its farm at Matteawan. Board for tho horsas is free, but owners must pay transportation. Why not also give vacations to cats and dogs that aro left behind by city residents when they go to tho country!' This would bo n double blossing—to the animals and to their human neighbours. Woods' Great Peppermint Cure, for Coughs and Colds, never fails, Is. Gd.j A covered amphitheatre threo times as largo as Madison Square Garden, which is to be torn down next year, is planned for Now Yocjc City,