TRADES AND LABOUR,

Otago Witness, Issue 2202, 14 May 1896, Page 17

TRADES AND LABOUR,

Sydney, May ,5. There is some prospect of the Crane employees joining the miners' strike. If they. do, the shipment of coal will be blocked. May '6. If anything, the colliery strike is extending. The miners have induced the men in several pits where the 1888 agreement is not j being curried out to join In the movement i for the reinstatement of those terms. The j masters strongly oppose this, bacause in 1888 the Belling price of coal was 11s per ton. .May 7, - 'The Delegates' Board have .resolved to submit^ the question to the miners whether the whole strike dispute be referred to arbitration. The beard rerefused the offer of Mr Brown,, owner of the New Lambton Colliery, to leave the . miners at work, tout will refer the matter to the district lodga. May 9. 1 The Southern Owaers' Association confer next Wednesday with' the miuera. The conference is to be held at the request of the latter, and the subjeot to be discussed is an ' advance in the hewing rate. May 10". ; Thirty mjnars of Gartleo colliery have reBurned werk on terms equivalent to 3s Gd per ton. There is a feeliug growing that the , strikers will shortly resame work despite the association, A number of the masters refuse to pay the back pay, on the ; ground that the men left in a body and did not give indivi- , dnal notice. A test case will probably be' stated as to the legality af the step. Newcastle, May 5. The Pacific Minere' (non-union) Lodge decided not to Tesume wori until tbe demands of the distriot were grantsd. The G-Ai-tlee men, after obtaining concessions and' signicg an agreement, have taken a. similar course, which will greatly strengthen the. hands of the strikers. The negotiations with the Lambton and the New Lumbton men proved futile, and the pits remain closed. Whstpobt, May 7. The Arbitration and Conciliation Board for tbe district of Westlaud (Messrs J. A Millar, M H R. f Tressman, Bailie, and _K»ttle) have been sitting here on and off for a week pastendeavouring to select a chairman, but have failed to do so. A dozen n^mes of local men wera suggested, but were objected to by one side or the other. Several gentlemen to whom the board would agree declined to act. The Justice department objected to the stipendiary magistrate taking the position. The appoint-m-nt will now be made by the Government. The business to be brought hefore the bt>ard is a dispute regarding hewing rat«s at the Cardiff and Westport Coal Coinpanier' collieries. Wellington, May 11. The Government have appointed Mr Macfar- , lane, S.M., chairman of the Weutpovfc Arbitratration aud Conciliation Board. Replying to oomplaiuts preferred by the Eight Hours Committee of the long Jiours worked by the gaol warders, the Inspector of Prisons says that the wardens are paid higher wages in conttequence, and that to reduce the , .hours the staff would have to be augmented and the pay reduced. When the time was opportune he would plr.ee the prison officer* on the same footing as regards their duty and wages as the polioe. There is a good deal of briskneis in the building trade in Dunedia and suburbs at the present time, and it is estimated that, including the new gaol, Government Insurance buildings, &?., that buildings to the tfalue of £50,000 are now in course of construction. The result of the civil aotion of Mr Feilder, of Manners street, against an ex-employee of i his, Patrick .Barry (says .the New-— Zealand Times), was a surprise to everybody and an eye-opener to merchants. It is, indeed, very, strange law that a merchant U debarred from . recovering for goods sold simply -because the party to whom they were sold happened to be < in 'his employ , at -the time of the transaction. , It appears the defendant in the oaae wrote from Gisbnrue applying for a situation, tit Fielder, - being Rhortlunded- at the time, immediately .wired bick and engaged him at the rate of .8s par .day, with an increase to. 9a if he suited. Alter, workinglor a week ..or two, ho told Sir fielder

that his wife was coming from Gisbomo t« Wellington, and asked to be supplied with household goods on the time-payment system. Mr Fielder, always willing to Resist his employees, acquiesced, and good* to the value of £16 odd were supplied. The man expressed his willingaeis to pay for thorn at the rate of £1 par week, but Mr Fielder thought that that turn was too large for a' man to pay who was receiving £2 8s per week, and intimated that he would take only the odd Bs. I'be man paid £1 a« the first instalment, aud for a few weeks paid the Bs. Ou one Saturday Mr Fielder took the man his wages, expecting to receive the uautl instalment, but She m*n refused to pay, taring that he knew a trick worth two of that. The man remained away ,from his work for some days, but eventually rsturned, but still persbtsd in refusing to make any further payments. Mr Fielder then asked for a baiimant over the goods, but the man refused to allow this, and Mr Fielder set the Uw in motion. Mr Green* flelfl, S M., upheld the contention of^ Barry's solicitor that under section 7 of the Truck Act plftiuHf could not recover, and judgment was given for defendant, with costs (2ls). Mr Fielder asked if .he oould not recover in any other manner, and was informed to the contrary. Mr Fielder has since learnt that the man was not married, bnt got the furniture for his sister.