WORK AND WAGES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXX, Issue 10107, 4 August 1893, Page 5

WORK AND WAGES.

[Special to Press Association.! LONDON, August 2,

The coalmine owners are offering to negotiate for a compromise. The miners have issued a manifesto stating that their average wages only amount to eightpence per hour, aud that they have never shared in high prices when times were good. The strikers at Dewsbury attacked the working miners. The police were called in, and during the affray several of them were injured.

August 3. The price of coal has advanced 6s per ton since the strike.

EAILWAY INSUEANCE BILL,

A meeting of the Christchurch Central Committee was held at the railway station on Wednesday night, at which the Christchurch delegates to the recent conference submitted a report on the proceedings. It was resolved to call a general caeeting of employees for Saturday night t» enable the delegates to report to the employees generally. During the meeting the delegates stated that they had met wikb every consideration from the Commissioners, the various members of Parliament and others they hid met while in Weliing-ton, and they believed the conference would produce good results. Though the Commissioners had not accepted every suggestion made by the conference for the improvement of the Insurance B 11, all those of vital importance had been accepted, and embodied in the amended Biil. These were the elimination cf sick pay from the Bill, on the understanding that eslatujg privileges respecting sick pay would be extended to all employees; reduction <of retiring age to sixty years; death payment altered &o that the representatives of a contributor would receive twelve months’ pay, irrespective of length of service; excision of Clause 14 ; Board of Contributors conceded and others. The proceedings of the conference together with the amended Bill, the petition and suggestions handed to the Premier at the interview of the conference with him, and other matters relating to the subject were to be printed and circulated amongst the employees, so that they would be able to see and judge upon everything that was said and done at the conference.

The interview between Mr Hoban and several members of Parliament and the Premier as reported in the evening papers on Wednesday, was read and considered, and surprise was expressed that the employees generally had not been advised that such a deputation was contemplated. It was stated that the remarks of Mr Hoban and others respecting the members of the recent conference were inaccurate, and that the speakers had evidently been seriously misinformed. None of the members had undue voting power, and any extra voting power was not used, as through the unanimity displayed at the conference, all the majorities were large, even on the single voting. It was pointed out that as a matter of fact one of the wages men had increased voting power owing to being asked by an unrepresented section to represent it. It was further stated that at no time had the conference, either individually or collectively, given the impression that the Amalgamated Society of Eailway Servants was decreasing in membership, or that its members were averse to the Insurance Bill—the contrary being known to be the case in respect to the latter statement. The speakers said that the petition of over six hundred signatures from the Canterbury section, in favour of the Bill, was genuine; a large proportion of the petitioners were members of the Amalgamated Society of Eailway Servants, and the statement that their signatures were obtained by undue influence was an insult to the intelligence and self-respect of the employees. The remarks of the Premier that, “Ha took it that there was a general consensus of opinion lhat there should be some scheme, and that it might bo found that the late conference represented the views of the men,” would, ic was stated, ultimately ba found to be bused on fact.