GENERAL NEWS CARPET FACTORY WORKERS WALK OUT

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 September 1946, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS CARPET FACTORY WORKERS WALK OUT

A number of men, given by the workers as 47 -and by the management as 36, at John Grant’s carpet factory, Lower Hutt, have walked out because a request for increased wages and a changed system of payment was not granted. A spokesman for the men said they had asked for a flat rate of 3/3 an hour, instead of 2/9£ plus bonuses. When they had put their case before the factory manager, they had been told that price stabilisation made it impossible to increase their wages. They were dissatisfied, it being pointed out that others engaged on semi-skilled work in the factory, similar to their own, were earning 2/11 and 3/1 an hour. The manager said that only 36 out of 140 male employees were involved. The wage rates were governed by an award. The secretary of the Woollen, Textiles fmd Hosiery Workers’' Union, Mr. Delaney, said that the men had not consulted the union. Police Examinations. Police examinations will commence at Greymouth to-morrow and will end n Thursday. Twelve Grey district members of the police force will sit the examinations. Motor-car Missing. A late model Dodge sedan motorcar, valued at £650, the property of Mr. W. J. Maloney, of Nelson Creek, was removed from outside the Blackball Miners’ Hall on Saturday night. The car, greenish-grey in colour, had not been traced up to this afternoon. The registered number is 157,459. “Nothing up his Sleeve.” “You can have a look for yourself; there’s nothing there,” said the Min--1 ister of Finance (Mr. Nash) with a smile last evening when he was questioned about rumours current in Wellington. H was told that, possibly as ■ a result of wishful thinking, there was a belief that he had something up ' his sleeve for the election campaign ■ which would attract voters. Mr. Nash , opened up his cuff for reporters to see. I New Ration Books. The current ration book expires . on October 27. There have been some who have suggested the possibility of a modification of the present book, i and others have gone so far as to say that some commodities will no longer be rationed. For those sugges- ■ tions there is no foundation in fact. A new ration book issue is being printed in Dunedin, and this book, it is stated, will be substantially similar to the books issued during the past year or two. Confirmation Service. ’ At a service in Holy Trinity Church, ’ Greymouth, last evening the Bishop of Nelson, the Rt. Rev. Dr. P. AV. ' Stephenson, administered the Sacra- - ment of Confirmation to 35 candidates. Eleven candidates from the Cobden- ! Runanga parish were presented by the i Rev. E. O. Harding and 24 from Greymouth by the Rev. P. Kirkham. The Bishop addressed the candidates and ; the large congregation from the text, “By their fruits ye shall know them.”

Loss of Brandy. Over half the contents of a 32-gallon cask of brandy, shipped from Wellington to Greymouth recently, was found to be missing when the cask was unloaded at Greymouth. The bungs in the cask and the seals were intact but the brandy was leaking from the top encl. Officials of the Union Steam Ship Company stated, to-day, that they had been unable to find any evidence of pillage and considered that the loss was due to faulty coopering on the cask. Requests to Minister.

While at Runanga on Saturday afternoon, the Minister of Transport, Mr. O’Brien, received a request from the Rapahoe Hall Committee for the granting of permission to enable buses to transport patrons to the hall at Seven Mile for dances. This practice was stopped some time ago as a result of disturbances in the vicinity of the dance-hall. Mr. O’Brien promised to look into the matter. The Runanga and Dunollie Bowling Clubs met the Minister with requests for assistance and he decided to grant the Dunollie club the sum of £lOO and the Runanga club some steel rails.

Costly Reconciliation. When it was reported to the Magistrate, Mr. A. A. McLachlan, this morning that a couple involved in maintenance proceedings had now been reconciled, the course to be adopted seemed to be clear. It was pointed out, however, that during the husband’s temporary absence his wife had received a sum approaching £2OO from the Social Security Department as the husband had not paid'maintenance. It was submitted that the husband had been in a position to pay maintenance and that something should be done. Counsel suggested that the purpose of the social security payment was to facilitate a reconciliation, but the department’s representative replied that he did not think that that object should be furthered to the extent of almost £2OO. It was decided to adjourn the matter for hearing at the home town of the parties.

Taped Pillowcases, good quality, and full size, 20” x 30”. Now selling at 15/11 a half dozen. C. Smiths.— Advt.