THE LABOUR WORLD.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1290, 19 November 1896, Page 34

THE LABOUR WORLD.

ARBITRATION AND CONCILIATION BOARD.

A meeting of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Board was held on Friday afternoon for the purpose of electing a chairman. Present —Messrs J. Young, C. H&slam, D. P. Fisher and A. Collins. Mr J. Young was voted to the chair. Mr A. Collins proposed that Mr W. H. Quick be chairman of the Board. He said it was desirable that a legal gentleman should fill the position. Mr Quick would be acceptable to employers and employees, especially as he took little or no part in politics.

Mr Haslam, in seconding the nomination, said he had been opposed to a solicitor being appointed chairman, but since it seemed to be the rule elsewhere, he was agreeable to it. Mr Young said it struck him that Mr Quick would be acceptable to all parties, as he had not taken any decided stand in political matters. There being no other nomination, Mr Quick was declared duly elected chairman of the Board.

Mr Fisher said he considered the fees allowed to the members of the Board 30s per day—were too high, and thought «£1 would be quite sufficient. After some discussion Mr Fisher gave notice that he would move at the next meeting of the Board that the Government be recommended to l-educe the fees paid to the members of the Board from 30s to Jd 1. Some time prior to the strike of the London cabmen, the following manifesto was issued by the president of tbe Union : —“ Fellow Drivers, — For the past six weeks a threatened strike has been hanging over your heads. According to the views of some drivers you have only to abolish the privilege cab and a fortune awaits you. Now, men, let us look plainly at the question and its surroundings. Should a strike take place during the next few days you would then inconvenience the public, who are your support and bc-t friends, you would teach them to do without n ibs, and they may not readily forgive you. Then the railway companies are announciyg omnibuses to and Irom the various termini,and porters have been engaged to carry In .gage by the various companies. W c auk youas rca«onablc men whether wo have not competition enough ■ hot us show tiic public that we are a reasonable body oi moil, and, it necessary, take a ballot of tne whole of the London cabmen, and should the majority bo in favour of the abolition of railway cabs, then wo appeal to you to light the question in a -u,fioe::.r way. Tim legal channel* arc open t-. ns. and failing that, wo have a number of friends in the House of Commons who would legislate for us, and thereby save our rep.uafdoa and pro-nut misery, want and starvation to the oabdtivors, their wives and little children.” CuiusTOi-rvrten, November Ik. At the Arbitration Court to-day, three witnesses were heard on behalf of the I; >ot-makers’ Union, which objects to the award of the Conciliation Board. The Court then adjourned till Saturday.

The shady characters who visited Canterbury for the races did not come away emptyhanded. A section of thorn removed an iron sv„:e from a liiccartcm hotel when nobody else was looking, and, prising it open, succeeded in netting Add.