OTAGO TYPOGRAPHICAL UNION

Evening Star, Issue 20263, 26 August 1929, Page 6

OTAGO TYPOGRAPHICAL UNION

THE ANNUAL MEETING i - ' -■Tho annual ■■meeting of the Otago Typographical Union Was held in tho Trades Hall on Saturday night. Mr hi. Snigaton presided over an attendance offibout forty members. The report and balance-sheet presented by tho Board of Management stated that the condition of trade was normal, being rather on the,quiet side,' but only two or. three of the members were unable to obtain regular employment. Compared with other trades, there was not much reason tor complaint. Tho financial sale showed that ■there,w-as-an amount of £B7B os Gd to the credit of members individually, with a surplus cf £l3 Ids 2d undivided. Reference -was- made to the biennia! conference, which has been held in Auckland recently, at n cost of close on £3OO to the unions affiliated to tho New Zeeland Typographical Association, and doubt was expressed whether unions were receiving value Tor this expenditure. An effort was being (madeto reduce it in the future by reducing the delegation and holding conferences in Wellington, which is move central. It had been decided to seek u now award, and tho management and control of tin’s were loft to the Wellington Union. It was intended to go direct to tho Arbitration Court, without going through the Conciliation Council. It had been decided that Otago would bo .tho headquarters of tho association .immediately after tho award had been obtained. , During the year the deaths of Messrs Morris Pierce and Robert J. Stuart were recorded, and their connection with the union was sympathetically referred to. Reference was made to the union indirectly affiliating to tho Alliance of Labour through the Labour Council becoming a District Council of the Alliance. The Labour Council did not join up as a District Council of tho Alliance without much bargaining, and many of the objectionable features of the previous proposals for amalgamation had to be lettisoned before finality was reached. The local District Council would still have full power to control all its own funds and property.- The report referred to tiro position of the Trades Hall Board of Trust which had gone into liquidation with the object, of merging the trust into a limited liability company, and negotiations were now in progress to accomplish this end. The President, in moving the adoption of tho report and balance-sheet, referred to tho strong financial position of tiic union. Ho was pleased to say that matters bad worked very liarinoniously with the employers, no mi pleasantness of any nature having occurred during the year. He particularly stressed the fact that although the union had in name become attached to the Alliance of Labour it did not moan that tins union would be drawn into any industrial trouble which might arise, it was still an Arbitration Court union, and intended to have its differences with employers settled through that channel, and would refuse to be drawn into other outside disputes. It supported the alliance on the broad principle that there would now be only one governing body to attend to the industrial side of - tho Labour movement, and that in approaching parliament for legislation It could speak on iiclndf of united Labour. The adoption of tho report was seconded by Mr V. Johnston, and spoken to by a number of others. Mr Robert 1). Sonness was congratulated by the meeting on being appointed justice of the peace. Mr Sonness suitably acknowledged the compliment. The election of officers resulted as •ollows :—President. Mr V. Johnston ; vice-president, Mr Charles R. Smith ft wo candidates); secretary-treasurer. Mr R. Ferguson.' at a salary of iMfi per annum; of Management— Messrs Wiß’am Robertson. E. P-ico. T. Cameron. F. J. Patten. Yv. R, Morrison, F. ■'Wood, A. D. Cormack. and F. W. Joseph ftwo ethers contested the election). Mr H. Smcaton (retiring nresideiitl will also ho a member of the board. Auditors, Messrs R. D. Snip ness and 11. Hutchison: trustees. Messrs Alexander Wilson ami William ‘ r ’u!foch. Mr William Robertson presented the retiring president’s mein-nito of office to Mr Smcatnn, and in d'hii" so I'o referred in complimentary terms to the offieient manner in which Hie recipient had carried out his presidential’duties. -In responding, Mr Smcaton said that it was indeed a pleasure to pre« : de over a union in wbieh tlmre was so much harmony and no friction. A vote of thanks was passed to the retiring officers and office collectors. Mr Sonness, as senior auditor, complimented the secretary-treasurer (Mr l''6rguson) on tho manner, in-which the books wore kept by him/ Several routine matters were dealt with, anil a very harmonious meeting closed with a vote of thanks to the chair, which, after tho election of of. '>ecrs. had b"mt occupied by ■ tho new president (Mr Johnston;