The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE. Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning. Tuesday, October 7, 1890. the labor conference.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 515, 7 October 1890, Page 2

The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE. Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning.

Tuesday, October 7, 1890. the labor conference.

Be just and fear not; Let all the ends thou alm'st at be thy country’s, Thy God's, and truth’s.

The Conference bids fair to terminate as it was quite expected to do, in the face of the attitude assumed by the employers, of demanding a great concession before they would even attend the Conference. The proposals submitted by the men have been objected to mainly because they would bring parties back to the position they were in before the strike. Strange to say it has been constantly dinned into our ears that the'‘men had no cause to strike, and that the relations between them and the Company were very satisfactory. So what more can be wanted unless the Company has assumed what has all along been denied, an aggressive attitude, intent upon following up the apparent advantage gained over men ? The Unionists offer to admit all competent hands into the Unions, and as the Company has denied its service contains many incompetent hands, and has claimed that it has the flower of the youth of the colony, no great difference can be made in that respect. The position would stand this way, the Company has strongly denied that it is fighting against Unionism, has stated it has now few incompetent hands in its employ, and that it has pledged itself to stand by the new hands. If there is nothing else in the background it would only take a few hundred pounds to handsomely pay off the few incompetent men, and things would go on as before, with the great difference that Unionists would make a guarantee against further strikes 'within a period agreed upon. As the public are paying so dearly in freights surely they have a right to be considered in this matter, as well the Australian employers who say they are not fighting against Unionism .when they are actually demanding that Unionists should submit to conditions that would be the deathblow of Unionism.

The main difficulty that presents itself in the proposals of the Labor delegates is the claim that all strikers should be again given employment in the service. If numbers of those who have worked against the Union are to be permitted to join they must have equal rights with other Unionists, and it is clear that work cannot then be given to all. But the proposals were rejected without even coming to that point. Mr Millar’s decision to hold out for another month or more is not by any means a comforting one, but it appears that the issue has now come to this; that Jhe men must either give in unconditionally or be forced to fight till one side is completely exhausted. This means a terrible waste, and will not be popular among those who have to pay the high freights.