DRIVERS' DISPUTE.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 872, 25 November 1916, Page 10

DRIVERS' DISPUTE.

MINISTER CONVENES CONFERENCE. PROSPECTS MUCH BRIGHTER. HOSTILITIES TO BE SUSPENDED. Press Association. WELLINGTON, November 24. The following official statement was issued by the Drivers' Federa-j tion late this afternoon: — I '•Representatives of the Drivers'! Federation met the Hon. W. H. Her- J ries, Acting-Minister of Labour, this] morning and the Minister gave a definite assurance that he would convene a compulsory conference of the contending parlies in the drivers'! dispute to be held at Wellington on! Tuesday morning. The Minister agreed also that the matter must be! treated on a Dominion basis, and that; all offers must be made officially to the Drivers' Federation at Welling-! ton. I "In view of the assurances given I l>v Ihe Minister the Drivers' Federation agreed to suspend hostilities until after the conference on Tuesday. "it has been alleged that an offer of 10 per cent, increase on the minimum award rate has been made to j the local Drivers' Union. This is not | true, but an olfer of 10 per cent, was j made to drivers in a local stable, and' rejected. The action of the employ-! ers in endeavouring to get behind the respective unions is bitterly re-1 sen ted and is not likely to further conciliatory measures. "The Drivers' Federation is very firm in its claim of £3 per week as a living wage for one-horse drivers, j "In the meantime the Auckland and all other Drivers' Unions will, continue their work until further: notice. * % "Mr Herries has agreed that in the event of an agreement being reached on Tuesday it shall operate as from Monday morning." INACCURATE STATEMENTS. THE MINISTER EXPLAINS. Press Association. WELLINGTON, November 2A. The following statement regarding certain inaccuracies in an account furnished by representatives of the drivers in his interview with them was made by the Minister of Labour (Hon. W. H. Hemes) to-night:-"I note tiiat in a report appearing in the evening papers of the meeting I had with representatives of the Drivers' Union one or two mistakes occur, doubtless due to misunderstanding that should be cleared. I was not in any way responsible for that report, nor was I aware that any report would be furnished to the newspapers, as I considered the whole interview as a confidential one. "The conference is not a compulsory one, as the Government have no power to compel anyone. Employers assured me that if at any time tiie Government called a conference they would be glad to attend. I mentioned this to representatives of the union, so that I cannot understand the term 'compulsory' being used. "The expression, 'the matter must be treated on a Dominion basis' refers to attendance at the conference, | which I intend to be on a Dominion basis, consisting of representatives of all who are affected by a Dominion award who care to be represented. The term 'Dominion basis' does not I refer to the agreement which may be I arrived at, as I wish to leave the j conference entirely unfettered, free i to make any agreement it may think I lit as long as tne matter is settled. "With reference lo the remark about offers coming through the union, that does not apply to offers to be made at the conference, which must be made, as usual, through the chairman. The expression in the report arises, 1 presume, from an opinion which 1 expressed, and which I still hold, that all offers of bonus or increased pay which have been recently made would have been belter made through officials of the 'union concerned than direct to the ;mcn. My desire in calling the conj ference is to get employers and men together to thrash out their differences and arrive at an amicable solui lion of the cpieslion, which to me does not seem at all insoluble pro- | vided both parlies approach it in a 1 spirit of give and take."

ACTION BY THE MAYOR. LETTER TO MINISTER OF LABOUR. In view of the extreme gravity of the situation, and his desire to j prevent an industrial conflict at this time, the Mayor has despatched the following letter to the Hon. W. H. j Denies, Acting-Minister of Labour: 1 Dear Sir, —I am much concerned about the possibility of a strike amongst the drivers. I sincerely hope the Government will leave no stone unturned to avoid such a contingency. A strike in time of peace is bad enough, but just now, when we all want to concentrate our energies on the prosecution of the war, a strike would be a national calamity.! i am glad to see that you are taking the matter in hand, and hope that you will be successful. I understand that labour Is demanding an increase of £20,000 per annum. This really represents nothing compared with the cost to the State, to the employers, and to the employees in the event of a strike, and the detrimental effect it would have upon the Dominion's share in the proseculi n of the war.—Yours, faithfully, H. HOLLAND, Mayor. BOTH SIDES RESTLESS. CONFERENCE ANXIOUSLY AWAITED. A feeling of restlessness is apparent in the city to-day among employers of drivers and among their men, and grave anxiety exists concerning the outcome of the conference convened by the Government. It is safe to say that neither side will be surprised should trouble eventuate, despite the effort that is being made to avert it. It is equally true that a successful issue of the conference would be welcomed with intense relief. One employer, who was obviously impressed with the gravity of the situation, said that both sides should

be prepared to make substantial sacrifices to prevent trouble, as any dislocation of New Zealand industries would be felt by the boys in the trenches, and they, he added, should be the first consideration of everyone at n^niie. What adds to the seriousness of the position is the possible attitude of, the miners and waterside workers, as a strike involving these workers would affect practically every industry in the Dominion. A number of rank-and-file drivers seen expressed it as their opinion that the men were much more keenly interested and solid than was the case at the time of the 1913 strike. On this occasion, said The Sun's informants, they are directly interested. It is their own industry and their own wages that are affected; whereas in 1913 it was merely their sympathy for other workers that was appealed to. Their criticism of the Arbitration Court's award was of the most vigorous nature, and they were evidently smarting under a sense of injustice. One man said that he thought the time was opportune for a strike, as the Christmas trade was coming on, shearing was in progress, harvesting was coming on, and a great many men had left the country. This, however, docs not reflect the general tone of the men, who plainly asserted their preference for a peaceful settlement, and deprecated strike talk. A hopeful sign is the fact that •rrpinion among the Trades Hall tarics is that there will be no strike, | and that the position will he adjusted. The position may be summed up this way: Both sides are really desirous of peace, and will make some sacrifice to preserve it; but both are prepared to fight rather than to surrender too much.