GAS EMPLOYEES

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24827, 25 February 1944, Page 4

GAS EMPLOYEES

CO-OTEBATITE SCHEME difficulties experienced Although the bonus plan which was to provide for members of the Gas Employees' Union to receive an extra 3d an hour was accepted by the men early this month, and although an assurance was given at the time that a-Govern-ment .statement on the subject would be made "shortly," no ollieial announcement has been forthcoming. The bonus has not yet come into operation, and. while it is thought that it may start, on March 1, no definite information has been received. The offer of the production bonus of .'id an hour, as a solution of the difficulties and grievances in the industry which became evident about Christinas time, was made after discussions in Auckland between representatives of the Government and the Trades Council on a scheme for co-operation in the industry. A condition of the offer was that an official should be appointed by the Government to supervise costs oi production and the efficiency of operations. The co-operative scheme was expected to produce improved financial results. Earnings and Skill Operations at the works have proceeded normally since the settlement oi the dispute which dislocated the city's gas supply late in December, but the co-operative scheme has not worked as smoothly as was expected. Dillieulties have been experienced from the beginning. The scheme has become the basis of a grievance with those tradesmen at the works who, it is understood, were not included as recipients ol the bonus. Their complaint has been that the addition of .'id an hour would bring unskilled men on to an equal wage | hasis with many of the skilled men. and ! in Mime cases to a rate Li above that | (it the skilled men. ! flu these grounds many of the tradesmen employed by the company exI pressed dissatisfaction with the position. Part of the .scheme to improve the operation of the works was the formation of a production committee on which .representatives of the men would serve, but, in view of the wageanomaly, tradesmen have expressed the view that they do not wish to have anything to do with the committee until the matter is straightened out and placed on ail equitable footing. Full, Co-operation Needed It has been pointed out that, with- : out the co-operation of all the men at I the works, the scheme on which such ; high hopes were placed could not function. li has also been stated to the men that unless that scheme did run | smoothly there was a danger that the ! state of affairs which led to the trouble in December might recur. The matter has been the subject of a number of meetings of the men and it is understood that it was fully discussed by a meeting of the Auckland Trades" Council this week. No official announcement: has been made by the council, but it was stated yesterday that an early solution of the difficulties was expected. IMPORTS AND EXPORTS i RELATIONSHIP OF PRICES GOVERNMENT'S INTENTION (S.R.) WELLINGTON. Thursday An explanation of what was meant by the Minister of Agriculture, the Hon. B. Roberts, in his statement the previous day that discussions were tak- | mg place on the increases in the prices j paid for materials and goods imported j into New Zealand relative to the prices 'of New Zealand products was sought I by Mr. A. J. Murdoch (Opposition—jMarsden) in an urgent question to the j Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. P. Eraser, in the House of Representatives to-day. Mr, Eraser said he could add very little to the statement of the Minister of Agriculture. It was the Government's I intention to raise the matter of the re- | lationship between British manufactured I goods and New Zealand products. The I Minister of Finance, the Hon. W. Nash. I had full power to discuss the question j while in Britain. Steps to do so were |to have been taken just before Dtin- ! kirk, but ail would agree that was not I an opportune time to raise it. I OLDEST AND YOUNGEST RETURNED SERVICEMEN A claim to the inclusion of the oldest i and youngest members of the Returned | Services Association in its ranks is I made by the lnvercargill branch. Its i oldest member is Mr. Charles McLean, j of Riverton, aged SS. and the youngest is Mr. R. X, Lloyd, of lnvercargill. I aged 20. When Mr. McLean enlisted jin the last war at Riverton in 1915 j he was 09, but he declared his age as j e>, saw service in Kgypt and took part lin the second Rattle of the Sornme. ! lie was returned to New Zealand in ; 1917 because oi his age—he was then i actually (51. Mr. Lloyd had had three | and a-half years' service in the Royal Navy prior to his discharge just a year ago, his age then being 19, Although ago records are not taken troui members of the Returned Services Association when they join, inquiries I made yesterday elicited that Auckland j can produce a good second to Mr. Mc- | Lean in the upper age group in the j person ol Captain J. A. Algie, presi- | dent of the King's Kmpire Veterans land a member of the association, who I will be S7 next; month, ft is probable that there are several returned service•i.en under 20, but few, if any, will have had the length of service of Mr. Lloyd. jTHEFT BY MAORI WOMAN i i —~— : HID ARTICLES IN CEMETERY | A Maori domestic, aged 23, Mary I Rini, pleaded guilty before Mr. K. 11. | Levien, S.M., yesterday, to a charge lot' stealing a wristlet watch, n suitcase. , two' towels, two ties and a bedspread, ■of a total value of I'll Is. Detectivc- | Sergeant Trethewey said the police inI (endowed accused, who admitted taking the articles ami hiding them in the Symends Street cemetery. The magisI (rate admitted her to probation for one vear.