PARTIES IN CONFER

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14906, 3 February 1912, Page 7

PARTIES IN CONFER

STRIKERS MORE REASONABLE NEABING A SETTLEMENT. The City Council met this morning before 10.30., the appointed time for the reception of a deputation from the Strike Committee. All the members of the Council, except Mr. Trevor, were present. The Acting-Mayor (Mr. J.; Smith) presided. It-was not until after ■eleven o'clock that , the , promised deputation put in. an appearance. It consisted of Messrs. W. T. -Young'-(chairman of the Strike Committee), D. Dalton (president of the Tramway Employees' Union), M. 'J. Reardon (secretary of the General Labourers* Union), and P. Hickey (representating the Federation of; Labour). The deputation was received by the town > clerk (Mr. J. R. Palmer) in the Mayor's room, and after an interval was introduced to the Council. ■ '' :[' :::wir\;.;: : --y.;^ : ( :;. ):;^ Mr W. T. Young put forward the case for the men, and the Council decided to elect a «ib-committee to' confer with the representatives of the strikers. This committee consisted of Messrs. Atkinson, j j Shirtcliffe, Fletcher, and McLaren, with the Acting-Mayor as president. ' The two 'parties then retired into the Mayor's room for private conference.; Mr. P. Hally (Conciliation Commissioner) was in attendance all the morning. He waited on the Council prior to the arrival of the deputation, and. was in.: attendance subse- ; quently, in case • his vices should be needed. » The general feeling of the Council at this meeting was to concede, as n, maximum, the transference of Inspector Fuller with a reinstatement of the strikers, theidea of liability for indemnity not being entertained. In the conference, it id understood,--the Strike Committee adopted* a more reasonable attitude, but the .Council having made, indirectly, the one main concession through the voluntary action of Inspector Fuller, the Council was not disposed to go any further. - Just, before one o'clock the conference in the Mayor's room broke up. The question was eagerly asked, "Have you arrived at! a settlement?'' to which the Act» ing-Mayor - replied "No," and the town clerk said that any statement at that stage might prejudice the position. As the members of- the conference drifted downstairs it was '. found that a large crowd had gathered, and was still gathering, from ■ the direction of the postoffice in front of the Town Hall. The steps were thronged, and an express alongside the kerb was piled high with people standing. As the gathering thickened, and frequent calls were made for, some announcement, Mr. M. J. Reardon (one j of the Strike Committee's delegates) was about to mount the' express and speak, when Mr. W. T. Young (chairman, of the Strike Committee) appeared on the top of i the Town Hall steps, accompanied by Mr. Palmer (the town clerk). There were cheers, and-Mr., Young, bowing his acknowledgements, made the following state- i ment:...y:'■- ; " ; " "■"•■'■':'■ '"";';'•'* ,; ;y.!* J '"':yi I " I have to announce that representatives ■ of the Strike Committee have conferred with representatives of the City Council for some two hours this morning.. We have discussed the situation from two or three standpoints, and up to the present moment there is no , definite conclusion. Certain things are to be put before the City Council this afternoon, and I presume by about four o'clock we shall know exactly where we stand in. respect :to the matter. ( I may, perhaps, indicate.'that we have, to some extent, arrived at conclusions on the 'j ■ main '"I points j, involved; There is no compromise, especially on. the main point—the point that was the cause of the i trouble—and if that -; be ratified this afternoon, as I, hope it will be, then we shall be put in a position to. make a definite announcement." (Applause.) / INSPECTOR FULLER'S LETTER. POSITION NOW UNTENABLE. The letter forwarded .to the City Council by Inspector Fuller reads as follows:— " Town Clerk. Dear Sir, —In connection with the tramway dispute I desire to thank the Council for what it has done in respect to its vindication of my character and the position I have taken up in the matter. Unfortunately, however, circumstances have arisen which plainly indicate to me that the position now occupied by me will be more or less untenable, and I do not wish that 1 should personally cause inconvenience and suffering to the public. I am quite willing to place myself unreservedly in the hands of the Council, trusting that I may be transferred to some other branch of the service, to some position that I can hold with justice to myself, satisfaction to the Department, and settlement of the grave difficulty that has now arisen. In hope that the desire I have above expressed may meet with the approval of the Council,— have, etc., (signed) G. Fuller." AMATEUR MOTORMEN. A REQUEST FOR ARTILLERYMEN. Mr. Young (chairman of the strike committee) announced at a mass meeting in Post Office Square to-day that since the trouble had commenced an effort^had; 1 been made by the Tramways Department to get a number of 'artillerymen to run the cars. He believed this application had been made to them, and that twenty-five men had offered their services if permission were obtained from the headquarters. General Godley had, however, declared that any artillerymen going to work on the tramcars would be instantly dismissed. The permanent artillerymen m barracks arc exceedingly indignant at the statement that they had volunteered for service ion the care during the strike* 'They have

been subjected in consequence to ineulti in the : street, - and the. 1 stigma oE "blackleg-" In order to give the allegation, the most absolute denial possible every man in barracks has signed a circular letter for publi-; ; cation stating that ho has done nothing ..-- by word or action in any way to give rise, to the imputation, of volunteering I for service on the cars. The paper wa<* signed with 48 separate names, those of ; all the men at present in barracks. SYMPATHETIC STRIKERS. TRACK REPAIRERS CALLED OUT. A gang of men employed tarring the tramway in Cuba-street were approached to-day* by Mi* Reardon (secretary of the General Labourers' Union) and directed to" cease work. The men decided to obey the mandate, though they have nothing to do with the tram unions. 'There has been a good deal of comment over this action'.and the sequel. Mr. Morton (city engineer) resented Mr. Reardon's action, and terminated the employ-' ' ment of eight other men engaged in similar : work, on the ground that ho could not have tho men thus interfered with. Their employment,'-he* explained, had nothing whatever to do with the tramway service. ~ Mr. Morton informed a reporter that he is quite willing to put the men on again if he receives an assurance that they will not be interfered with, One of the union secretaries stated to a newspaper reporter that if the' Council ■■ ;. did not back down all the unions in Wellington would come out in support of, the tramway men. Even cooks and .waiters would come out, he concluded, so that private firms would likely be, involved. Some twenty-five men have been appointed to carry out a system of peaceful picketing. The men, are enthusiastic and firm in their intention to stand out till a proper settlement is arrived at with the'. Council. ■ ,-. • ■~"'■'."■".''. : -: ; M:.;^' LOYAL EMPLOYEES.' DEPUTATION TO CITY COUNCIU. A deputation consisting, of representa- 1 ' tives of all the Corporation tramway staffr (apart from the tramwaymen themselves) waited upon - City Council this afternoon to assure the Council of their support and loyalty' in the present situation;, * and in helping . the maintenance 'of dis- ' cipline. The deputation also expressed its sympathy with Inspector Fuller "in the trying position in which ho has been placed." * . -'■" v- ' .--;,-;V7 ; ,: :^''v;i i7 -' ■!■'-'■ : £'-" ■ -!>-' -' .'*.<-* ;J '■--■'';/ ; *" ".-7 ". The branches represented, were:— office, cash and ticket office, traffic office, ticket .and traffic inspectors, power-house, and overhead equipment men and per- . manent way representatives.'-