LABOUR MATTERS

Southland Times, Issue 14506, 26 August 1910, Page 5

LABOUR MATTERS

0»» ■ K.Z. LABOUR FEDERATION ax nrroETA>CE 'coxfebexc*. (Per United Press Association). WELLINGTON, August 25. The Federation of Labour to-day be»> .can by appointing six of their number to give evidence before the Labour Bills Committee, now dealing with the Hon. Mr Guinness's Miners Half-holiday Eill. The following remits wore carried:—• "That a. .similar clause to Clau.se 3 5 in. the Conciliation and -Arbitration Aeuprincipal.) ho inserted in the Trades Union Act. —That t!i(: Government be asked to fi:: the standard of heal in mines, durint? the'present session, and that the heat in any working place shall not exceed 75 degrees dry test, nor 70 decrees wet test.—That provision be mtde In the Mining Act to make it compulsory for bracemnn to be always in ensnare of braces at mines where men are employed below. —That the condition of the workings in the Otira tunnel be brought before the Government and that steps be taken to have the tame remedied." Mr P. H. Hiekey brought down a report on the question of the Federation's attitude towards the Conciliation and Arbitral k.n Act. Me said that since the passing of the Act in If? 04 wages had ln» created something like 17V. per cent.,' while ihe cost of living had Increased 10 p, ?r cent. As further illustration of the contention that the Act had notf brought the benefits claimed he said that'' the amount of profit secured by the em-' plovers of New Zealand had increased 150.2 per cent. The conditions laidt flown by the Arbitration Act,eould, apart; from increasing: the cost of living, ba met by employers by speeding up works; by introducing wages-saving machinery,, and by adulteration of products. Last year, after fifteen years of the Arbitral, tion Court, when unemployment was ram-' pant throughout the Dominion, the offW fin 1 returns disclosed th2t exports exceeded those of the previous year by over i"6,000,000. while the total amount paid in wages during the same period had con< siderably decreasea. In no other coun-j try in the world, with the exception oz America, did the amount produced peri man exceed that produced in New Zea-J land. Apart from the possibility andSj probability of a judge of the court/ being claps-biassed, it was impossible fori any one man to possess the requisite knowledge of every industry upon whichJj lie might be called on to adjudicate. Th»i Act had failed to procure for any increased share of the wealth pro-j dueed by labour. He called upon alt; workers to perfect their organisation hy\ combinir.tr the unions in their respective*industries and that these in turn become; affiliated with the New Zealand Federa-j tion of Labour. Then, when the timer came for relying on the strength ofi their combination, and with full recogni-v tion of class solidarity, they could win. for themselves conditions which the Arbitration Court would never concede.—i The report was adopted in its entirety and ordered to be included in the annual? report of the Conference proceedings. It was resolved that the Government be asked to appoint a Royal Commission' to investigate the conditions prevailing at Otira. the workers to have equal representation on the commission and atf least two representatives on each, repre-' senting coa! and gold miners, and also; a medical officer approved by the Federation of Labour.

The sum of £lO was voted to a miner in Green Island who, it was stated, had been victimised for giving evidence 'on behalf of his union before the Arbitration Court. Members of the executive were increased from three to five. The following were elected: H. Armstrong (West Coast workers). M. Fagan (Inangahua miners), J. Fisher (Dennlston miners). J. Fulton (Waikato miners), W. E. Parry (Waihi miners). ~ • It was decided that Mr Peter Bowling, now servintr a term of imprisonment in Goulburn gaol for participating in thef Newcastle strike, be invited to visit New,; Zealand immediatelv on his release and that an invitation be forwarded to Mrs Bowling to accompany her husband 3.3 the guest of the Federation of Labour. , It was decided to publish pamphletsr setting out the aims and objects of the New Zealand Federation of Labour, to be distributed gratis among workers oi town and country. i A telegram from Mr Young, secretary of the Trades and Labour Council, lay formed tlie Conference that the Trades*, Council's executive would meet delegates" of the Federation of Labour at Christchurch on Monday next to confer on tha question of amalgamation. The follow* inpr were appointed to represent the Fed-f eration:—Messrs P. C. Webb, R. Sample, P H. Hickc-y, J. Glover. . The Conference concluded at 0 p.m. \ 'deputation representing the Federa*. tion is to wait on the Prime Mmisten and the Minister of Labour at H.3U o'clock to-morrow morning'.

THE WATEKSIDE^ES,

CHRISTCHURCH, Aug. 24. The annual conference of the Watet* side Workers' Federation concluded today. , ,_ Mr Jackson moved that steps should be'taken by the executive to bring about an alliance between the New Zealand Waterside Workers' Federation and tha Australian Water Workers' Federation' on the lines laid down at the previousconference. The matter was discussed in committee, and an amendment was carried that the executive of the Federation should keep the matter in view, and report to the next conference. The Auckland delegates submitted an[ extra remit in the form of an amendment bill to the Shipping and Seamen's W The proposed amendment providthat in the case of vessels not registered in New Zealand and having no registered office in the Dominion it should be deemed sufficient service of legal documents and claims if they were served on the master of the vessel or uponfirms acting as agents. out that at present in such cases ser-i vice had to be made in the country of re-is try and frequently hardship was caused' by delay in case of claims fop compensation. The remit was, adopted unanimously. ' Considerable discussion look place on the question of supporting a Labour, newspaper. Mr Legrove moved and Mr McCarthy seconded a motion that tha secretary of the Xew Zealand Waterside Workers' 'T.- e dc-ration be instructed to write to Mr T.aracy, and to the Weekly; Herald and any other Labour papery asking them to state definitely which pa-, per wpp to be made the Labour paper fori the Dominion. Mr Canham moved an amendment that the various be recommended to support more ener-i getieallv Labour papers already in existence in Xew Zealand. Mr Dowdalß seconded the amendment, and said thaft what was wanted was a Dominion LaV hour paner. not one run on local lines. —»■ The amendment was carried by 24 votes to 3. , ' It was decided by ballot that the executive of the Lvttelton Union should be* the executive ol' the Xew Zealand Water-.' side Workers' Federation for the ensuing

The election of officers was then pro-j ceoded with. Mr John Jackson (Grey* mouth) v.-as unanimously elected Presi-( dent Other officers were : Vice-Presi* dent Mr F. Lurch (Lvttelton) ; secret tary' Mr H. R. Voyce (Lytttelton) ; ,'„ r '„r m v Bait (Lvttelton) ; organising secretarv. Mr P. McLaren, M.P. • Tha question of the appointment of trustees} was left to the incoming executive tor deal with. , t It was decided after some discussion that the next conference should be hel* at Auckland.

AN AUSTRAIiIAH VISITOR. CH"niSTCHURCH. Aug. 25'. . Mr Tl. Ilollis, member of the Labouft party in the New South Wales Parlia-, •runt, and Hon. Sec. of the Locomotlvn Association of Australasia, is coming to New Zealand to assist the New Zealand Locomotive Association in perfecting ltd organisation TEH CSEOENE JUDGMENT- , Mil WALSH SPEAKS BOLDLY. •' (By Telc-praph—Frc=s Association—Copyright). LONDON, Au-. 24. Mr Walsh. iI.P.. spcakinc at Lindley, denounced the Osborne judgment a* disgraceful, and advised his constituents to defy the law. He himself was to undergo imprisonment for contempt* christian martyr.s underwent punishment and dentil, and similarly the Laboue movement would rise ennobled and purU tied from the persecution it was under* going. STRIKES SETTLED. NEW YORK, Aup. 2f, Receiver! A up. 25, 10.ir. p.m. The strike against the Sled Corpora. tion. involving- 7000 people in Pennsyl* vania. Ohio and Indiana,'will terminate on Saturday- It lias lasted eighteen months. AZ.I.EGED SWEATING. HOBART. Auir. 28. In the Assembly Mr Woods stated that ho knew of a girl (a dressmaker) in hei fourth year gettinz six shillings a week*

She worke.l four nights a week overtime ■without pay : had to buy her own rire■wood ; and when she was at home sick through overwork her pay was docked. .Another largo firm save I'ourpenee for tea money, whieh the employees -were compelled to purchase on the premises for sixpence. He regarded it as slow murder. BETS NOT l:l-V< iVKKABIYF. KVPXKY, Aug. l!o. received Ant,'. ::... s.;;o p.m. The Full i.'iiurt 10-day endorsed the decision given in a previous ease ten years ago that bets are not recoverable at law. syhxky. Aus. -i:>. Received At:;-. I'ti. 1 .'.(."> a.m. The Xcrlh Coast railway strike has been sealed, the men deciding M expel from the I'nion tlie six agitators ovei Whom the trouble occurred.