ENGINEERS AND MUNITIONS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2501, 30 June 1915, Page 4

ENGINEERS AND MUNITIONS

Sir, —In view of the statements t<bat have appeared in the Press at various times regarding the attitude of the members of the engineering industry in England, we,, members ot tho Wellington branch of the 'Amalgamated Society of Engineers, wish to make known to the public of this Dominion the true state of affairs as now existiug in the engineering tradp, in tlra Old Country, and the negotiations which took place between our Executive Council a:n<f the heads of the various Government Departments regarding the output of munitions. We also wish it generally known- that we have thousands of our irembers at the' 'front (ircluding one who has gained the coveted distinction of the V.C.), and if the truth was known, it is not the members of the Amalgamated Society of Engineiers who' have been doing the shirking, hut those "handy men" who have been installed in the places vacated by our members who have answered their country's call. At the time tho Press were loudly complaining that tho engineers, instead of doing their work, were neglecting it, and going off drinking, our Executive Council received an invitaton from the Treasury to attend a conference on tho Defence of t'he P.ealm Act, of which tho following is a copy: — "Board of Trade, 7 Whitehall Gardens, "London, S.W., March 12. "Sir, —I am directed by tho Board of Trade to invite tho Amalgamated Society of Engineers to send three representatives to a conference at the Treasury on Wednesday. March 17, at 11 a.m., to consult with tho Chancellor of the. Exchequer and the President of tho Board of Trade on certain matters of importance to labour arising out of the recent decision of tho Government embodied in the Defence of the Kealm (Amendment) Act, to take further steps to organise the resou -ces of the country to meet naval and military lequirements. —I am, sir, your obedient servant, "(Sgd.) H.' LLEWELLYN SMITH,■ "General Secreary, Amalgamated Society of Enginefcrs, 110 Pcckham Road, S.E." The Executive Council appointed Bros. Browulee, Hutchinson, and Wilson to represent them at the said conference, whilst the Government was represented by Mr. Lloyd George (Chancellor of the Exchequer), Mr. Walter JK'unciman (President of tho Board ofTnde), i supported by the Right Hon. Arthur Balfour, M.P., and many distinguished representatives of the Army and Xavv. The Government, wanted to secure the whole-hearted co-operation of the organised' workers of the country to assist them in their endeavour to brmtj about.

a speedy and satisfactory termination to tiie world's war. This conference was held on March 17 and 19, and our Executive Council could rot then come to an amicable settlement. A further letter was received on March 20, of which the following is a copy:— "11 Downing Street, "Whitehall, S.W., 20/3/15. "Tho Chairman and Executive, A.S.E. _ "Gentlemen,—As the success of this gigantic war into which Europe has been plunged by German militarism depends entirely upon the assistance given us by the engineers of Britain, 1 am anxious to.confer with you on behalf of the Government on the subject of the document which appears in this morning's papers. You will probably wisli to secure the attendance of local representatives at such a conference, and I would therefore suggest Wednesday or Thursday—at your choice—as convenient dates, at the Treasury Board Room, as the most convenient place. If you are good enough to accept this invitation, I would leave the names and the summoning entirely to you. The fact of the situation being sp grave is my apoiogy for thus troubling you. Unless wo secure the whole-hearted cooperation of all classes, our native laud must bo worsted in this terriblo conflict.—Yours sincerely, "(Signed) D. LLOYD GEORGE." 'Our Executive Council accepted' this invitation, and agreed to be present at the iVeasury on March 25, accompanied by the general secretary, Bro. It. Y'oung, and the organising district delegate. After the conference the society s representatives retired to consult in private, and formulate a series of questions to be addressed to the Chancellor on the resumption of the conference, so that the answers would appear in the shorthand notes, and the following is the memorandum jointly agreed to:— "ACCELERATION OF OUTPUT OF GOVERNMENT WORK. "At a meeting held at the Treasury on March 25, liJlo, between the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the President of the BoUrd ot Trade and the Executive Council and organising district delegates of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers, the Chancellor of the Exchequer explained the circumstances in which it had become essential for tho successful prosecution of the war to conclude an agreement with the trade unions for the acceleration of output on Government work. Afte.- discussion, 'the representatives of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers resolved that in the light of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's statement and explanations, tho agreement be accepted by the union, and expressed a desire that the following statements by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in answier to questions put to him as to the meaning of various clauses in tlio memorandum agreed upon at a conference with workmen's representatives on March 17 and 19, he put on record:-— "1. That it is Uie intention of the Government to conclude arrangements with all important firm.s engaged wholly or mainly upon engineering f.nd shipbuilding worK for war purposes, under which their profits will be limited, with a view to securing that ber.efit resulting from the relaxation of trade restrictions or practices, shall acciuo to the State.

"2. That the relaxation of trade practices contemplated in the agreement relates solely to work doue for war purposes during the war period. "3. That iai the case of the introduction of new inventions which were not in existence in the pre-war period, the class of workmen to be employed on this work should be determined according to the practice prevailing before the war in tlito case of the class of work most nearly analogous. "4. That on demand by the workmen the Government Department concerned will bo prepared to certify whether the work in question is needed for war purposes. "5. That the Government will undertake to use its influence to secure the restoration of previous conditions in every case after the war. GEORGE RYDER, Organising District Delegate. ROBERT YOUNG,, General Secretary. D. LLOYD GEORGE, WALTER RUN CUM AX, J. T. BROWNLIE Chairman. W. HAROLD HUTCHINSON, Executive Council." Trusting that you will give these facts publicity.—l am, itc., (On behalf of the Wellington Branch), H. FISHER, Secretary. Island Bay, Wellington.