INDUSTRIAL NEWS West Coast Trades Council Supports Mangakino Strikers

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 April 1948, Page 2

INDUSTRIAL NEWS West Coast Trades Council Supports Mangakino Strikers

(Contributed by West Coast Trades Council). At its meeting on Friday last the West Coast Trades Council had before it the full details of the Manakino strike, together with the views of the national executive of the New Zealand Federation of Labour, which has now taken charge of the dispute. It was unanimously decided to endorse the appeal of the Federation of Labour for funds for the support of the strikers and to request affiliations of the Trades Council to contribute as quickly and as liberally as possible to the strike fund. The Trades Council has decided to support the request of the residents of Taramakau settlement for a fulltime school teacher. Representations are being made to the Minister of Education, Mr T. H. McCombs.

Constitution of Federation M F. Rudkin has been delegated by the Trades Council to present the objections of the council to the proposed amendments to the constitution of the Federation of Labour at the forthcoming annual conference of the federation. Builders and State Houses

Dealing with the housing shortage, the Trades Council decided to urge the Government to expedite the construction of houses on the West Coast, The Westland Carpenters’ and Joiners’ union, which initiated the discussion, claimed there was a reluctance on the part of local master builders to tender for the construction of State houses, owing to the more lucrative non-essential work available to them. The union proposed that the Government should be urged to take steps to divert labour and material from these non-essential jobs to that of housing construction. The topic evoked a lively discussion at the meeting and there was a diversity of opinion on some points. However, the decision of the council was agreed to without amendment.