THE LABOUR DISPUTE.

Greymouth Evening Star, 24 February 1906, Page 4

THE LABOUR DISPUTE.

The Court resumed at 10 a.m. yesterday. ; * *•

BETTER TO GO WHITE-BAITING. Edward Beale said his average 'earnings when working for tlio Blackball Goal Company when running three steamers was £2 4s 7dper week. He could not get work from the Union Company when working for the Blackball Company. Later on he worked for the Union Coy. ’ In 1904 his wages averaged £2 10s '9d per Aveok'.' He loft the wharf in July, 1005, as his wages wore decreasing. His average for the six months was £1 12s lid. With outside work ho brought his average up to £2 2s 9d. He left the wharf, but still remained a member of the Union. When work slackened elsewhere he went back to the wharf in September. Ho was there for three weeks and earned £1 7s. He worked on the Petono on January 9th, 1905, and it was not until the 22nd that he got employment from the Union Company. Ho had never received payment for standing by in the day time. He had* known a good few men'to leave the wharf. The night work in winter was a very trying ordeal. He thought the counterproposals of the Union Would be beneficial for all concerned and. would work well.

to Air Goqdall: Ships had laid idle during the day for want of timber. lo i.lr JvU'dv : He was doing casual labor at present. He had been whitebaitmg and the highest wages earned u,r one day while so .engaged was £2 lUs. About six men would leave the wharf to go wnite-baiting. The average wage earned per ween during the unite-baiting season in 1905 was between £0 res and £4 per week. „

u hAKE , iiAßUKitli ts EVIDENCE. William ford said his average wage shown on the Union Company’s reuirn was £0 Its’ tor ,50 pay-sheets, ne Jiehf he appeared on 52 pay-sheets, working for mu Railway Department ami i ne smaller steamers lie would not earn on an average £2 per week. At one time he could not get employment men Hie Union Company. Ho enquired and was told by tae foreman ui.it those who stuck to aim, he would suck to I hem. Witness said; “Well, it t only work lor the I nion Coy. 1 w ilt bo right. 1 Jhe foreman said yes. What the employers contended, in

Hieir evidence, as an ordinary busy day la- wuuld rail an exceptional!}" liusy day. .If Hie wares were reduced lie aid uul think many men would be aide lo yet a living wage, die had lieeii a miner and had then rallied ills and I2s per day respectively. Ur preferred mat, work lu wharf laboring. He objected to the employers' proposals as to the employment of labor, as it would tend to unfair division. He thought ihe clauses in the present award relating to employment had worked satisfactorily. When Hie clause was agreed to Hie then manager of Hie I iiion Company was of opinion that the foreman should be aide get ail me labor he required bet. re lu a.m. -Mr Price had told a deputation of laborers that Hie Union elause pioviding for the einptoymeiit of men from 8 to 9 a.oi , .1 to 2 p.m.. ami 4 [■> 5 p.m. i>i •i■ .1 over

I (line all 'lillii'iilties. To His liminr: After working all night in the hold, where the lamps were Inmiing. he did not, feel like eating his breakfast. Providing there was enough covered lamps that, would lie all that was required, io Mr Carter; He opposed men being einployul anywhere, as it, would mean men remaining about the wharf all Ihe 1 ime, \\ hen Ihe caller w. nl

"in at night time he had a list of whom lu engage, lie (the caller) was not, however, allowed to call some men wiio would haw come out. He had seen tlie foivmau railing out about the shortage of labor, but Ids father, who was nearby, was never engaged. Ho reckoned a hatchway man should always be employed. Ills ill said tile employers ill Hie main did not dispute the necessity bu' the appointment of a hatchway man, inti held ii was one of those precaillioiis that should he left t<> them; they should lint bo tmd down by the award.

.Mr ('arti r said tlio Union were dementis of it being incorporated in the award, especially in regard to the loading of iduller.

Witness, continuing, said that the men objected to the using of a snoter m timber loading, because it was not sale lu the men down below. When loading cnee on the Kittawa the men building tip by hand had beat, those using the singers. He fell, that, a quaricr of fin In,nr for crib lime at night shift was the best ; it" one wanted an hour at night time, .shovelling cal was very hard work and should he paid for as demanded by the l;n----bm. In an old agreement it was provided that preference of employment, should bo given to permanent wharf hands.

In -Mr Kirby: ,\( the commeiiemeiil ■•I the year, the mines and mills were •T'sed down and this would account !or no work linn. He did not know that the bar prevented shipping movements during 2755 hours last year; he "'■mid not be surprised if sm-li was (lie ease. He bad known men who had heeli looking lor work just as much as witness, and only earned £2 while lie had made £5 in £6. In a mine if he | niy worked a short period he would goi half a day's pay. Mr Price had said that power call men at 8(o 9 a -m.. I to 2 p.m. ami 4 (<■ 5 p.m. w■ 11 H1 he I and meet requirements. * ll her members el tin- deputation "."'ill! eniT.ll, orate the statement. The I nion had taken , very man that came

ail U-'. (be nn n w. n put mil and 1 hosei, l. : , the fm-iji. n. lin . would 1 uga • I ab..„t |, , i,,, hr ’PPed. that 111. \ had t,, leave (o make a living. I lie reason why the •Mapoiirika was not worked on her last Hip v. as I localise the vessel could not, gel a berth at which to discharge. Tho depnlv harbor master had infonnod him lo I hat ell’eet. He did not think live vessels could be loaded at the "half at the same time, lie had seen limner slings break on several occasions. Once the wire broke just as the sling was put over the hold ; again the chain had broken, while on still another occasion (he winch went wrong Jhough the Company wanted plenty of labor to work the vessels when a rush was on, they did not say what limy proposed to do when no vessels Were ill port.

-Mr Kirby: Oh, I leave that to

A QUESTION OF EMPLOYMENT. »lohn Coburn ,s;tul that on one occasi,’i» "ben ! lie Union Coy’s foreman asked a yang to conic Lack to work Uio next .shin lie asked to be relieved as he was not feeling well. This was done, hut. ho got no work for the next week lie was suffering “ penance ” for not coining Lack on the next shift. Coal trimming in tho tank of the I’ukaki was Very arduous work. Jo Air Kirby; There were races tho week following tho occurrence he had outlined, but ho did nut attend them.

-NO WORK. William Turley said he had been working on the wharf for 25 years. J'br a time lie used to engage all the labor for the officers of tiro boat. After wards a wharfinger was appointed. He also contracted to discharge and load vessels. He got a fair share of the work, and this continued for some time, till lie was put aside Then he was put on again, and dropped and so on. Ho saw Mr Millar about not getting work and on that account ho issued instructions that witness was to be employed. He worked for about two years when ho met with an accident whereby his leg was injured. Ho was laid up for 15 or 16 weeks. Ho

did not apply to the Company for compensation, saying if ho got .1 little work ho would ho satisfied. When lie was better ho went back and endeavored to got employment, but though ho remained at the shed for several weeks ho was not employed. Ultimately Mr Trice was seen on tho matter and ho declined to interfere with his foreman. J he week before tho accident ho earned £5 6s-—tho biggest pay ho ever got on the wharf. To Mr Kirby: Tho accident occurred on May 9th. Mr Kirby read a letter sent to Mr Jackson by tho General Manager of the Union Coy., stating that they upheld Mr Mason in the matter, as it was dangerous to employ infirm and old men. Witness, continuing, said ho had acted as yard-arm man on the Petono and been discharged before the job was completed. Mason had tried to get him work on tho railway. NOT MAKING 'A LIVING. William Willson said his average warnings for last year was £3 8s 3d. last week he made £5 Os lOd, hut ho :'ould not undergo such a strain often, the work was not equitably divided amongst the men. If more men came

the * aveifage wages-would be reduced.] and men would, in consequence, go away. After working on" the Potono he could not get work for tho Union Coy for a week. Even then, labor was required. Ho. only knew of two instances of men being excluded :frbm fhq Union-one tho police had reported as an undesirable; the other also was drunken. He had known a good few men to go iiwhy !0h aebcunt of not being able to make a living on the wharf.

SAME AS NEW SOUTH WALES. Charles Fraser had earhcd £3 6s Id per week during 1605. For seven months in 1904 he made on an average £2 4s per week. He had lived in New South Wales and thought New Zealand compared favorably. Of course wages were higher, but the purchasing power was not so great as in New South Wales. To get a living on the wharf here, a man was practically a prisoner to his own home, as he did nut know when they would be called out. He would not like to work under the employers’ demands, as he would have to bo about night and daj to get work. He could not live in Greymouth under £3 per week. All difficulty in the way of employment would be got over by the Union’s proposals for re-assembuhg between 1 and 2 p.m. It was necessary for the safety of the men that a hatchway man should bo in attendance. The returns from the Company showed that onlj 25 men on the wharf could make, an averafo weekly wage of £3. Preference to Unionists should be granted ; there were no non-Unionists men about. BETTER CONDITIONS—MORE MEN.

Ed. Jones said in 1904 he averaged £2 10s per week while last year his average was £2 11s. He had never known of the Union to refuse admission of a man to its membership. If the wages were raised and the conditions better, ho thought there would be more men offering for the work. He had been twice injured at work—once with concussion of the brain consequent on a bag falling out of a sling, and the other through a timber sling giving way and a piece of timber striking him on the jaw and breaking it. After the sitting of the Conciliation Board he could not get work for a fortnight. «• BETTER SYSTEM AT KATI’ARA. Hugh (Ireeii said the system of loading at Kaipara was different to that ot Hreymouth. The timber was more cvAi *and brought to I lie wharf in small trucks, each truck containing two slings already made tip. The timber was all sorted out in one size and seasoned, it took five days to load the i’clone at Kaipara, work com mencing at 6 a.m. and ending 8 p.m. When the tide was out the timber was

passed on board. PRICE OF MONEY. Arthur Robert Guinness said they advanced money on behalf of their clients at from 8 to 5 ' 2 per cent. The Advances to Settlers Office advanced money at per cent. Town land had advanced 5U per cent in value. House rent had increased at about the same ration. As member for the district, he had many applications for work. Wharf laborers had complained to him of being unable (»* make a living wage.

•lames Goodall, president of (ho Wharf Laborers' I'nion, said 117 new members, or 50 per year, had joined the I'nion since the last agreement. This concluded the evidence. THE CASE OF THE EMPLOYEES. .Mr daekson, in a forcible address, reviewed at length the proposals of the employers and the counter ones of the I'nion. lie dealt in detail with the evidence adduced, showing the justice of the men’s demands; of their humanitarian aspect, and of their suit: ahlettess for tho working of the port of Greymoitlh. They were lighting a quest ion of grave importance in that it had been proposed to reduce their wages. They were fighting for their living; for the comfort of their homes, their wives, and their families. In support of this contention, great, stress had been laid on fart that last week 60 men earned £5lO. or an average of

£5 per man. Tim Court must ivmemI" i’ li<iv.-fv. r. llial during the previous week the port had been blocked, business was dull and the men in consequence made practically nothing. Tims it happened that Die men had io put in very hard work last, week ; were, in punt id fact, going at tup speed and were completely knocked up at. Die end ef the period. Thus, their loyally in (he Company was used as an instrument against them in an attempt to reduce their wages. It had been shown in evidence that the Unit n had 40 members who were always engaged by the Railway Department, but who were also available for the

other companies. Those men made al>-ait 30s per week, barely enough to keep their body and soul together, yet the Union Company made (ho lirst attempt '-u reduce wages, as it did years ago, on (he West Coast. He trusted that the high tribunal, the Arbitration Court, would see that oidi a thing never happened. He staunchly combatted the statement that the Wharf Laborers’ Cnion was a •dose corporation, and said that only in one instance had a man been refus'd admission. On that occasion Oeteclivo Campbell warned the odicials that (lie man was an undesirable, and Mr ITi.v agreed that the Cni.in had dmie right in excluding (he man. It had heen proved that the Cnion had 00 men available for ordinary and 42 for railway work. They had also shown tluil a number of men had left Ihe wharl mi account of the unprofitable diameter of the work. Mr Jaeksmi i’e\ jewed in detail the various proposals, luit dwelt chiefly on the meihod of rmphitmmil and preferenr.e to I nimiists. lie made a strong appeal in favor of the Union’s clause as to method of employment being given died to. 'J'ho reassembling of (he men at 1 to 2 p.m. would do away with any trouble that might, have existed in the present award. His Honor had laid it down in other awards that if. was not desirable to take the men away from their-homes more than was absolutely necessary and he hoped t Ids would he adhered to in this instance. It. was a retrograde step to accede to the wishes of the employers —to allow the engagement of the men anywhere. He trusted sutdi a vile system would never he introduced again for it meant that the men who wore most about the streets and wharves would get most work, while the Jionieloving man would accordingly suffer. They did not want a return to the miserable and rotten to (ho core -system as proposed by tho Companies. Ho laid special stress on the application that no night work he performed between the months of May and September. The ordeal was a must trying one and the severe trial the workers were subjected to was amply borne out by tbu testimony of Hr James Mcßreurty. Un this shift men were literally frozen and lie quoted a notable fact that the men were so done up from exhaustion and cold after the work that cases were known where men having had a cup of tea had to ho assisted to bed. Preference to Unionists was then dealt with. Mr Jackson strongly appealed for its inclusion in the award. Absolutely nothing had been shown why preference should bo taken away. He read the remarks of Air Millar, at one time manager of the Union Company, who said that in theory preference was splendid and in practice good, and he iiad not regretted that ho conceded the clause. This was stated after twelve months trial of the clause. In conclusion ho submitted the counter proposals of the Union wore fair, equitable and just and he hoped the Court would uphold the wages as at present. (On Air Jackson sitting down there was some slight applause from the body of the Court room).

MR CARTER’S ADDRESS. Mr James Carter, in the course of a telling address, said that the Union Company could not show any justification whatever for the reduction of wages. The Company accused the Union of being a close corporation; but ho would say that the Union Coy was the biggest of all monopolies in New Zealand. The Company accused the Union of closing its doors; ho would say the Union Coy took great care to shut out competition itself. (A Voice: That’s right, old man). Mr Carter appealed strongly in favor of the Union’s demands; they did not want to happen hero what was going on in the Old Country, where owners swelled the wharf labor so ns to get keen competition and then took advantage of it and reduced the wages. If the conditions and wages had been decent they would have had plenty of men to work. _As to preference to Unionists, no valid reason had been shown why this benqfioient clause.. which had been agreed to by mutual'

consent three years ago, should not bo continued. THE EMPLOYERS’ CASE. Mr Kirby, addressing the Court on behalf of the employers, said that experience had shown that a sweeping change at tho port of Greymbuth was necessary. It was simply a question whether Greymouth was'entitled to much better conditions than were pro. vided by Court awards for other parts 4f New Zealand. Referring to the leading points in dispute* he said the quickest method of loading timber was by the snoter, and it- was only right and fair that the employers should have discretion in this matter. In this way, two men could keep six going. He thought the appointment of foremen clause absurd, even though the President had stated it was desirable to notify the appointment. Preference to Unionists was agreed to by Mr Millar without consulting tho head office. He read several letters from tho head office to Mr Millar on the matter, in which surprise was expressed at his having conceded such a vital point. , Mr Slater; What dale is the letter?

Mr Kirby: November 20th, 1902. Mr Slater: Oh! Four days before the award was signed! Mr Kirby, in conclusion, said it was ; ridiculous that a man should be tried by a committee of his fellow-workmen for offences ; the matter should be left to the discretion of the employers. The. absolute equitable distribution of labor was impossible, as the foreman did not know how long a man had worked for the other companies. It was only natural they should employ the best men available. In conclusion be confidently left the matter in the hands of the Court. This concluded the case, and His Honor intimated (hat an award would be given on the matter as soon as possible. . *