TRADES AND LABOUR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10625, 17 October 1896, Page 4

TRADES AND LABOUR.

THE MARITIME DISPUTE. Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. Melbourne, October 16. . The steamship owners have considered the request of the Seamen's Conference to disonea the rates of wages. The owners (inclined, but informed Mr Smith, secretary of the Seamen's Union, that ttiey were prepared to meat the representatives of the craw* actually in their employ should they have any arguments to submit. The local executives of tho Seamen's Union in the various colonies have made a Mmilar demand. The seamen desire the uresent rates to be uniformly increased to L 8 and L 6 per month. Mr Smith states r hat, it is many years since there was eucb a difficulty in obtaining seamen, especially in Sydney, but admits that Ms remavks do not apply to Melbourne. Still, the shipping ::;du»r.ry all over Australia is in a healthy condition, and the w^g-^s paid in other thSn maritime employments jaatify an increase of the present rates.

(Peb United Peess Association.) Napixr, October 16. Though Mr Sannders, the breakwater contrac'or, agreed to raise the wages of the wurkmen Irom 7b to 8s a day he intimated that he did not intend to tske on srvernl who proved iurompetent Thft men believed \h?.b this mcatt he intended to dismiss the leaders io the strike, and refused in a body to reburn to work unless he agreed to givtf all at; leatt a fortnight's work, which he decLiued to do. -At. a largely attended meeting of the men and their sympathisers at the Gaiety Theatre this evening two of the strikers gave an addresn in very temperate lnvgange, and at the conclusion a resolution was yesaed respect' rtlly asking Mr Maunders to take all the men back, but fully recognising his right to dismiss any wno proved inefficient or incompetant after trial.