CITY COUNCIL MEETS

Evening Post, Volume C, Issue 47, 24 August 1920, Page 7

CITY COUNCIL MEETS

. -"— •'■:■•■■■ "...«.;■ TO CONSIDER SITUATION

MAYOR- ON COAL SHORTAGE.

PROSPECT OF DEVELOPMENTS,

A special meeting of the City Council was held this morning to consider the situation. The Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke, M.P.) presided. There were present :— Councillors R. A. Wright, M.P., P. Fraser, M.P., J. Hutchison', C. ,H. Chap-' man, T. Forsyth, W. H. Bennett, B. G. H. Burn, J. Burns, J. 0. Shorland, and L.' M'Kenzie. .

The Mayor said the meeting was an informal one to consider the situation. They were all aware of what had happened, and he had thought it right the council should consider what could be done. It was most, regrettable that the industries of the city should be held up because of a "misunderstanding between ! the waterside workers and the shipping peqple. Whatever,were the merits or demerits of the- case "on either side, there was xio warrant for holding up the whole city and its industries. There were many oocasions when one could not help sympathising with labour, but here the position was peculiar. A vessel came into port with certain material in her cargo, and when the men had worked for about a. day, it was found some of the conditions of the contract had been rather over-run, and thence had arisen the trouble. The question was whether that particular work should stand by it-self. Labour on the wharf, he took it, was a day-to-day engagement,- and the right course to have 'taken ..K event" of "a. dispute was to have gone on with the^work and allow the dispute to be submitted to the Disputes Committee as provided inthe agreement. The present situation was most critical. TRAMS AND LIGHTING. ' The council had no coal to carry on the' tramways and very little for the electric light. Last week it was -known" that there was only a certain amount of coal available, but there was enough to carry the council through until other shipments arrived.. The council daily carried out work at the lowest possible consumption "in keeping with the demands of consumers. The council could not now carry out its contract with the people. The council must endeavour to keep light for the hospital, and certain other things must be kept going. Domestic lighting was most important. It was awkward to be without trams,, but a calamity to be without electric light.' The difficulty of obtaining other means of lighting was very trying indeed. The Mayor referred also to the hardships inflicted by the loss of the gas supply, especially' to those people who for cooking and heating were dependent on gas. It was very hard on households with young children and infants and not a bit of coal in the house,' no gas, and not much of anything else. He regretted exceedingly the attitude in regard to coal. Councillor Fraser: "There'is no dispute about coal." PRINCIPLE AT STAKE. The Mayor said there was a great principle at stake. The men only worked what ship they liked. Councillor Chapman: "The men are prepared to work on coal."' The Mayor: "The men work on coat or whatever they like, but they won't work on what they don't like." Tho council was concerned that the men,'he said, should act in such a manner that not only coal was available, but that the wheels of industry should go round. It was just as well to be plain about it. The Mayor then went into the question of the pay of tramwaymen during the enforced hold-up of the trams. Both' the tramway tnd lighting men were off work and the council could not afford to pay these men for doing nothing. He would like to remove the impression abroad that the tramwaymen should be paid while off work. The council was not bound under the agreement to pay them. The men would not be paid in the meantime unless the - council determined to the contrary. N The council was under no obligation to pay. The men should nofc,be under any false impression about their position. .. TILL TO-MORROW MORNING. Councillor Fraser: "How much coal have we got at present?" The Mayor, after reference to the ' City Engineer (Mir. W. H. Morton), said about 50 tons, poor stuff ,at that—it would not last any time. There was not a day's supply. It might last until two o'clock to-morrow morning. Light could not be kept going in Parliament Buildings. Councillor Fraser suggested asking ths

nhipping companies for information as to jsphat they were going to do to work coal. « The Mayor said they refused to work it. He thought their attitude was quite correct. ■ Councillor Fraser: "What about the \ women and children;''then?" ' :;; The Mayor-said'it lay with the men. •• Councillor Hutchison said tjie-matter ehould be referred to thel Coal .Committee, and'the members of Parliament in the council- could assist materially. He submitted that, the Union Company had trokeri'the agreement by coaling the Wahine, as if that were more important than supplying coal for the various public utilities. IHe'suggestedthe council, Should approach the Coal Control Com-.-mittee to put on labour over the shipping companies. He was prepared to say the waterside workers would work coal at an hour's notice." Both sides would accept the approach, he felt, in a most conciliatory spirit and work be returned to-day. He moved that the Mayor approach 'the- Government immediately, with Councillors Wright and Fraser, "with a view of having, the dispute settled. , There was ho seconder. .. The Mayor said* there was no justification in holding the work up. The matter should be referred either to the Conciliation Council or * > Disputes Committee. If the matter m.d been submitted to the Disputes' Committee the trouble could be got over. :; " AN IRRITATION LOCK-OUT." "I Councillor'Fraser said 1 he had never 'i&own so critical a situation develop out of such >a trivial matter.- The holding up of the city's coal was absolutely unjustified. - The fact of: the matter was that it was an irritation lock-out. The council should not take sides, but should get the coal ,for the city. -Councillor Forsyth : "How can you be neutral in this matter? ""Councillor Fraser pointed out that the men on the wharf were willing- to work coal, but the employers would not let them. He was not going into the merite or demerits of the case, but with a little comnion-sense the dispute could be settied. .It was. their, duty as councillors to provide the city with coal. , He did not seVhow the" Mayor or anybody else c3uld justify.the position. The coal was j at the -wharf, the'.men were on the j wharf to work it. He was quite sure, if j it; was the men who were holding up the | " coal, the Mayor would' he making ar- j raingements for men to go down and un- : load it. In 1913 there -was no difficulty ■in unloading the coal. Why, if now the coal was held up by the employers, should not the Mayor take up tie same attitude as he did in 1913, and get the coa]? work''.for"labour leader. Councillor Forsyth .asked what action Cfiuraiflr"rrasat^;teader\'of;;the Lab■oOrPa'fty'hl^New Zealand, had taken to get the matter settled. Had Councillor Fraser taken any step,; direct or indirect, to have the matter referred to the Disputes Committee ? Councillor Fraser was understood to say. that he had advised the men. He had given his advice and his opinion, but in a matter like this he was in a less important position than the Mayor. ■ Councillor Forsyth urged again there was (a proper tribunal for such disputes, and the proper person to bring the- matter before such tribunal was the president of the Labour Party. Councillor Fraser: "I am quite prepared to do so." > Councillor "Forsyth said the Mayor was only the third or fourth party in the dispute—the main two were the shipowners and labour. Councillor Bennett said these disputes on the -waterfront were a menace to the industry of New Zealand. Such a state of things ought not to be allowed to . continue. The proper course to adopt was to bring all these disputes before the Disputes Committee. The position was gotting simply intolerable, and the sooner it was ended the better for this country. There should be a responsible authority •with power' to settle this dispute. „,... LEAVE IT TO LABOUR. Councillor-M'Kenzie said-the situation wasaffecting every ifloVusiry' in"the city. He would move : '"That this council adjourn'until two o'clock this afternoon, in order to give the Labour representatives on the council ,:in opportunity of conferring with the Labour representatives on the whxrf, with a view of bringing this matter before the; Disputes Committee and setting up an inquiry." . s Councillor Wright, seconded the motion, pro forma. It was all veipr well to blame the £ hipowners, he said; but. the trouble really originated over the unloading of a Japanese boat. The watersiders broke their .igreement. There was no doubt about that , The dispute should . have been-submitted- to the Disputes Coirimittee' 'I? the citizens went down ■ to unload the coal it would result in a general strike. • The watersiders would strike and other workers would strike in sympathy It was not fair to ask the Government to bring pressure to bear on either of'tho parties concerned. Councillor Hutchison held that the mover should, include three representatives of the employers on the council. Councillor Wright ought to be more conversant with the origins of the dispute. There had been mistakes on both sides. Councillor Chapman distinguished between cargoes of coal and manure. One was an urgent necessity, and the city should not be deprived of its coal. The blame for holding up the 1 coal was not on the men, but the employers had seen the opportunity for putting the boot in when the men's representatives made a mistake. . Councillor Burn contended that it was not "the men, but their leaders, who were to blame. Councillor Forsyth, in support of the motion, urged, that by constitutional methods the disoute could be settled in five minutes. All that was needed was to refer the matter to the Disputes Committee. Councillor Hutchison said :that the sec- , retary of the Disputes Committee (Mr. \ Bennett) had not yet called a meeting of the committee. NO OUTSIDERS. The Mayor said they had hoped to get coal to tide them over the difficulty. The machinery was there to settle the dispute, and it was no good calling in outside parties. Ho did not intend to seo the Prime Minister about it. The Mayor of the city must be on the side that was going to protect the community. The dispute was discreditable to both sides. The machinery was there, and it should be used^ He. believed they should not pass ■ any resolution now, but adjourn until 4 o'clock. In the meantime the situation might improve.. Councillor Shorland said that no Union Company's boat should be allowed to leave the wharf until the city was supplied, with conl to carry on. Councillor Fraser said he was sure the Mayor would admit that Mr. Bruce, the secretary of tho union, was desirous of a settlement. Tha Mayor nodded. Councillor Fraser added that he expected before the day was over steps would bs taken to bring about a. settlement. At the same time he would submit thatfeteps should be taken to get the coal. .' ' ', The Mayor, after a few minutes' absenw, returned -with the announcement that Mr. Bennett, .secretary of the. Disputes Committee,, had! informed him that if the men went bitck to work he was prepared to consult the employers on the question of calling together the Disputes Onrnmiite?/-' .' ■■ • 1 With the'hope of favourable developments in the meantime, the council adjourned until 4 ja'.clack thk. .afternoon.. >