TRADES AND LABOUR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2455, 3 April 1901, Page 51

TRADES AND LABOUR.

LONDON, March 27. The shipowners and employers refuse any further concessions or arbitration with the dock strikers, who, greatly discouraged, are sending a deputation to the Premier and Minister of Commerce in reference to the matter. The general strike has failed. PARIS, March 28. The strike at Marseilles is in reality a Socialist movement engineered by agitatois. MM. Rousseau and Millerand advised the Marseilles strikers to arbitrate. Three thousand dock employees have resumed work. March 31. The strike of the Marseilles dock labourers is ended. The chief agitator has been sentenced to thiee months' imprisonment. Apiil 1. A renewal of the dockers' strike at Marseilles has occurred. The foremen, w"ho remained t>n duty throughout, have now joined the strikers in favour of eight hours. SYDNEY, March 26. The Minister of Labour has arranged a conference between the lumpers and the colliery owners. March 27. The conference of coal lumpers and colliery owners has been fixed for Monday. THE WAIHI MIKES DISPUTE. AUCKLAND, March 26. The Conciliation Board sat at the Miners' Hall, Waihi, to-day to consider the dispute referred for settlement between the Miners' Union and the following mining companies : — Waihi, Waihi Gladstone, Waihi Consolidated, Waihi South, Waihi Grand Junction, and Waihi Consols. The miners' statement of claim asks that the week's work consist of 46 hours for the day shift and 47 hours for the night shift. The rate of pay claimed ranges from 12s 6d per day for shift bosses to 8s 6d for mullockers and surface labourers. ' The statement of claim proceeds that in wet shafts and other wet workings six hours be recognised as a day's work ; that tho proportion of boys employed shall not exceed one boy to every five competent miners ; that all overtime be paid for at the rate of time and a-half, and all Sunday work at the rate of double time ; that boys between the ages of 16 and 18 years be paid 7s per day, and over 18 years of age full wages .as per schedule ; that no person under the age of 18 years be placed in a responsible position, r.3 brakeman or chamberman ; that no contract work be allowed in the mines for underground work, excepting on such conditions as may be agreed on or fixed by the Conciliation Board ; that preference of employment be given to members of the. union, provided they are equally qu&'ified with non-members to do the particular work required and are able and willing 1o do it ; that the union men who werp discharged by the Waihi Gold Mining Company in February be reinstated, and be paid compensation for time lost ; this In include both mine and battery hands * March 27. The Conciliation Board, at Waihi, adjourned before taking evidence, in order to cite all the important companies on the Hauraki goldfield. On the application of the Waihi Company, the boaid resume taking evidence at Paeroa. They lefused to allow solicitors to appear in the dispute. Amil 1. At a meeting of the Miners' Union to consider Mr Birry's offer of contract work for the Waihi Company pending a settlement of the dispute by the Conciliation Board it wa 5 resolved that the men do not go back to work until they are properly reinstated. A BRICKLAYERS' STRIKE. AUCKLAND, Apiil 1. A number of bricklayers went on strike-to-day. They have no union, but recently came to an agreement with the employ ei~< that the wage« after May 1 w ould be 12.s per day for a 44 houis week. A number of men to-day demanded that the advance should take place from Ist April, and, on this being refused, they went on strike. Some employers are not affected by the strike, but in other cases all hands have left work. .SLAUGHTERMEN'S DISPUTE CHRLSTCHURCH. Maich 26. The Conciliation Board to-day heard evidence in the dispute between the Canterbury Slaughtermen's L'nion and the two Canteibury freezing companies The boaid will piobably make a recommendation tomonoiv afternoon. On Monday it will consider the dispute in ieg;ad to the Printei 1 -' Machinists' Union. Apiil 1. The main items in the Conciliation Board's recommendation in the slaughtermen's dispute are: First slaughteimen to receive £3 10s per week as dry pay ; second slaughterman, £3 ; all others, '£2 10*. Hours of labour, 50 per week ; overtime to be jjciid at the rate of time and a-quaiter. PRINTER'S MACHINISTS' DISPUTE. CHRIS I'CHURCH, Apiil 1. The Conciiiat.on Boaid was occupied all to-day considering the log submitted by the Punter's Machinists' Union aid icieatd by the master printer. The ma'ttrs also submitted a log, and the board decide J to recommend the adoption of this, making the wages of journeymen £3 per week, and the hours of labour 48. On Thursday, the board will hear a dispute in connection v, ith the Hairdressers' and Tobacconists,' A-sist-ants,' Union. CHRLSTCHURCH, March 27. A conference wa*> held this, evening between delegates fiom the Canterbuiv Emplojds' Association and the Trades and L-ibour Council 'Ihe object w>'^ to discuss a piopnuil fiom the tmphneis that a joint committee be set up to considei trade dispute^, so as to avoid icfeicnce to the Aibitiation Couit. It was decided that the delegates, bung before both oi>;anisaViNIS G pioposul to &et up a joint br.ard.

consisting of a certain number of dees, i-e\ from e-i-ch foody, to discuss questions a-fieci.-ing them, with the object of bringing about friendly relations between emplojers and employed. A meeting of the Otago Tiades and Labour Council was held on Friday, Mr Wathen. (president) being in the chair. A considerable amount of coriesipondence \va* dealt with, including a letter from the Citizens' Vigilance Committee, enclosing a number of questions to be submitted to candidates for election to the City Council. As the Workers' Political Committee has taken up the matter of the municipal elections, and is framing a platform, it was decided to pass on the letter to that committee The election of delegates to represent tho council at the annual Trades and Labour Councils Conference, to be held in Dunedin during Easter, resulted in Messrs R. Slater, W. Hood, and R. Breen being selected A lengthy order paper of subjects to come before the conference was 1 hud on the table. It was decided to leave it in the hands of the delegates to uee their discretion in dealing with the various subjects. A subcommittee reported fiat it had been arranged tj entertain the delegates to the conference at a picnic, either at Waitati or Evmisdale. It had also been decided to hold a social in one of the halls in the city, to which all delegates, the members of the Trades and Labour Council, and the presidents of the various unions, with their wives, would be invited. The secretary was instructed to forward a letter of sympathy to Mr A. Morrison. M.HaR., in conn ?ction with his illness, and ' satisfaction was expressed that Mr Morrison's state of health had much improved. There is likely to be a very keen contest for the vacancy on the Conciliation Board caused by the repignati m of Mr ,T. A. Millar. M.H.R. Already Messrs P. Hally, A. Judge, W. Ho6d, and J A. Taverner are mentioned as candidates. It is understood that the unions affiliated to the Trade* and Labour Council will be asked to nominate a candidate, and that the gentleman receiving the largest number of nomination^ will be selected The Otago Tramways Union of Workers and the Otago Builders' Labourers' Union havo been registered under the Conciliation and Arbitration Act. An agreement was on Monday filed under th>- Conciliation and Arbitration Act between the Otago Typographical Association and the Eveninc Star Company and the Otago Daily Times and Witness Company The agreement, which i=> for three years, is largely on the lines of the Wellington awaid. which was arrived at in the case of the Wellington Typographical Association in the early parG of last year.