LABOUR NOTES.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 23, 28 January 1911, Page 14

LABOUR NOTES.

i (By "Unionist.'*) : ITEMS OfInTEREST. There is a bit of a stir in local trade i union circles, principally in connection ; with the forthcoming municipal elections. As is generally known, it has been decided to run a Labour ticket of eight candidates at the City Council elections in April next. There is no likelihood of Labour participation in the Mayoral contest. Originally it was decided that the Labour eight were to have been selected on Wednesday last. So as to ensure full uniformity with the constitution of the party, however, the selection Has been adjourned till Wednesday next. It will be made at the Labour party meeting, under the system of preferential voting. Closing of nominations at the branch meeting during the week, resulted in the proposing of the following seventeen members for final selection :—: — D. M'Laren, M. J. Reardon, A. Hindmarsh, W. H. Hampton, W. T. Young, F. Reyling, W. J. Jordon, T. Smith, W. C. Noot, P. Muir, J. Butler, W. Gilbert, C. M'lntyre, T. Hazel, S. Gordon, E. Kennedy, and E. J. Carey. By consent of the party in meeting, it was decided to accept the candidature of Messrs. Hindmarsh and M'Laren, without requiring them to go to the preliminary selection ballot. In furtherance of the Labour candidates' interests, trade union officials have_ been busy during the week' enrolling municipal electors. Some hundreds of names have been added to the roll already. The council has decided to open its offices every Saturday night for the next few weeks for the special purpose of getting people on the roll. The Saturday half-holiday petition is also being kept to the fore. Signatures are coming in, but very slowly. It is a stupendous task to get the four or five thousand signatories required to make the petition effective. In view of the tasic ahead, the council has decided to engage a canvasser to assist in getting the petitions filled. In 1907 there were 773 members belonging to the several branches of the New Zealand Bootmakers' Federation, in that year the appointment of a permanent federation secretary was decided on, and, subsequently, J\|r. R. Whiting was elected to the position. Since his election ' Mr. Whiting has done much organising work. According to the conference_ report the membership of the federation now stands at 1461, made up of 1099 male and 362 women workers. This represents an increase of 688 members over the returns for 1907. Tho forty-eighth annual meeting of tho Wellington Typographical Union takes place to-night. The report to be presented to the meeting states, intei alia: "The number of members on the books of the union at the end of the half-year was 344, aa against 349 for the preceding term — a decrease of five. During the half-year 29 new members were admitted to the union, 11 paying entrance fees, and 18 lodging clearance cards j and the withdrawals were 35, 21 drawing clearance cards, eight left the district, five resigned ox retired, and one died. Reference to the balancesheet will show that subscriptions totalled £211 Is 6d, and the receipts from all sources amounted to £245 lls 6d (not including £952 18s 9d credit balance carried forward), while the total expenditure was £230 17s 10d (including £35 3s 7d transferred to vhe mortality fund). The credit balance for the half-year was £14 13s Bd, and the credit balance carried forward was £967 12s sd. The assets amount to £1045 7s sd, I as against £1006 16s 3d for the previous half-year, being an increase of £38 lls ] 2d for the period under review. Election of officers will be taken at the meeting. For president, Mr. G. C. Barker has been nominated unopposed. There will be a contest for tha offices of vicepresident and secretary. Mr. E. Jones is the retiring president; Mt. J. W. F. M'Dougail, for years past secretary of the union, has to meet two opponents for the office on this occasion. Labour candidates will be run in all four centres, and in Gisborne, Wanganui, Timaru, Palmereton, and Greymouth at the forthcoming elections. In all instances the candidates will be run under the auspices of the New Zealand Labour Party. The dread of unemployment poiaone all the pleasures of the workers. Plaaterere in Western Australia are now paid 16s per day, and they earn every cent of it. Jewellers in New Zealand have no union as yet, but in Sydney the award of their Wages Board was recently delivered. It fixes the minimum wages, according to the class of work, at 55s, 'and 60s a week of 44 hours. Female workers are to be paid 35s and 40*3 a week. Apprentices are to receive 5s a week in the iirst year and 25s in the sixth year. .Frank Brennan, who opposed John Quick at Bendigo in the Federal elections, polling 12,082 as against Quick's 12,787, will likely carry Labour "s colours in the coming election for the Batman Federal electorate in Victoria. The election has been fixed for early in Feb- ¦ ruary. A new award is being aeked for by the carpenters of Auckland. A 44 hours' week, with payment at the rate of Is 6d per hour, is being asked for. This is an increase of twopence in the rate of pay, but the hours are the same as formerly. A movement is now in progress to secure a Dominion award for New Zealand carpenters. The annual meeting of the Auckland Typographical Union was held last week. The report and balance-sheet showed the union to be in a strong position, both j financially anJ numerically. The total receipts lor the past half-year, added to the balance from the previous half-year, amounted to £456 lfe 2d, exclusive of bank interest (approximately £12) and a refund of £11 lls from the New Zealand Federated Typographical Association. The expenditure amounted to £87 5s 2d, leaving a balance to the union's credit of £369, exclusive of the bank interest and r-efund referred to. The total number of members is 146. Proposals for the alteration of the Commonwealth Constitution are to be submitted to a referendum of the Australian electors on 26th April next. Already the referendum has 'developed into a party campaign. The Laboiu party strongly advocates an extension of Federal authority so as to allow the Commonwealth Legislature to deal with combines and monopolies 'and industrial naattere. The Liberals oppose tho proposals on the grounds of interference with State rights. The contest on the issues submitted promises to bt> nearly as keen as the Federal election fight. Labour asks, in connection with the proposal for wider industrial powers, that tho Federal Parliament be permitted to legislate in respect of labour and employment, legaiding: — (a) Th^ wages and conditions of labour oud employment in any trade, industry, or calling ; mid (b) The prevention and settlement of industrial disputes, including disputes in relation to employment on or about • railways, the property of any State.