THE DISPUTE IN THE TAILORING TRADE.

Evening Post, Volume LVII, Issue 155, 3 July 1899, Page 2

THE DISPUTE IN THE TAILORING TRADE.

o _ Mr. W. Murdoch, Secretary of the Wellington Tailors' Industrial Union of Workers, writos in reply to our articlo "A Lapse of Labour" at too great length for publication, but to tho following effect: — An industrial agreement for the trade was in force up to the 25th of May last. During its term of existenco numerous disputos as to its interpretation arose. The Oporative Tailors' Union therefore drew up v now time Btatement, which was intended to be free from all ambiguity. Each of tho employing firms was served with a copy of this statement on 23rd May by Mr. Murdoch himself, who informed all the employers he saw, including tho President and Secretary of the Masters' Union, that time would be allowed for a conference beforo a reforonce was filed. To theso advances, ho only rocoived evasive replies, boing told that tho Masters' Union would meet on tho 6th June, and that an answer would be sent soon after the mooting. The reference was therefore not filed until 3 p.m. on tho 7th Juuo, up to which time no reply had been received. About 4 p.m. on that day tho reply arrived, stating that the employers had on tho previous night considered some demands in tho time statement, but the items were so numerous that they must request a mouth to consider 1 them, and that a committee had been appointed to go into tho question and roport. In answer to this lotter tho Secretary of the Operatives' Uniop wrote that his Union was willing, in spite of the reference, to meet tho employers in) conference before tho hearing at the Conciliation Board, or if that wero too Bpon to agree to an adjournment for the purposes of a conference. Two days liter (10th' June) Mr. Murdoch was informqd by tho Clerk of Awards that tho hearing of tho dispute was fixed for the 26th June. The executive of tho Operatives' Union w\h surprised at tho ditto being fixed no iar ahead, and instructed tho Secrotary to write to tho employers to tho Effect that as the hearing was so far distant the Union would oppose an adjournment unless in tho meantime the employers appointed represontativos for a conference. Op the 20th Juno Mr. Murdoch received from the Employers' Union a demand accompanied by several copies of a now log (borrowed from tho Dunedin log) and asking for a reply on the 22nd June, thus allowing only two days for consideration as against tho 15 allowod by tho operatives. This, Mr. Murdoch contends, was not at all consistent with tho employors' letter demanding for themselves a month's consideration, and he thinks Mr. Allan "gavo tho show away" beforo the Conciliation Board on tho 29th June by saying that tho idea of asking for the adoption of tho Dunodin log was no new thing for tho masters, who had fixed upon it some time ago, and intended submitting it to tho workers in due course. On tho 22nd Juno the employers filed a reforenco, thus actually limiting the time for considering their statement to two days, whereas the operatives not only allowod 15 days to elapso but would not have filed a reference then had the employers agreed to a conference. With reference to tho Tuling of tho Chairman that thero was no dispute within the meaning of the uta^to, Mr.., Murdoch urges that tho folloAving disputes not yet settled wore embodied in tho new time statement, and wero in existence" beforo tho reference was filed:— (l) A diapiite with Messrs. Voitch and Allan re price paid for pockets and re price paid for haircloth and canvas ; (2) a dispute with Messrs. Berry and Orr re price paid for pockets and padding and wadding ; (3) a disputo with Messrs. Nodino and Co. about tho employment of non-unionists und tho team system. Theso, ho contends, camo within tho meaning of tho Act, and ho says that when he offered to prove tho disputes on oath tho Chairman, "with a lofty wavo of the hand" said ho did not require ovidonce, and after a sitting in cumera announced the finding of tho Court that thero was no dispute.

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