TRADES AND LABOUR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2325, 22 September 1898, Page 17

TRADES AND LABOUR.

NEWCASTLE, September 16. The Miners' Delegate Board have recommended the district lodges to reject the proprietors' promised agreement. THE SEAMEN'S UNION. WELLINGTON, September 16. At a large meeting of the Wellington branch of the Federated Seamen's Union of New Zealand, the following resolutions were carried: ' (1) That the Wellington branch of the Federated Seamen's Union of New Zealand deprecates the attitude adopted by the Dunedin branch, and deplores the non-existence of a federation of seamen's union ; (2) that this union herewith instructs the secretary to invite the Dunedin and Auckland branches to submit proposals for the formation of a federal council as an advisory board, with a constitution based on democratic lines, having proportionate representation from each union; (3) that the Dunedin and Auckland branches be also invited to send delegates, or appoint proxies, to meet the Wellington delegates in conference at some place and on a date to b9 decided on." '

COLONIAL ENGINEERS. The member for Caversham has again returned to the charge in his controversy with Mr Samuel Brown. The correspondence (says the correspondent of the Lyttelton Times') has now developed a decidedly sultry style. Mr Morrison asks why particulars are not given to "Kirn of boys who have served their apprenticeship at Cable's Foundry, Wellington, and are now occupying responsible positions, and also of boys who are alleged to have gone Home, after the expiry of their apprenticeships, and received the maximum pay in English shops, instead of bald assertions being made. Ho criticises the case of Mr Brown's " real boy " who went Home, and so impressed his employers that they taught him to be an electrician without requiring the usual £300 premium, and opposes it to the case of a boy in Wellington who was bound to the trade of an electrician, and though a premium of £50 was paid he was not taught the trade, and is now virtually an unskilled labourer. Hardly a mail arrives, adds Mr Morrison, that do€s not bring him letters thanking him for the action he has taken on behalf of the workers, and he believes that the whole of the Trades and Labour Councils in the colony are in sympathy with the attitude he had taken up. One letter, which he quotes, says that " instead of doing an injustice to the youths of the colony, you have done them g_reat justice, exposing employers in the inefficient manner that they turn their apprentices out of their shops."_ Also, he asks how it is, if the colony is turning out such highly-trained engineers, that amongst the 30 applicants selected for consideration finally in the appointment of an engineer to the Wellington Corporation no New Zealand engineer is to bs found. During August 311 of the unemployed were assisted by the Labour department. Last month 1859 men were employed on co-opera-tive works under the Government departments, and 1346 by the Public Works department.