THE TRADES COUNCIL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 23 July 1907, Page 4

THE TRADES COUNCIL.

WELLINGTON, Monday. A deputation representing the Coni ferenco of Trades Councils of the Colony, waited on the Hon. J. A. Millar to-night to place before him the long list of resolutions adopted at tho last Conference, which sat at Dunedin. Mr Cooper. the President, said the deputation could claim to voice the opinion of organised labour throughout the Colony. He wished to distinctly state he whole heartedly supported the principle of conciliation as embodied in the Conciliation and Arbitration Act. To some extent the Act had been discredited and rendered inoperative, but the fault by entirely with the Legislature. They desired that where employers omployin;.- the majority of workmen ameed to recommendations of the Conciliation Beard, these recommendations should have the force of an Award : further, that all ■•mployers entering into busine.s after in award had been made should be at ■race made parties to it. and that the Conciliation Boards should have power of amending their recommendations. As they wanted tha present Act repaired they opposed the proposals to establish \>a_es' Boards. Fifty per cent, of the Unions would not, through inability to get men to serve on the Boards, be able to avail themselves of its privileges. Th:; resolutions passed it the Dunedin Conference were then submitted to the Minister. The Minister in reply said he hoped during tliis or next week, to circulate the amending Conciliation Act among the labor Unions His one object had been to encourage Unionism, and enable facilities to be t'iven to deal with all disputes in a prompt manner. He hoped the scheme he had advised would enable a breach to be dealt with in four d.ys of it coming to the notice of tho Department. It was very easy to talk about a local cui.c-nov, but when one got inside and saw the intricacies of finance, he said it was different. The proposal was not prnrticabl. unless the State bought all the gold in the Colony and. sold it outside. He tried hard to adjust the tariff, so that no industry would be sacrificed for another. The object of putting a specific duty per pair on boots was to do a wav with the importation of sweated goods. According to one resolution the Confer-

ence carried it had constituted itself a political party, and then they asked the Government to advance money ior delegates to attend the Conference. if the Government granted it to one i-hcy would have to do it to all. The government desired to continue the , vote, but if the Conference was to be I a political organisation they would be simply forced to say no.