THE TIMBER WORKERS-

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13484, 10 May 1907, Page 6

THE TIMBER WORKERS-

DISABILITIES DISCUSSED.

The Timber Workers' Union has been in communication with the ' Minister for Labour for some time past on several matters of great importance to the public generally, and when tho Hon. J. A. Millar was in Auckland recently he asked Mr. E. Phelan, the secretary of the union, to meet him, for the purpose of further discussing these matters.

One of the " subjects discussed was the supply of timber to the different millowners. The New Zealand Timber Company's mill at Koutu "is idle for the want of timber to cut. At a recent sale of timber in the Hokianga district this company's tender for vimu, kahikatea, and totara was. exactly the same as that of another company, which, it ia said, already has some 60,000,000 ft ,of kauri in that district, but the latter's tender for kauri was id per 100ft~ better, making. £83 difference in a tender of £5400. ,; Thai country gets £83, but a large mill was compelled to close, and many hands were thrown out of work by the sale to the highest bidder. The; union has placed before the Minister the disadvantage to the many workers caused; by the id per 100 ft, and asked that steps be taken-to. distribute tho timbers for sale on- some system that' will present' mill-' hands from being thrown out' of employment. They urge that to always, sell, to tho highest bidder is to play "into the hands of those capitalists wbo would like to reserve the colony's remaining■■'. kauri "as a monopoly to themselves. The secretary.of the union also made use of the opportunity to urge upon the Minister the necessity for some provision to compel a more prompt settlement of compensation claims by insurance companies, the claims of unionists to preference, as well as >other matters.; ,':.,,:,: