WATERSIDE TROUBLE.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume VI, Issue 354, 13 February 1917, Page 4

WATERSIDE TROUBLE.

POSITION AT NAPIER

.Mr A. Donald, Labour Inspector for Hawkes Buy, yesterday issued letters t» the Diners,’ Freezing Work* Employees, and Giain ami W’ool Storo Wotkeis' I'niure' respectively, notifying th.-iri that In- h.-is received instnietioiii imm Hie Jh-pai tnu-iil ut Labour at Wellington Vo inloim them that u f itei'sid,> niirkerx have coinnuiteil is I.kikli <>l their agreement, ami lionco Ihe netlt.x tor engaging free lubotir, and tn wain the workeis o! the respective unions io whom he addressed the letter- ~t tbtir illegal action ill leaving uo'l, lam to the provision.' ol their agreement. PLENTt OF WORKERS. Plenty ol volunteer labour turned up at the wharves at the appointed tinm this nmiiiing anti the uork oi humilnig cargo proetsetled merrily all day. ACTION BY HARBOUR BOARD.

At to-ilay’s Napier Harbour Board nieeling tlx- t hail num (Mr. A. E. Jllli) ainiounct'tl tlint he had been viiileavoyiring io at innge tor a solution of the present trouble, ami hail received a telegram Irom the Minister lor Labour, intimating that the Government ivm ciiutvmp.atiTig taking over the port* whero trouble was oteuiring H«‘ htul turther seen the Hon W- D- S. McDonald. who was in Napier to-day, iiuu the Mmis-ier was c mica von ring to orrnngo lor a cotiieretivii between thu parlies comcrntsl. The boaid then went into committee, nail after ctindtlerabli' discussion annouueetl that a resolution had been passerl appiming of the piojsjS*! to ho.d a < on'.vreiieo. and appointing thw chairman and Messis. L. Uli.son, A. L Beattie and W. A. Chambers to attend on behidt ol the board - The lion. McDonald win* this mprning emleav onl ine to ai range lor a oonlerenee, and it is generally understood that failing a smees.stul issue to Ins efforts tho Goviyuinent will take immediate steps to end the trouble The Ibuhour Board has intimated its willingness to net as controllers if desired by tlm Government.

H.B. FREEZER WORKERS’ UNION

ADDRESSED B\ MR. ROBERTS.

A largely altended ami enihusiaatiG meeting was held in the Oddfellows’ Hall, Hustings, last evening, when an address was delivcnsi by Mr. J. Unbelts, scr-retarv of the N.Z. Wnter-sid-is’ Union ill Downing presided.

'I he <haii infiu said that as convenor ot the ims-ting he bad relieved himself of the responsibility which rested upon him by inviting Mi. H<il»'ils to ndilre’is them, and asked lor him a tmr and impartial healing. Soui" oi their nusm-ix'i-s had reliiM'd to handle meat which would attci waids l>e handled by freo Inbuilt. and b" hop"il thov appreciated ih'- '’and their exiMiito" had taken. They had adv i-i'rl tin- men to go buck, ami tive represent.it iv rs had Iwcn appointed to got to lhe (iticial point of the tioulile Thon- men had gone to Napier to hear the opinion of Mr. Robeit<. and the insult was he was invite! to conic la Hnsiings and lay his liens before them. The chnnman then explain'd tlia. the live rejn-oieritntivcs had met twite in crinleietice in Napier on .''itiid.iy, and again on .Monday. They had inquired into the whole o’ tho trouble, mill had found that tho Napier w ater.siders were in the light and tho employers in the wrong. Mr-. Robmts. who on using wlis loildli applauded, said he had been designated a kind ot “John the Baptist.” W lien be firiived m N.ipier a person said, “Hallo, mote tr..i|T.Jo again!” He replied, “The trouble is already here." He had come to Napiei in eonlieetim' with the pr< sent industrial trouhl" t.u tlx- WiUtifronl. and ho wanted them to know what had led up to Ihe cause oi the tumble. _ Fur a. ntiinlier ot years lhe New Zivulond White) sillers’ Union hat! not been before the Arhiiration Conit, bei-auso it had rm faith in Unit Court, which had retineerl the i-o.il hinij e) - in a previous nw>i:d ;.'d an Imm". N<> unionist had uiiirii that institution, ii hieli fi.h! beetiim muie or less in fnvoni of the mi'stt-is- Tin- agreement iumeier. n hu-.'i had b« en ilurni up was th . ho t whieh had eve" I ai rived ai iii Now Zealaeo That agreement, how ox er. hail expiivd, and the employ ei - 'irir no iteil to meet in conI 'len-o to <liaw up a fre-h agreement, liiii ih' v w silted tin- in.ittei ri'lerrod to the A|l al ral ion ('otirl, which tlm Inion d'i lint'tl. and so tin- matter was left in iilirimin.. Some tune nlterwaitls muiio men wete .-.out to dump some cargo on the W inmate, but bad rie< lined to du so because tile IHitUre of the work wan dangerous. As a result tit I men »en> discharged, mill Lite: <m 7t>o m n wero locked out. He gaie the he direct to those who sail! tin- men leitisetl to work the Home boats, and -aid the .shipping companies were trying to make out a. ease tor lhe public. One eapt.-iin hud ioltl him Im toiil.l not get men to load hi- beat. Inn when be found out ho could <lo sn that captain was convinced the iik'ii were right ami the employers wrong. There bad never been one install". oi the men black-listing a ship. All ibe men wanted via.- justice. Tliero had been giants engaged in lumping on tlri' Wellington wharves, and several of these strong iiicii weie now cripples, and 'otno between .’lit am! 10 years of age bad di'-d. 1 liesc men had worked verv long bouts, mid w hat tbu mon now i-hi’ined was that they should havo the light to knock oil' work when they had wmki'il eight Innii. They had not retusixl tu work overtime. If u vessel vias mn finished at ■"> o’clock they were prepared to go on till the loading wim» completed, but the-.- chiini.il the right not to go on woiking another vessel aftei w aids. The tumble bail I’ii'H dictated by th" Wellington Employers’ i'ed"i nt ion, and theie vias no reason tor it.

The speaker said when he arrived in Napier he spoke to a shipping representative about the mutter, who aakl, “I have nothing to do with it now; th® matter has passed out of my hands!” He had been told a few Germans had been the cause of the trouble at Napier, but ho hud svtirehed among th® watersiders and failed to >nd any. But he. had found that a German was at the head of one of the big shipping firms. The watersidors had sent 4700 men to the front, and the shipping firms very few. After referring to the disputes at Wanganui and Wellington, and th® Victoria incident at Napier, Mr. Roberts said he had not come to Hawke's Bay to urge on anyone to strike; he hud never done bo in hi® life, lie did not want to involve any other union, but wanted to confine th® trouble to the rater fronts. He thanked the Hastings Union for their loyal support, and said the Executive had acted wisely in telling their men to resume work. If other Unions wer® afleeted, the difficulties that would arise in settling other disputes would be unsurmountalilc. lie thought, th® Napier trouble would be settled in a few days, and that the one nt Wellington hud been partially settled that night. Mr. Roberts touched on other stlbmeis and concluded by urging on unionists to got the best, education they could for their children, and to strive for the standard of living to bo the same which existed in 1913. After several questions had been answered, Mr. T. O'Sullivan moved a hearty vote of thunks to Mr- Roberta for his able address, and that th® meeting endorse the action of th®-Exe-cutive. Ho -.in l o ihe men’s side 'of the question appealed to the farmer®, who had gone in Napier in motor ears to load lossols, surely if ought to appeal to the woikers! Mr. A. C. Norris seconded the, motion, which was carried by acclamation.

Mr. Roberts returned thanks, and a II ... peaceful meeting terminated.