TRADES AND LABOUR.

Otago Witness, Volume 01, Issue 2123, 1 November 1894, Page 37

TRADES AND LABOUR.

Press Association—By Telegraph— Copyright. Suez, October 29. The strike among the diedgemen has ended.

Melbjuunb, October 25.

The Employers' Union declines to agree to the resolution passed at the conference between employers in the Trades Hall Couaoil favouring the remission of trade disputes to compulsory arbitration. The conference will in consequence proceed no further.

Sydney, October 80.

A Bnmber of outrages, consisting of assaults on free labourers and the destruction of property, have been committed in the Greta district.

Palmerston Noeth, October 30.

A conference of delegates of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants was opened last evening. Twenty-two delegates were present, including Mr Handysides (president), Mr Bullock (vicj-president), and Mr Edwards (secretary). The president, in hia opening speech, referring to the "black l<st," laid that the executive were absolutely unaware of anything having been done or said which could warrant the grave charges made by Sir Robert btout. The secretary said th&ti the cash balance of the executive in the bank wss £946 2s. The proceedings are not open to the press.

The Oamaru Mail of the 24th states that the shearing dispute at Windsor Park has not been settled. The men having taken so long to decide the original matter in dispute, Mr Menlove withdrew his offer to reduce th« penalty to £1, and now fixes it at one-half of all earnings for sheep shorn to date of leaving. On inquiry the men have ascertained that dismissal it* to carry the same penalty as leaving of their own accord, and while willing to agree to the penalty in the latter case, they cannot do so in the former. They have consequently resolved not to start work, and the disagreement has now developed into a strike proper. We nre given to understand that business is very slack in Dunedin at present, and that in one factory it has been found necessary to dispense with the services of some 20 benchmen, A different report appears to have been furnished to the Government Labour Journal, for it is there stated that in Dunedin the boot trade is improving. A Chri&tchurch telegram states that the Canterbury branch of the Society of Boilermakers and Iron Shipbuilders yaifed a motion protesting against the resolutions of the Cantorbury Trades aud Labour Council, Progressive Liberal Association, aud Otago Workers' Union, that a'l Government employees should be compelled to work only 40 hours per week. The u«ual monthly committee mreting of the Workers' Ui.ion w»8 held at tbe head office, Waimate, on Saturday evening, Mr Brown presiding. Correspondence was dealt with from Major Steward on local matters. Plans were discussed for organising during the ensuing shearing season, and other matters of a routine description dealt with. A meeting of the executive then took place, when correspondence was read from Oamaru respecting the Monlove shearing dispute. The gecrttary was instructed to writ? to the Oamaru branch stating that the executive were sorry that friction had occurred in connection with shearing, at the same time the action of the men in refusing to sign such a one-rided agreement as thst at Windsor Park was heartily approved of. Correspondence was also dealt with front Masterton, Hawke's Bay, Blenheim, Kaikoura, Tinaaru, Gore, and Wint. si branches reporting progress. After appointing Mr A. Walker, vice-president, in place of Mr Wills (who has left for CooJgardie) the meeting ended.

The Labour Journal issued on the 24th states : "Reports as a whole show that with the return of spring work is much more plentiful, and nearly all reports agree in stating that there are very largo decreases in the number of men travelling on the road. Tradesmen also speak in a moro hopeful strain. No doubt for the next six months work will be more plentiful, and as a oonsequence trade will be better."