PAINTING INDUSTRY

Evening Post, Volume XCI, Issue 108, 8 May 1916, Page 8

PAINTING INDUSTRY

BET ORE CONCILIATION COUNCIL.

The Wellington Painters' Dispute was considered by ths Conciliation Council today, Mr. P. HaJly, Conciliation Commissioner, presiding. The assessors for the parties were: —For the union, Messrs. W. Cooper', F. Cornwell, F. Wallis; for the employers/: Messrs. M. S. Martin. T. A. Wells, and G. Godber.

Representatives of the' Master Painters' Union and the Workers' Union had met previously, and arrived rit an agreement, the principal point of which was an increase in wages from Is 4£d an hour to Is 6d, with increased pay for apprentices. Applications for exemption were made* t.o-day by the .Wellington City Council, Wellington Harbour Board, and Wellington Meit Export, Co.

Mr. W. A. Grenfell, who was present to-day, asked if an agreement .were to be concluded by the council or merely a recommendation made. He wished to know, he said, because several master painters objected to the terms of the proposed agreement.

The Commissioner replied that a recommendation would be made, so that objecting partios might state their case before the Adbitration Court.

Mr. Grenfell: Does the Court propose to embody the union's claims in the recommendations?

Mr. Cornwell (union assessor): That Is for the Court to consider.

Mr. Grenfell said that there was opposition to the proposed agreement. Mr. Grenfell: Is it not a fact that you are creating the opposition your.' self?

Mr. Grenfell: "No." He added that there were numbers of master painters who were not members of the Master Painters' Union.

Mr. Corn-well repEed that the Master Painters' Union employed at least seven-tenths of the painters in Wellington. Quite a number of the men otherwise 1 cited were working on their own account, but employed no labour except occasionally. - i

In reply to a question, Mr. Grenfell said he had no authbrity to represent these employers, but they had told him that they were opposed to the proposed agreement.

The Court, after some further discussion, went into committee to consider the dispute.