COAST UNIONS

Greymouth Evening Star, 27 April 1931, Page 12

COAST UNIONS

WAGES REDUCTION RESISTED At a meeting of combined Union re-' presentatives held in Greymouth on Anzac Day.to arrange for an organised resistance to any reduction in -wages, Mr. Chas. Fraser, President of the Greymouth Watersiders was elected Chairman, Mr. F. L. Turley vice-Chair-man, and Mr. W. Purdy, hon-secretary. It was agreed to arrange for stop-work! meetings throughout the West Coast to’'be held on May 12, the date set down for the hearing of the proposed changes in wages and conditions under the Arbitration Court. Further resolutions carried were: —

(1) “That this meeting of Union representatives enters an emphatic protest against the arrest and jailing of workers in connection with unemployed demonstrations. We demand the right for the workers to demonstrate as a means of expressing their opinions on political and industrial matters.” (2) “This meeting protests against the continued imprisonment of Arthur Finch Marshall, who was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment with hard labour in connection with an unemployed demonstration in Christchurch in December last. We protest against the specially harsh .treatment that is being meted out to Marshall and demand his release.”

COOK HOSPITAL BOARD. GISBORNE, April 23. Members of the Cook Hospital Board at to-day’s meeting showed a determined objection to any reduction in the salaries paid to tfie staff, and after an animated discussion a motion was carried by eight votes to three that in view of the saving of over £6OOO during the past year no reductions in salaries be made. In the course of the discussion it was mentioned that there had been no loss of efficiency by reason of the economy effected, but on the contrary efficiency had been increased, and high eulogies were paid to the secretary, Mr. C. Arthur Harries, and staff generally. AUCKLAND ECONOMIES. AUCKLAND, April 27. The Auckland Hospital Board decided to make no reductions in wages under £2OO. Above that amount, a sliding scale will be imposed from 5 to 9 per cent, up - to £6OO, and 10 per cent, thereafter. » ’ . It was also decided to close 150 beds, and reduce to a minimum the number of days of patients’ stay in hospital, reduce expenditure in dental treatment, and the sending of T.B. cases to the Government sanatoria, and limit the number accepted for,the Board’s sanatorium and admissions to the infirmary, and rigidly examine the financial circumstances of patients seek ing admission to th.ee hospital. Even with these economies, the Board cannot reduce its expenditure to the limit specified by the Department. UNIONS’ ADVOCATE. WELLINGTON, April 23. The National Council of the New Zealand Trade and Labour Councils Federation has appointed Mr. J. McCombs, M.P., its advocate to oppose the case to be submitted by the employers to the Arbitration Court in favour of a general reduction of wages under awards. The hearing will commence at Wellington on May 12:, WELLINGTON DEMONSTRATORS

1. WELLINGTON, April 26. “Goodbye” from a crowd at the rear of the courtroom, cheering and a little faint booing, concluded an all-day case in the Police Court on Friday, when three men, John Joseph Robinson,, miner, aged 30 years; Roy Ernest Goode, seaman, aged 36 years; and /Joseph Smith, carpenter, aged 41 years, were charged on various counts with assaulting and obstructing the police in the execution of their duty. The charges arose from the scuffle that took place at the gates of Parliament grounds on Thursday morning last, when the procession of unemployed demonstrators was refused admission to the grounds by the police, and a section of them endeavoured to rush the gates. Each of the accused pleaded not guilty. Smith, on whose behalf Mr. P. Fras- i er, M.P., gave evidence, was given the benefit of the doubt and was discharged. Goode was ordered to come up for sentence if called upon within twelve months. Robinson was sentenced to two months’ imprisonment.