GASWORKS TROUBLE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3159, 10 August 1917, Page 6

GASWORKS TROUBLE

QUESTION IN THE HOUSE STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER THE BROKEN AGREEMENT, EVERYTHING DONE TO GET SETTLEMENT A question was asked in the House of Kepresentatives yesterday regarding the industrial trouble in connection with the Wellington Gasworks, in reply 'to which t'he Prime-Minister made a . very full statement on tho matter. Mr. Hornsby asked the Prime Minister "Whether, in view of what is taking place in Australia, and in view also of Some disturbing statements which are being made in New Zeal-nd at the present time, he will take into earnest consideration the necessity- for ending tho difficulty which has cropped up in Wellington in regard to the Gas Company and its employees?" "The.reason I ask this question as a matter of urgency, Mr. Hornsby explained, "is this— that, not to put too fine a point on it, wo are at tho present hour entering a phase of the matter which threatens an upheaval. I ask the Prime Minister if he will take such steps a? he deems necessary to end this trouble." The Conferences. Mr. Massey: "Replying to the question, I can only say that I have done everything it has teen possible for me to do to settle this dispute between tho pasworks stokers and the Wellington Gas Company. I have had interviews and conferences with directors of the Gas Company, representatives of the shipping interests, representatives of the waterside workers, and then I Had finally a very long conference with representatives of the men—ten of them were present—the president of the Waterside Workers Union and a representative of the Wharf Disputes Committee. "Mombers may have some idea of the difficulties when I 'tell them that this lasted practically the whole afternoon, and the greater part of the following morning. I thought wo had settled tho dispute, and I was exceedingly pleased and well satisfied with the result of the conference. An agreement was signed— not that I thought there would bo any chance of its being broken, but because there is often difficulty about the interpretation of these agreements. These men do not belong to a union. They are not working under the Arbitration Act. These seventeen men left their employment giving the company to understand they wcro not satisfied, with wages or i working conditions. Ten of these men were in my room when the conference was going on. The understanding v,;as that eight of the men-at least eight-.; were to be taken back right away. ITiey could have gone back to work that afternoon if they had felt so inclined. Tho other nine men were to have preterence of employment as opportunity offered, and in ths meantime they were to ho given employment by the Minister of Public Works in the neighbourhood of Wellington, at the. current rate ot wa"es, which, I understand, was not less than lis. a day. The other points in dispute were to be referred to the President of 'the Arbitration Court (Judge Stringer) if he would accept the position. Subterranean Influences. "That agreement, I am sorry to say, was broken. I don't know why. I can. only came to the conclusion that there is some influence at work which does not appear on the surface. I don t want to reflect either on the. men cr the company; I. am simply stating a. fact. 1 mention theso things to show that I have done everything a Minister can do under the circumstances. I think that at a period like this both employers and employees, as loyal citizens of the Empire, should do everything possible to avoid industrial disputes and difficulties. Ana. I say this, if there, was more give-and-take on the part of both classes there would be less of these industrial difficulties. I don't know what more can bo done. I have sent to the parties concerned a letter asking them to comply with the agreement, and to that letter I have had no answer. I don t know what the next phase of the aifficulty will be." What Can Be Done? Mr. Brown: Can't the Government take, over the works? Mr. Massey: If we were totako over the works we would be establishing a. very. awkward precedent, because in every dispute occurring the first suggestion would be that the Government should take the industry over. I dont know what the representatives of the industrial classes would say it we attempted anything of the sort. Mr. Wilford: Lead! Mr. Massey: Well, as a matter of fact, I have been leading for a considerable time, and I think I have had some success with it. I don't want to fight in this case, but if a fight as forced upon us we will put up the best fight possible. Mr. Brown: Take over the gasworiw. Mr. Massey: The difficulty is not with the gasworks, but with the waterside workers, who have refused up till the present to dischargo cargoes ot coal coming for tho gasworks. . Mr Hornsby: I am informed that thero is only one man on the gasworks side who is preventing this from being carried out. He is one of the <™P lo y, or !-. Mr. Massey: I don't know, what the others are doing if one man is-stopping it . . The difficulty is that the waterside workers will not dischargo cargoes of coal coming for the Reworks, and we are involved as the Government because the Mines Department is a con. tractor for the supply of coal to the gasworks. We understand what the deye op. ,uent of this dispute into a great industrial upheaval may mean to tho communitv -If it is possible for me to settle Sis trouble I will do everything I possibly can, but I think I have done that already.

Though efforts have been made in several directions" to effect a Settlement of the trouble in connection with the gas workers at Miramar, the position remains as unsatisfactory as ever. The gas had to be cut off from the city at 5 o'clock last evening.