WELLINGTON TYPOGRAPHICAL UNION.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 24, 29 January 1912, Page 11

WELLINGTON TYPOGRAPHICAL UNION.

HALF-YEARLY MEETING. The forty-ninth annual general meeting of members of the above-named union was hold at the Oddfellows' Hall, Lambton-quay, on Saturday evening, when there was a very large attendance of membors present, and Mz-. G. C. I Barker (president) occupied the chair. j The report for the half-year ended 31st December^ 1911. was considered, the I clauses being taken seriatim. The report showed that trade 1 wad exceptionally good- during the year. In three yeare tho membership had decreased by fifty-three. Most of these had left for Australia, where "conditions are better." The credit balance for the half-year!* working amounted to £31 7s I 10d, and the actual credit balance at date stands at £992 4s 7d. Assets are I estimated to be worth £1050 14s 7d. A conference was held on 24th and 25th August last with the employers with a view to arranging a Dominion award, hut "the employers were not willing to concede any increase in wages or to consider any redaction in the number of hours worked, and submitted that if there was to be. a DouUnion award there oßonld^ be five, daeaifioatiopa : (1) The four citiet, (2) towns with a population of over 10,000, (3) town* from 5001 to 10,000, (4) towns from 2500 to 5000, and (5) towns under 2500. The conference discussed patters for two day«, and terminated without any agreement being effected." B The report also, stated that 4 letter 1434 been received from the secretary of the executive of the Federated Typo Graphical Association informing the oard "that the Herald and Star proprietors (Auckland) had offered to give their operators £3 14s per week for day work and £,4 3a for ni^ht work on condition tji»t no further, increase be applied for during the next two years, all other conditions of the Auckland award as regards operators to reraSin ! 1 eiCe P fc the overtime rate, i which will b« increased." After the adoption of the .Report as submittud, the following motion' wae passed in reference to paragraph 14: "That this agrees to the Auckland Typographic*! ' Union entering ' into an agreement on the lines of the letter submitted by the Executive of the New Zealand Federated Typographical Association." The statement of receipts and expenditure for the half-year, the memorandum of liabilities and assets, and the mortality fund statement wer<* adopted asjprinted and submitted, The order of the business of the, meeting was varied to allow the members to d>cusa the notice of motion that the union cancel its registration under tie Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act and that 4 ballot be taken in ac-> coroance, with the rujetf to decide the question. A long discussion ensued, during which the Arbitration. Court was adversely criticised by a number of speakters, and an amendment was proposed and carried as follows :~-"That further consideration of the motion be suspended for three months, pending the ujtion'a appeal to the employers for improved conditions ' of employment." A« an outcome of the diegussion on the preceding business the following resolution was unanimously adopted:— "That this meeting of members of tho Wellington Typographical Union regrets that the Welling tun master printers nava not definitely replied to tie proposals submitted to them on the 4th September, iyil, and that the offer is now withdrawn, but the union is still agreeable for a conference before further steps are taken.'! . • It was decided to hold a 'Special meeting of the union next Saturday evening to consider the, proposed,, conditions of employment "to be submitted to the employers^in-the ; 'Wellington Industrial District. , ' The election of officers resulted as follows I —President, Mr. G.. C. Barker (elected unopposed) ; vice-presjkjent, Mr. James Harper (elected unopposed) ; sec-retary-treasurer, Mr. J. W. t.,'%'Poogall (elected unopposed); trustees, (general fund), Meesr*. D. Ryrie and TM'lntyre (elected unopposed) j ,trustess (mortality fund), Messrs. W. p.>, Millar and W. {Sutherland (elected unopposed); auditors, Messrs. Frank R. Curtis (reelected) and H. E. Ashby; board m.erabew, Messrs. M. A, Robinsbn. F. W. Swift (re-elected), and R. A. t M.'lntyre. The president was voted an honorarium of £5 for his services during' the past year, and a vote of thanks was accorded the officers of the union for the manner in which the business of. the member* had been attended to during 'their term pi pffice, „ . ' ' ' '