THE TRADES CONFERENCE

Evening Star, Issue 11725, 7 April 1902, Page 3

THE TRADES CONFERENCE

Mr P. J. OTtararTs letter with regard to the- settlement of' Smith Africa came up for discussion at the Auckland Trades Confernice on Safurdav. Mr rWeilinf!tori) moved that the. letter he referred to the Co'onial Councils for their moderation. Mr Belts (Westlar-d) moved, as an amendThat the rremier.be Heed to v.r.'ji upon the Colonial Secretary when he is- in Knjrlan'rl—(l) That the mines in Smith Africn he reserved solely for white labor ; (7) that Lirjre area-- of land be allocated for the sole use of the natives; (3) that the sale of liqrtor by private dealers bo prohibited—liquor to bo sold only by the. government." The amendment whs lost, the original motion being carried. The Conference resolved—" Hut this Conference, very much regret to see tint in a nnmber of recent decisions of the Arbitration Court the principle of preference tn unionists has been departed from." "That this Conference thank the f.'overnment for having pa.ssed the State Coal Mines Act and amendments ro inspection of mines and the. Factories Act last session." Tfc vr.m decided to hold the next fitting of the Conference at Oreymouth. Mr Hood, of Otaso, wos respons ; ble for bringing forward the motion in favor of eomptilsurv State fire insurance, which w.-h passed at'the Trades and Labor Conference. In his opinion, enough had been put forward in connection with State organisations lo show that this should ho one of them. Mr Ferguson (Otngo) thought the best way would be to allow the. Statu to enter into competition with other companies, just in the same way as they did at present with life insurance. He did not think that everyone should Ihj compelled to insure. Mr dosser (Auckland) looked on insurance companies as another form of the trusts and combines which the Conference had condemned. He considered that the recent inr.rcase in premiums, saJd to have been rendered necessary by losses the companies had sustained, was out of all proportion to those losses. Several other delegates supported the motion, which was unanimously adopted hi the form originally put—"For tho transaction of all fire insurance business iu this colony."

Mr M'Cullough (Canterbury), who moved that vjfcancies in the Civil Service, be, advertised and the nanus submitted to a ballot alter an examination as to fitness, said it was an abominable thing that a man should ,bave to go to a mere politician, who knew absolutely nothing about the .man's qualifications, to get nominated for a bille'. Any right-minded man must deplore such a state of affairs. Tlpi could state from his own knowledge that it obtained in the railway service, and ho was assured if was so in all the departments of the Slate.

At the close of the Conference on Saturday the delegates were entertained l>y Mr W'ithefonl, -U.H.R., at his residence, Northcote.