LABOUR, ETC.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2775, 12 February 1895, Page 1

LABOUR, ETC.

Sydnby, Feb. 8,

A conference of labour delegates held to consider the unemployed question, decided to urge the Government to push on necessary public work, to introduce the State farm system, and to establish irrigation farms. Meetings are being arranged throughout the colony to endorse these resolutions.

Feb. 9,

The Greta miners declare that the action of the Delegate Board in declaring the strike off was a cowardly desertion of the uuemployed men. The management of the mine offered to employ the old hands if they applied individually, but would not recognise them as a lodge. The terms offered by the management involved such a large reduction in rates that the men rejected them aud have decided to staud firm as a lodge and await developments. Mobart, Feb. 8.

The Mining Conference has adopted a resolution in favor of a minimum wage being legalised. The rates proposed are 7s for surface, and 8s for underground work per day. The Conference also recommends that holders of miners' rights shall be granted the franchise,

Wellington, Feb. 8. A deputation from the Trades Council interviewed the Premier on several questions. They ppiuted out the depression amongst the boiler-makers, and said that of 35 men on the books of the Boiler-makers' Union only two were in employment. They attributed this, in a large measure, to maohinery being imported free of duty. They asked that a clause be inserted in the Government contracts that contractors pay the ruling rate of wages. The question of boy labor, too, was a sore point, and the deputation declared that the tra ie and labour councils in the colony intended to make this a burning question at the next election. What they wanted was a Masters' and Apprentices' Act.

Mr Seddon said that New Zealand was more of an agricultural thau a manufacturing country, and that if there was an excess in the market of certain artisans then the latter must look for some, other sort of employment. It would not be fair that the Government should have to provide for them. He denied that the depression in the class of trade under notice was due to duty-free machinery. The Government could not be expected to legistate only for one class; they had the colony to look to. As to putting a clause in the Government contracts, he said that there would be a difficulty in the way, ajad he thought it would not be fajr,' AH that the Government could aak was that the work be carried out efficiently and in terms of the. specifications. As to boy labor, ha reminded the deputation that thay must not ask for too much, A good deal of the labor legislation had been done in the last few yeaw, and if it was to go on there wight be a reaction, detrimental to. the interests of the men themselvei, He w- 8 prepared to hear the dewa.nd» Of the men, and if compatible w i*h t»ie interests of the colony the Government would consider the matter. The co-operative works, such as carpentering, etc., bad been bo successful that the Government were thinking of trying the system iu connection with bridge-building. On the question of the tariff he could only refer the deputation to the Tariff Commission now sitting. Replying to the Trades and Labor Council deputatiou the Premier said that as regarded the conditions inserted iu Government contracts the specifications wore based on the current rate of wages being paid, and they had done away with sub-coutractiug. The conditions were in fact the same ai those of the London County Couucil. The Government could not dictate to contractors what class of labour should be employed. Iu the case of the receut lighthouse contract there was a diiiorouce of nearly 50 per cent, between the prices quoted iu tho tenders of Wellington farms and the tender accepted, and yet there was only £4O between this tender and tho next lowest tender. It | was not, therefore, to be wondered at that the Wellington boiler manufacturers were not iu a position to give their men work. The Government were not to bo blamed for this. Their estimates were J baaed on tho curreut rate of wages, and i it was invariably the rule to refuse all 1 touders that wore 33 per cent, below tho engineers' estimates, because the Government did not want their work done at an unfair rate.