'WAY THE WIND BLOWS'

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10961, 25 July 1921, Page 4

'WAY THE WIND BLOWS'

PETONE GAS DISPUTE MEETING ADDRESSED BY LABOUR LEADERS. STANDING BY THE) STOKERS. A public meeting was held in the Empress Theatre last evening concerning the Pebune gas workers’ dispute. There was a good attendance, over which Mr J. Roberts (secretary of the Alliance of Labour) presided. The speakers were Air P. Eraser, M.P., Mr L. Glover (secretary of the Gasworkers’ Union), Mr J. G. Bruce (secretary of the Wellington Waterside Workers* Union), and Air J. Thorn (edit-or of the “Alaoriland Worker”). Air Glover asked if the stokers could have been expected to accept reduction in wages proposed without having a say in the matter. A clause in the ultimatum to the men said that the men would have to produce as much • gas as the manager required. The men could not accept that, because it meant that the manager could eay: “You have not kept your agreement, because you have not pro* duced a certain quantity of gas.” It. had been said the men had refused to* go to the Conciliation Council and tc the court. The facts would prove otherwise. He had been asked by the Ivlayor if he would agree to go before the Conciliation Council, and it wa& agreed that a meeting should take place one morning. On the evening prior to the day of the meeting, the town clerk of Petone rang him up, and said that the Mayor had referred the matter to the council, and every councillor had voted against it. As to the Arbitration Court, Air Glover was never asked if the mea< would go to the court. The men had been accustomed to nine holidays a year, and these were to be cut down to four, and, strangely, the patriots proposed to leave out the King’s Birthday. “HIGH-HANDED ACTION.” Air Fraser said that quite recently* he had heard the Mayor of Petone eay, respecting the committee’s dismia-j sal of the gas stokers, that, in his! opinion, the action of the gas commit-) tee in not reporting the matter to the} council was illegal, and, further, that l the attitude of the committee toward* the council was entirely irregular. Air Fraser said he had not heard of a committee of a borough council actually dismissing men without reporting to the council at all. He had never heard of such high-handed action. He paid tributes to Mr'Churchouse, “the only Labour councillor at Petone,’* and the Alayor of Petone (Air J. McEwan) for the stand they had taken in this matter. As for Councillor Anderson, he had been, in the Labour movement at one time, but had been required to leave it. It looked bad for the council’s case that they were not willing to submib the dispute to a conciliation tribunal. The gas stokers of Petone were fighting for a fundamental principle of Labour, and “we can see that they don’t suffer.” He hoped the workers would realise that there had been a direct assault on a fundamental principle of trade, unionism—the right to collective bargaining. . * MOVE TO REDUCE WAGES. Air J. G/Brucq said this and other affairs indicated that the fight to, bfeak down working conditions and reduce wages was beginning. The employers did not want to allow the workers to form one big union, but the employers had their one big organisation. The men at Petone need ed financial assistance, and though times were hard, trades unionists should do they could afford to do. Assistance was coming forward from various parts of New Zealand. The New Zealand Labour movement was unanimous in trying to win the case for the gas stokers.

•Mr Thom said there was a movement on foot to fight the workers, and the .Petone affair was a straw which showed which wav the wind blew. He appealed for unity for the purpose of improving the conditions of the working class. . 4 Mr Roberta described the matter as; a move started by the emplovem to? use public to start the first! fight to reduop wages. tr We are outi to scotch that.” he added.