IN SUSPENSE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 27, 1 February 1912, Page 8

IN SUSPENSE.

.„ cTHE NEGOTIATIONS. CONCILIATION COMMISSIONER INTERVENES. Since yesterday the Conciliation Commissioner of the Wellington " district (Mr. P. Hally) has been quietly interesting himself in the dispute, and as a result of a conference which ho had with the Acting-Mayor to-day, it is thought that a settlement is probable, and that the cars will, at the latest, be running to ordinary r time-table to-morrow morning. Inspector Fuller, it is understood, has no desire to see the public suffer. In all probability he will ask < the council to transfer him to some other department, and his wishes will be acceded to if he takes this action. STRIKE COMMITTEES' ' ATTITUDE. ARE THERE OTHER OBSTACLES? The optimistic utterance of the ActingMayor is hardly borne out by' the attitude of tho Strike Committee. A prominent member of thi.j body, which consists of the Tramways Union Executive, with representatives of other Labour unions, told a. Post reporter before 2 o'clock this afternoon that if the City Council^ thought the resignation of Inspector Fuller would satisfy the men at this stage they made a great mistake. Yesterday morning all would have been • weJi had Inspector Fullei- resigned ; today the position was completely changed. The men had ceased work without authority. Who was to pay their fines, in case the Labour Department .took ucticn? In the second place, three members of the union had refused to come out. The men who had como out were- not going to go back and work with blacklegs. Those men would have to^ go. Further, the committee must insist on adequate guarantees being given against the victimisation of the strikers, if they went back, for their action in striking. The union must be quite sure that men would not be debarred promotion or otherwise be made to suffer for coming oat on strike. There must be a complete amnesty for all members. These were some of many points which had arisen since the actual strike and which would never have arisen had the council acted earlier. ' TRAMWAYS COMMITTEE. The Tramways Committee met again this afternoon at half-past two, and was still sitting at 3.30 p.m. With them was Mr. P. Hally and Inspector Fuller. A few minutes after three the word was passed round that Inspector Fuller had applied to the council to be transferred to some other position in the service, and the council had granted his- request. Mr.' J. O'Shea, city solicitor, was also in' attendance at the meeting. The terms of Inspector Fuller's application were not disclosed at this stage. At half past three the informal gathering of* the council adjourned from No. 1 commitfcee-Toom, where they had eat previously, to the Council Chamber. •They still observed strict committee conditions, and all councillors would venture was that the negotiations were* not quite fixed up. "t is understood that the complications indicated by the Strike Committee had intervened and delayed finality.