600 ON STRIKE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7943, 28 October 1911, Page 1

600 ON STRIKE

THE AUCKLAND TROUBLE A. DEPUTATION INTERVIEWS THE MAYOR BOARD MEETS ON MONDAY rniisa association. AUCKLAND. October 27A meeting of the inkers was held in the Federal Hall at 11 o'clock yesterday morning, there being some COO men present. The deliberations, which laded an hour, were conducted in private: and the union oliicials, when requested to make a statement, would only admit that it had been decided to appoint Messrs It. Semple (organiser for the Xow Zealand federation of Labour), Eraser (president of the union), F. Arcus -(secretary), and O. Mason us a deputation to wait upon representatives of the Drainage Hoard ami placo tho position before them. Although tiro union officials would not admit it. however, it was also slated in reliable quarters that the meeting decided. iir the event of getting an unsatisfactory reply from tho Drainago'Board representatives, Ic call out tho tramway employees amt the watersides workers, thus making the strike a moro general one and its effects moro far-reaching. It was rumoured this afternoon that tho Gas Company's men. had struck, but as tho result of inquiries a “Herald” reporter ascertained that this was not so. I t is-nndorstood that representations were made to the main-layers in the morning, and that after consideration they decided not to come outIt would bo a serious matter if all tho men employed by tho company ceased work, because tho storage of gas is less than one day’s supply. However, the company has reservo stocks of coal, and as long as tho plant could bo kept going tho position would not bo alarming. MAYOR INTERVIEWED SOME PLAIN SPEAKING.

The representatives of the Labourers' Union waited on tho Mayor to-day and asked that, the Drainage Board make provision against subcontracting in all contracts. , . . Mr Semple said that tho objection to tho subcontract system was that it was a speeding-up process. If the work ot tho wages men does not measure up as great as that of tho subcontractors they are put off. If the Mayor had a knowledge of tho way men had to work “like wild beasts/’ ho said, ho would understand tho difference. Tho effect of the subcontracting systom was to make tho men’s lives' hardly worth living. The mou had no objection to subcontracting in tho sense implied by the letting of eections of a big building contract, say to plasterers or bricklayers who employ men by day labour, but this was quite a different matter. ’ , Tho Mayor said ho considered- their action in precipitating a strike without bringing tho matter, before tho board had been quite unjustifiable. A strike ot a limited character had taken place m contravention of tho union's rules before the matter had boon even mentioned to tho engineer. He thought that they had done wrong, perhaps unconsciously. Tho proper course would have been to approach the board itself. The request that subcontracting should be abolished, now put ’before him for tho ■first time, was a very serious proposition. for it affected every local body that employed contract labour.’ perhaps 100 in the province. They could hardly expect a definite answer from him at that moment. lie would not take tho responsibility of deciding it as chairman of tho board. It would be his duty to place the deputation's views'before tho board ' as soon as it could bo got together, and if they liked they could attend and state thoir "case. -Then tho board would give its decision on the matter, which had now been brought before it for the first time. He could not admit for a moment that the board had done anything: wrong. Ho wanted now to ‘ speak to them as Mayor. They had precipitated a veiy serious state of things. Without impressing any opinion as to the rights and wrongs of tho ca.se he asked them to consider tho position in which they had placed tho city. The closing of thq quarry meant trouble for tho streets; the closing down of the destructor would soon leave them at their wit's end to know what to do with the insanitary rubbish. Now ho understood tho water supply was in jeopardy, because the men on tho waterworks had been called out, WHO TAXES .THE BLAME? Tho Mayor continued that the men ■mist tako all the responsibility for the trouble they had caused, and that was a lerlous one. They should consider whether the men engaged on necessary public services should not return to thoir work, so that the public would be no more inconvenienced, by a trouble that, in his view, concerned neither tho men at, the destructor or those at the waterworks. Such a course would, ho believed, lead to a clearing up of tho matter more quickly than anything else. Ho could not coerce them in. any way; that was merely his friendly advice. Ho asked if they would give a guarantee that in future the men engaged on tho drainage works will go on without further strike Millil tho work is finished?

.Mr Semple: No, for wo have no guarantee that when the men go back this system will bo wiped ont. Tlio Mayor: It seems to mo you want to wage a general war against the local; bodies on the matter of subcontracting. Hr Eraser; If any other local body wants to adopt it we will deal with them. .'Vo would object to subcontracting by anyone. Mr Semple: Wo aro np against the, system altogether, and aro dealing now with the Drainage Board. Contracting is bad enough, without subcontracting. Wo have no desire to dislocate tbo city, but if need be wo will paralyse tbo wh’olo of Xew Zealand. Wo have a bona fide grievance. The Mayor: That sounds like blackmail of the whole community. Mr Semple: If we can do nothing elsej we must do the extreme thing. Wo have, never done the extreme thing yet. bat, we have not done one-third of what can be done. XO THREAT INTENDED; The Mayor: Is that a threat? Mr Semple: Xo, it is not a threat. Wo don’t want to do it. If wo had taken