TRADES COUNCIL.

Evening Post, Volume LXVIII, Issue 61, 9 September 1904, Page 6

TRADES COUNCIL.

Tho weekly meeting of the Trades and Labour Council -wa3 held last night, Mr. W. T. Young presiding. The official report is as foflows :•— The Painters' Union mado a complaint that the painters casually employed by bhe Bnilway Department aro paid less wagos fehan nro pnid by private omjiloyors, and that labourers aro sometimes put on to do painting. Tho Council np- j pointed a deputation to wait on tho'Minister for Railways with a view to getting tho matter rectified. An offer mado by tho Socialist Publishing Company, to allow tho Council j ouo pago of its weokly paper to bo published shortly, was accepted. j It wao decided to wrtto to tho other Councils suggesting that tho spcoch delivered- by tho Hon. J. Rigg, M.L.C., when moving his motion in respect to tho introduction of Chinese into tho Transvaal, bo printed and circulated throughout tho colony. Tho oxflrutivo mado tho following recommendations ro tho Electoral Bill now beforo tho Houso : — That tho clauses dobarring Civil servants and Government contractors from being candidates at elections be opposed, but provision bo made that any Civil sorvant or contractoT Khali in tho event of bis boing elected immediately resign his position in the Govnrnrnont awvico or termini* to his contract., as tho caso may bo. That in respoet to the issno of electors' rights to seamen tho applicant should' bo avowed fco rrrako tho necessary declaration before a Justico of tho Poaco instead of tho Registrar or the Collector of Customs. Tho proposal to increaso candidatos' deposit to £20 bo opposed, also bho suggested increaso of tho number of votes an unsuccessful candidato must poll to, save his deposit, from 10 por cent, to one-fourth of tho number polled by tho succossful candidato, bo opposed. Tho oxocutivo rocommended tfhat the clauses providing for the placing of names on tho roll until within fivo nays of tho poll bo supported, but.tho provision allowing namn3 to bo placed on tho roll on tho day of tho poll bo opposed. It waa also recommended that trio half-holiday on tho day of a general olection bo mado compulsory, and that provision bo mado for a penalty not exceeding £50 for any breach thereof; also that tho clauso giv- , ing an elector tho right to voto for Iris candidato in any polling-booth in tho colony bo supported, but provision be mado in tho Bill for a propor method of voting and tho ballot-paper to bo used. It was recommended that the clauses providing for the safo custody of baHotpapers and a second poll be supported ; that tho proposal to mako it an offence for any person to ad visa a voter as to his or her vote on tho way to tho poll bo strongly opposed. Tho report was adopted, and a deputation was set up to lay tho Council's views boforo tho Colonial Secretary.

Willis-street is' to be blocked from all vehicular trafßo from the beginning of next week, \f\en Ihe thoroughfare will be in the hands of the tramway contractors. It was expected that Mannersstreet would be finished by the contractors this w<\k, but the wet weather has been against " flouting " and wood-paving operations. A good portion of Manncrsstreot has already been paved. When Willia-street is entered by the gangs the men will be worked in two shifts from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mr. W. H. Holey, drapor, Courtenoyplace, has opened 1 his now season's goods, and invites special attention.