THE LABOUR WORLD.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1247, 23 January 1896, Page 34

THE LABOUR WORLD.

The usual weekly meeting of the Trades Council was held last week in the Trades Hall, Mr Allan Ward in the chair. Mr H. C. Jones was appointed president, and a hearty vote of thanks was accorded Mr Ward for his past services. Mr Ward was then appointed delegate to the Workers’ Political League. The president and secretary were instructed to prepare the Council’s share of the order paper for the annual conference of the Trades and Labour Councils to be held at Invercargill in Easter next. The secretary of the labour and Liberal political organisations, which are in conference in Christchurch under the auspices of the Canterbury Trades and Labour Council with a view to the establishment of a Central Political Council, wrote applying for a copy of the constitution and platform of the Wellington Workers’Political League. It was agreed to comply with the request at once. Messrs Ward, Naughton and Osborne wore appointed a committee to suggest what form the proposed address to the Hon W. P. Reeves shall take, and to report to next meeting. The small shopkoepers who run their establishments without any hired help are gradually responding to the circular note of the Inspector of Factories, inviting them to signify the week afternoon on which they elect to close. One of them, who appears to be a bit of a wag, has selected Sunday afternoon, and after this fashion does he express himself: —“Just a word in answer to your note as to what day my shop shall be closed. My shop is a milk shop, so to suit the convenience of the public I have to open my shop seven days a week. To come to the question as to what week day afternoon my shop will be closed, well, I will close on Sunday afternoon if you say that I must close one halfday.’’ Having got off his little joke, the purveyor of milk will have once more to wrestle with the problem set him by the Inspector. Sunday afternoon is not the solution. The Servants’ Registry Offices Act of last session having placed these registry offices under the control of the Department of Labour, the keepers of them are required to produce their certificates to the Inspector of Factories, and to ha ye them endorsed. This formality is needed so that the inspector may know what registry offices are now in existence. Licenses already issued will hold good until September next, and thenceforward licenses will have to be taken out annually. The scale of fees to be charged by rogistry-office-keepers has been drawn up, and will be published in next week’s Gazette. A compilation of the Shops and Shop Assistants Act with its amendments has been prepared by Mr Tregoar (secretary of the Labour Department), and is now being printed. Copies will be circulated with the next issue of the journal of the department, and afterwards those who may want copies will be able to purchase them at a nominal price. The annual meeting of the Wellington Typographical Union was held in the Exchange Buildings on Saturday evening. The president (Mr H. C. Jones) occupied the chair, and about 80 members were present. The report stated that since the presentation of the last half-yearly report the Union had made excellent progress, a result principally due to the energy and care of the executive officers, and that it stands in a stronger position financially than at any other time in its history, the half-year just closed showing a balance to credit of £,62 8s lid. The claims for unemployed allowances had been few, this being mainly due to the largo number employed at the Government Printing Office. The board pointed out that the promise of the Hon J. G. Ward that he would have a certain tariff item recommitted was not fulfilled. This was the more to be regretted as the board had every reason to believe that, had the item been recommitted the duty would have been restored’ The report was adopted as printed. The scrutineers (Messrs D. Joslin and A. Clark) then announced the result of the ballot for the various offices as follows : —President, H. C. Jones, 88 votes ; R. E. Vaney, 58 votes. Vice' president, T. L. Mills, 85 votes; W. A. G. Skinner, 60 votes. Secretary, W. P. McGirr 109 votes; H. B. Mason, 37 votes. Mr J.’ Kilfoy. as treasurer, and Messrs F. A*. Vaughan and Van de Burgh, as trustees, were returned unopposed. Board members, Messrs R. E. Vaney and G. Venables. Auditors Messrs D. Joslin and J. Henricks. Trades Council delegates, Messrs Jones, Vaney, Grigg, Purdy, T. Mclntyre and McGirr. A isftii Mm l ' r r i a J XL _ - Mti ... i

“ That a funeral allowance be provided out of tbe general revenue of £7 10s for financial members of three years’ standing.’ Votes ot thanks to retiring officers concluded the meetlljrr # * # The date for appointing boards of conciliation in the various districts has been postponed from the 14th February to the .., r" February. Any unions not registered will be too late if they do not take the necessary steps at once, if they want to be in time to exercise the right of nomination and voting for the boards. So far 72 societies have registered under the Act, five of them being associations, that is to say unions of unions. Only one of them is an employers’ society, the remainder being workers’ unions.