LABOUR ARBITRATION.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 951, 23 May 1890, Page 14

LABOUR ARBITRATION.

A COLLAPSE, The arbitrators appointed in connection with the dispute between the Woollen Com. pany and some of its employes—Messrs G. B. Davy and J. E. Fitz Gerald and Dr Maegrognr—met at the Pitone Working Men’s Club on Monday morning to begin their duties. Mr D. P. Fisher represented the Trades and Labour Council, and Mr W. J. Woods, mill manager, the Company, Press reporters were not admitted. Mr Fisher, opening his case, said he had signed the deed of submission without sufficient perusal. The first question for decision was—“ Whether the operatives employed in the mill of the Company, or any of them did. in or about the month of December, 1889, form a trade union under the name of ‘The Wellington WoolleD Mill Employ es’ Union,’ with rules and regulations for the guidance of its members, as alleged by the Union and the Council ? ” If the inquiry was to be conducted on technical grounds, and a decision given on this point as it st.ood, the object of the arbitration would be defeated. He explained that a Union was formed in December, but, in consequence of dissension? aiising, another meeting was biffd in January, at which it was reformed. ~ Dr Nlacgregor insisted that the deed, having been drawn up and engrossed by the Trades and Labour Council, that body must (abide by it. As the arbitrator appointed by the Woollen Company,' lie explained that the directors bad been willing to submit the matter to arbitration unconditionally, without any deed of submission, The Council, however, bad insisted upon a deed, and had one drawn np by their solicitor, whioh was now admitted not to be a fair statement of the position. • Mr Fisher admi'ted, in the 'discussion which ensued, he could not prove the formation of a union in December. The arbitrators being of opinion that the whole question hinged upon this matter, Mr Fisher said he had no option but to withdraw from arbitration, and accordingly did no. The arbitrators decided that the Trades and Labour Council should pay the oosts of the proceedings. They stated that they would not accept any payment for their services. ■ \- Witb respect to another effort to obtain arbitration, Dr Macgregor sa d he would be absent jn" Auckland for some little time. Mr iSybods '.intimated that he had no authority ,to agree to unconditional arbitra,tion. . Jt appears that the whole subject hinged jppos fhe question whether the Directors wer,e aware that a union had been formed when they gave notice of dismissal to some of their employes early in February. This question could not, in the opinion of.Mr Fisher, be decided in the face of the arbitrators’ ruling on the first clause. We are authorised to state that f,he Woollen Company Directors did not object to the presence*'of reporters at the arbitration proceedings. Messrs T. K. Macdonald and Barber were the Directors » resent.

INTERVENTION OF THE MARITIME COUNCIL. The Maritime Council inyi,ted jbhe Trades and Labour Council to hand over to them the matters in dispute with the "v\ oollen Company, with a view to negotiation with the Gompany. On Monday afte:noon the Secretary (Mr Millar) and other members of the Maritime Council waited on the Chairman of Directors of the Company, mad stated that as the controlling of the dis-pute would probably be handed to the Council, that body would b® gUd to arrange an interview with the Directors, with a view to promoting an amicable settlement of the difficulty. Mr Macdonald afc once fell in with the proposition, and arranged to submit it to a meeting of Directors to be held next morning. It was then decided to take part in the negotiation. The Trades and Labour Council held a meeting at Messrs Baker Bros.' rooms on Tuesday night for the purpose of electing two members

to represent the Council at the conference between the Maritime Council and the Trades and Labour Council on the one side and the Directors of the Company on the other, with a view of arriving at au amicable settlement of the difficulty. Mr Kitto (Vice-President) oocupied the chair, and the members of the Maritime Council were present by invitation. Messrs Graham (President) and Kitto were appointed to represent the Council. A letter was read from Mr Davy, one of the arbitrators, asking that he should be relieved from further responsibility. The Council acceded to the request, and deoided to thank Mr Davy for his services. A SETTLEMENT AT LAST. WEDNESDAY’S CONFERENCE. As will be seen from the particulars given below, the differences which have existed for some months between the Directors of the Wellington Woollen Company' and the Trades and Labour Council (reoresenting the operatives dismissed and “ called out ” from the Company’s factory at Pitone) wore settled at the conference held on Wednesday between the Directors, the Trades and Labour Council, and- the Maritime Council. The conference took place at the mill offices, Pitone, the gentlemen present being—Messrs T. Kennedy Macdonald (chairman), W. A. Fitzherbert, Barber, Exley. and Mason, and Dr Wilford (directors), with Mr Woods, the mill manager ; Messrs D. P. Fisher, Millar, Gibb, and Ansell, of the Maritime Council Messrs Graham and Kitto, of the Trades and Labour Con noil ; Mr J. McKenzie, representing the Union of outside operatives ; and Mr Ramsden, representing the union formed by the employes at present in the mill.

Mr Macdonald, opening the proceedings, briefly explained the circumstances under which the Conference had been arranged at the suggestion of the Maritime Council, In ordinary circumstances, be said, the matters in dispute would go to the Directors by default when the Trades and Labour Council withdrew fiom arbitration, but they recognised that it was in the interests of the shareholders as well as of the operatives both inside and outside the mill that an eftort should be made to settle the difficulty, and so they had at once agreed to the proposal for a conference. Mr T>. P. Fisher, being called upon to state the Council’s view of the matter, said they came to endeavour to secure two points. Firstly, they wished to have recognised by the Directors a union in the mill—not particularly the union the Trades and Labour Council had assisted to form, but certainly a union ; and, secondly, they wished to go thoroughly into the matter to see if it was possible whether all the ex-operatives could be taken back again. They had not come there, however, with any arbitrary notion that these operatives must be taken back if the Directors could conclusively prove that they were unable to do it ; the delegates wanted to be satisfied on that point ; and if the Directors would give them full information they would be prepared to meet them in any way that was possible, in order to bring the matter to a satisfactory conclusion. Mr Macdonald said the Directors had never in any way oojected to the creation of a union in the mill, but would willingly have assisted in the first place, if they had been pommunicated with in the ordinary way, to establish a union, not only for the employes in that mill, but a general one embracing the mills of the Colony. In that case there would have been one log for the Cplopy, whereas the Company were now paying a higher rate of wages than was paid at other mills. An eff-u-t had been made to get particulars to prove this statement, hut the managers of the mills, for various reasons, declined to supply the information. As to the second point mentioned by Mr Fisher, he was sorry they had not had an earlier opportunity of meeting to talk that over, because if they had done so the Trades and Labour Council would have recognised that the state of trade did not justify the re-engagement of the operatives discharged, and that difficulty had necessarily been increased since this agitation was begun. He might frankly say that while the mill had been able to go on, and in a much mpre satisfactory way than might have ' been thought possible, still a loss had been occasioned of a fairly Berious character, and considerable disorganisation had arisen in the execution of orders previously entrusted to the Company in consequence of certain operatives going out. The result, with a falling market —and he wanted the Conference to understand that during the last three months of this agitation wool had fallen, trade had not been very buoyant, and wholesale houses placing orders in the beginning of the season in the expectation of a good year’s trade had, with very few exceptions, failed to realise, and were very glad to use any opportunity for the cancellation of orders not up to time the result was that the mill had not only been working up a certain amount of material for stock, but had thrown upon

their hands large quantities of goods which had been ordered but could not be supplied by the due date. In short, the trade at the mill, which was not .very brilliant at the .time the nigh £ shift was dismissed, did nob show those signs of elasticity which were looked for, and consequently there was less necessity for hands now than when these mefi were dismi sed. The Manager was present, and would'supplement what he had said; and the Directors would be glad to give any information upon this, which he conceived was the crucial point—Whether those operatives could be taken back ? He believed they could take hack every woman, hoy and girl, excepting weavers, but they had absolutely too little work for the number of meti at present engaged in the mill. He recapitulated, in conclusion, pointing out that this difficulty arose at such a time as to cramp the Company in making their arrangements for the year, and that in order nob to disturb the labour arrangements, they had gone on making stock against the policy of the mill, which was established on the principle that it should not make stock. As the books

would show, they made between £IO,OOO and £II,OOO worth of stock in order to keep the men and women in the mill.

Mr Millar, who gave Mr Macdonald every credit for the frankness of his statement, made a proposal that the Directors should adopt the half-time piinciple, which, he was informed, could be worked satisfactorily in the mill. He suggested that the operatives inside and outside the mill should be worked together in two shifts of four hours » day each until business improved, as he had no doubt it would if this question was settled. MrMacdonaldsaidhe would take the opinion of the manager on the two points involved —first, whether this division of labour was practicable ; and, secondly, whether the employes in the mill would agree to it. The Directors did not want to be in the position of the man who was worse off at his last stage than at his first. Mr Woods expressed hlmsolf as strongly against the practice of having two shifts, pointing out that the difficulty in one hand taking up another’s work necessarily meant delay. He was fortified in this opinion by workpeople, some of whom had been all their lives employed in mills, and they all agreed that no mill oould be worked to pay on that principle. He explained later on that he had made a proposal when Mr Lomas visited the mill which would almof t settle the difficulty, and -under which he could employ ten or twelve more men and a good number of women. They would never have a night shift again if they could help it. In answer to Mr Ansell, he naid he did not see that there would be any advantage in having the whole ntuff available in case of an influx of trade. Orders seemed to have been frightened away utterly, and there did not appear to be any chance of keeping the hands employed that were now in the mill. For the information of the conference Mr Macdonald read a memorandum written on the 20th of January directing the stoppage of the practice of making stock, and said that on the 80th of January the manager ascertained that a discontented minority (an expression which was subsequently objected to! were about to form a union. It was then decided to dispense with some of the men. In further conversation ; t transpired that there were 104 operatives employed in the mill, and about 90 now receiving strike pay ;

Mr Fisher protested that the Directors evidently intended not to forsake the position they took up three months ago. He cnUld prove that the Council was not put in possession of the facts Mr Macdonald had given them now. He charged the Directors with dismissing men the day after declaring that they would not do so, and with having the men told that their notices of dismissal were in the post-office, so that they could get them on the Saturday before the union was formed.

Mr Macdonald deprecated the introduction of these matters, and suggested that Mr Ramsden should consult the mill employes with reference to the half-time proposal. This was agreed to, and Mr Ramsden subsequently retired for the purpose. A discussion ensued on Mr Millar’s proposal, which was supported by the delegates and opposed by tbo Directors, on the ground that their best hands would not be likely to stay if they could only earn half wages. The idea of Mr Millar was that the hands might take it in turns to do a full week’s work instead of working four hours a day each. There was also an exciting discussion over a statement by Mr McKenzie that Mr Woods got his foremen to sign a certain document when the Union was originally projected. Mr Woods and Mr Ramsdem denied this flatly. Mr Woods, in answer to questions, said he had never known of half or quarter time being worked at mills, but Mr Graham ana other delegates insisted that it was the practice in many oases. Mr Exley said he had never met it in the course of a large experience.

Mr Millar remarked, a little later on, that, if the mill employes insisted on their pound of flesh, the mill would stop. The Maritime Coudcil would say, “we are not going to assist these men to earn their living.'’ Mr Macdonald submitted the following series of propositions which, he said, the Directors had decided upon on the previous day : 1. That the organisations inside and outside the mill for union purposes be dissolved, and the employes of the Company be free to act' with respect to aDy future organisation as they may please. 2. That nothing shall bo done by any union which may be formed within the mill to the disadvantage of the Company as compared with other mills in the Colony, either as to wages or otherwise, unless a general agreement has been first arrived at with each and every woollen mill in the Colony upon such questions. 3. That the Company shall during the ensuing week re-employ as many of the ex operatives as the Manager can find room for, and shall from time to time give such operatives as may be suitable, and who ma3i be disengaged, the preference in any vacancies that may arise. 4. That, in order to make room for as many additional hands as possible, the Company will, as soon as business will warrant it, place the rpill upon two shifts of eight hours each. 5. That at the end of tffis month the Company will reduce the hours of labour, and place the mill upon an eight hours basis. Mr Macdonald explained that although the last clause would mean a loss, the Directors considered eight hours a day long enough to work, and they thought it well to face at once the standard which the labour organisations of the colonies would undoubtedly set up. They proposed it, moreover, as an earnest of their desire to help, labour in their mill, though they did not wish to be handicapped as against other mills. Iu the course of a discussion on the subject of wages, Mr Millar said he knew that a girl in charge of a loom at Rosyln earned 24s per week. Mr Woods said the average earnings of the same hand at the Wellington mill would be 30s to 40s per week of 44J hours.

The clauses being taken seriatim, a long discussion took place on the first, which was at first objected to by Messrs C-raham, Kitto, and Fisher, and supported by Mr Millar. Mr Kitto; and the gentlemen who thought with him, urged the Directors to say how many of the operatives outside would be taken on, and Mr Woods said he thought he could employ all the boys and girle who were available. Eventually the clause was passed, subject to the decision of the mill employes on it being made known to the conference. Mr Kitto withdrew his opposition in order that the clause might be adopted unanimously. Clause 2 was amended, on Mr Fisher’s suggestion, by striking out all the words after “ Colony,'’ and was then passed. Mr Woods said be could find work for about 30 more women, boys, and girls ; and the adoption of 8 hourß a day would mean taking on 10 or 12 mm extra. Mr Ramsden reported that he had consulted the members of the mill union and they had passed a resolution to the effect that they were willing to disband the union and join a new one, providing that only members of it working in the mill bad a voice in the matter, and that employes who did not come back should not be recognised as vofcerr. Mr Millar insisted that members of the outside union should have their rights preserved. At the same time he considered the delegates were there to treat with the Directors. He could not entertain for a moment such a selfish proposal as the employes made. It was suggested that some of the mill hands were married women whose husbands were in work, and in some cases three or four members of a family were employed ; and that some of these employes might be dispensed with and needy operatives outside the mill taken on iu their places. Mr Macdonald admitted the wisdom of this suggestion, and said he did not think Mr Ramsden’s report need affect the question. It was then arranged that the sugsestb-n should be adopted ; that as many hoys, girls and women as possible should he taken.on at once ; and that the Councils should appoint a representative to act with the manager and Directors in taking these employes on, and in arranging for the substitution of more needy persons for those in comparatively good oircumstances. , Mr Macdonald intimated that the Direo- ’ tors would, in selecting employes, give due consideration to capacity and service. It was decided on Mr Millar’s motion to make the following addition to olause 3 “ and that in the meantime Bteps he taken to rearrange the work at the mill on the lines laid down ” (on the understanding arrived at). This and the other two clauses were then carried. Mr Ansell suggested that the Directors should do all in their power to allay any ill feeling which had arisen. Mr Millar thanked the Direotors for the courtesy with which they had met the conference, and hoped that this unhappy trouble was now over, Mr Macdonald said no one regretted the difficulties which had arisen more than he did. He expressed regret that the Directors had not been approached in a proper spirit in the first instance, and assured the conference that he should continue to be, as he had been in the past, a strong supporter of the rights of labour. Referring to labour organisations he expressed a hope that the great duty they had undertaken would be carried out with due moderation, and that they would always be worthy of the confideuce hitherto reposed in them. He trusted that out of the present troubles there would arise a brighter future for the working people of the Colony and better security for capital. (Hear, hear.) The Conference, which had lasted over three hours, then terminated.