TRADES AND LABOUR COUNCIL.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue 7383, 8 February 1902, Page 2

TRADES AND LABOUR COUNCIL.

(PBR PBESS ASSOCIATION.)

Beefton, February 7. The annual meeting of the Westland Trades and Labour Council discussed the Workers' Compensation Act, Employers' Liability Act, and Arbitration and Conciliation Act, and, while admitting they had, conferred great benefits upon the workers, the Council considered there were some clauses in tho Acts which could be amended with great advantage, especially in the direction of retaining Conciliation Boards, as provided in the original Act. With reference to section 22 of the Workers' Compensation Act, the delegates were of opinion that illegitimates should have all tho rights of legitimate persons, and in the event of death from accident those dependent on such a person should have the right to recover.

Beepton, February 8. The Westland Trades and Labour Council resolved to ask the Government to place a royalty on gold, the proceeds to be applied to a sick and accident fund for miners; also, to urge the appointment of a Legislative Councillor to represent the West Coast miners. Other resolutions were passed affirming the desirability of making rating on unimproved values compulsory, and of reducing the age of old age pensioners to sixty years where persons worked for ten years underground. The Council also recommended that persons incapacitated from earning a living should receive a pension equal to Old age pensions.

STOPPAGE OF PUBLIC WORKS.

(PHB PRES3 ASSOCIATION.)

Auckland, February 7. A large number of workmen discharged from the co-operative railway works at Oogarue met outside the Labour Bureau this morning to protest against their dismissal.

Mr Vickerman, District Engineer, said the men who had been discharged were treated with fairness. There was not a preponderance of single over married men on the railway works, and the men's statement that there were 70 single men left was not correct, as there were not more than 20. These latter were engaged on mechanical work, which he believed the discharged men were not capable of doing.