PRINTERS DISSATISFIED

Stratford Evening Post, Volume IV, Issue 223, 1 September 1936, Page 5

PRINTERS DISSATISFIED

NO CONFIDENCE IN COURT Request For Conference With Employers. ! DEPUTATION TO MINISTER. . . , j " ytiom -iOi ,;' ■ , : ,1 . t j ljf | Association—-Copyright •" Wellington, To-day. . Following a largely-attended stop-work meeting of representatives of the printing trade in Wellington this morning, practically the whole meeting marched to Parliament and assembled before the steps of the main entrance. Mr. C. H. Chapman, M.P., president of the New Zealand Printing Trades Federation of Workers, Mr. K. McL. Baxter, secretary, and Mr. W. A. Baker, vice-president of the Wellington Union, went as a deputation to the Minister of Labour, the Hon. H. i T. Armstrong, who had two resolu-1 tions placed before him. One resolution expressed lack of | confidence in the ability of an Arbitra-1 tion Court Judge to determine the j hours to be worked by employees in the printing industry, and because of lack of confidence in the Court, that the Federation Executive be asked to withdraw the New Zealand Printing and Related Trades dispute from the Conciliation Court and Arbitration Court.

Another resolution instructed the executive of the union to open negotiations with the Minister with a view to arranging a conference of employers and employees for the purpose of bringing wages and conditions into line with conditions prevailing in the majority of secondary industries in the Dominion.

Mr. Chapman stated that the Minister carefully investigated the matter and undertook to arrange a conference as soon as possible. Childish. Mr. Armstrong, in an interview following the printers' deputation, declared the resolution of no confidence in the Arbitration Court to be childish. It is a wonder," he said, "they did not think of that before they submitted their case to the Court. I am an old-time industrial unionist with a pretty wide experience, and I can only term the resolution childish. More than that, the Wellington branch is part of the National Federation, and to pass a resolution of that kind without first consulting the National organisation seems to me to be an act,of disloyalty to its own body.

"What was the object of the demonstration? Why march particularly to Parliament Buildings, where their own friends are in control?..!f it was not a demonstration against the Government, then it was the act of madmen."

The Minister explained that on the previous afternoon he had discussed matters with the employers of the printing trade and was assured by them that they would he quite willing to meet the men either in the Conciliation Council or out of it. He met the men's representatives in the evening and told them of this undertaking, which he confirmed by telegraphing one of the employers' representatives during this interview. Mr. Armstrong declared that he could not understand the resolutions of this morning's stop-work meeting, when they knew of the conference. They demanded actually what had been arranged the day before.