DRIVERS' DISPUTE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 112, 5 February 1919, Page 6

DRIVERS' DISPUTE

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS.' "The officials in charge of negotiations having failed to effect a settlement of the drivers' dispute, it must now be left to the members themsolves of the various unions to dee'le what action shall be taken," said Mr. A. Parlane, secretary of the Drivers'. Federation, .yestertViy. Mr. Parlane stated that tlio objoct of a mass meetinrof drivers to be he'd in the Alexandra Hall last night would be to discuss what the local uniqu should do. The Press would not be admitted to the meeting, and no official information would lie available for publication. Questioned in the morning as to whether the local union had yet been cited by tha employers to appear before the Arbitration Court, Mr. 1 Parlane said tl'at so far it had not. He had, however, received from Dunedin a copy of the papers in which employers of drivers in that city cited the union of employees. The employers proposed that the old award, with the exception of ( the provision for payment of a- war bonus, should again come into force. That meant, said Mr. Farlane, that the wages proposed were £2 12s. per week for a eingle-borse driver and £2 16s. for a two-horse driver. The week would be a forty-eight hours one, exclusive of time required for necessary attendance to horses, which should not exceed four hours per week in the case of a single-horse driver and eight hours per week in the case of a twoborse driver.

CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN UNIONS. ' . By Telegraph-Press Association. Christchurch, February i. The New Zealand Drivers' Federation is affiliated to the Transport Workers' Advisory Board, and in view of that fact a special meeting of the Executive Com-/ mitteo of the Canterbury Drivers' Union was held," and the secretary instructed to send tho following telegram to Mr. A. Pariane, secretary of the New Zealand Drivers' Federation:— "Cantsi bury Drivers' Union views with regret the action of employers of drivers in refusing to concede the reasonable demands of the Drivers' Federation of £3 10s. for a fortyeight hour week, as anything less is totally inadequate to provide Hie necessaries of life with the present high cost of living, and urges the Transport Workers' Advisory Board to tako such steps as it may deem advisable to secure justice for tli?-drivel's of the Dominion."

Mr. Hiram Hunter, secretary of the local Drivers' Union to-day received the following telegram from Mr. Davis, secretary of the Auckland Drivers' Union: —"The men here are demanding a stopwork meeting, and are likely to bike drastic action. Will strive to hold them. The position is very serious. Something must be done quickly." Mr. Hunter replied: "Wire received. A meeting of the Transport Advisory Board to-day strongly urged- the men to restrain themselves, pending tho decision of the board. Joint action is essential in -whatever is decided upon."