ORIGIN OF THE DISPUTE.

Taranaki Herald, Volume L, Issue 12254, 13 May 1903, Page 7

ORIGIN OF THE DISPUTE.

AFFILIATION WITH THE TRADES' HALL.

The trouble in connection with the Victorian railways arose through the action of the Locomotive FnoineIrivers and Firemen's Associ.-in m in affiliating, in January last, with the trades' Hull. In view of the t.'isconumt- known to exist umonyst tuc nu:n of the railway service in consequence of t hW Government's retrenchment policy, this step was viewed with suspicion by the Government, and attention was immediately drawn to the fact that th© Amalgamated Society of Luilway Employees, the Victorian Railways Daily-Paid Employees' Union, *md the Carriage Builders' Society wore; also affiliated with the Trades' Hall. The result was that on January I'.Uh the Commissioner of, Railways issiu^d t* notification stating that "any affiliation or other connection, cither dirjct or indirect, of any body or association of railway employees with tho | Trades' Hall Council, or with any other body, society, or union which takes an active interest in politics is directly opposed to the purpose and .spirit of regulation No. 32, which enacts that 'No employee shall be a member of a political association of any kind." " The unions were accordingly instructed to take the necessary steps to sever their connection with the Trades' Hall. This they wi-re disjnclined to do, and for a while the matter was left in abeyance ; but last month they were again called upon by the Government to withdraw. This the four societies have formally refused to do, contending that the Trades' Hall is not a political association-. The. Government, in reply, informed each of the forty members of the oxecutives of the four unions that unless-, they obeyed the ultimatum before the 12th inst. they would be summarily dismissed from the sei'vice. Meanwhile Parliament was summoned to meet to-day (13th inst.) to d.al with the situation.