WATERSIDE WORKERS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 14283, 25 August 1910, Page 3

WATERSIDE WORKERS.

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE. At the annual Conference of the "Waterside Workers' Federation at Cliristchurch resolutions to the following effect were carried on Tuesday : That on the ground of safety better lighting should be provided in ships' holds. That in industries the Unions of whic,h are federated, the Court should have power to mako Dominion awards. That- the importation of labour under contract should bo prohibited, as there is no standard of wages iixed. That work on wharves should sease between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. on jive days, and cease at noon on Saturdays. That nets should be provided for all batches when left opeii to save men falling down the hold. That ail vessels should have perpendicular ladders from tiie holds to the deck, and direct to the deck, not through ventilators. That the Government should employ inspectors of all cargo gear, and that all gear be tested and stamped once a year; and should also appoint men employed in the work as check inspectors to draw the official's attention to any defect-s observed. That not more than one gang should be engaged shovelling coal in any hold unless there was space at least- 9ft. square for each man in the hold. That the .Arbitration Act should be amended to make the minimum age ; for joining Wuerside Workers' Unions twenty-one rears. 'THE 'TIMARU REMITS.

Mr Hartley moved Limb the Government he to redut. o tJio number required to start a, Union from lo to 7, the original number, Mr liartlev I explained that in Timaru considerable difficulty had been experij enccd in. forming unions, owing to the j iact that nuclei* the Act as at present standing, liiteen members had to bo enrolled heiore a union could be constituted. _ TJjo proposed alteration would reinstate seven as the number. A delegate stated that the matter had been brought lorward hist year, and the Minister oi' Labour, on being approached on the subject, had stated that there was no prospect oi the alteration being made, as ho considered that if fifteen members could nut be L'ofc, it was hardly worth while starting 5 a union. J.lie remit was adopted unanimously. - was withdrawn, having already been covered bv another remit fcjo also were Xos. -1, and 6. The third remit was:—"That the conference draw the attention of the [ Minister of Labour to the inconveni- | ence that men are subjected to through I jiuskSj "wood shavings, sawdust, etc., i being used as dunnage for bag stuff." Ihe remit was carried, a- remark being made that as soon as the attention ot the .Minister was drawn to the matwould almost certainly be reetiNo. o—"That the attention of the conference be drawn to the necessitv, in working in connection witli free-King chambers, for altering the temperature ir-om ide". to 12deg. above zero in ship» fitted with the Haslam system, and from f2deg. to fudeg. above zero in "vessels fitted w:th other systems.The 1 emit v, as supported by statements as to the hardship of working at low temperatures, especially in alternation with tho handling of ordinary ear'>'o and it was asserted that temperatures so low as were usually kept were not required to he maintained while the cargo was being stowed. The remit »a* adopted, but a. delegate remarked "'i 4 "'"eh could be done in this connection until a colonial award was obtained. Ko. 7—' That the attention of employers bo drawn to the danger men aic in when beams are left on hatches Sear is bcaig used." Th@ conference was unanimous in its condemnation o! the present system of working rom hatches from which all the Ueams «ere not removed, tJie beams being uniasteiied. It was said that- accidents were frequently due to baskets slings of cargo or hooks catching in the beams and either .spilling WJ .,| ~ r dropping the beams or hatch-covers down 10 , to the extreme dau-er of the men working below. Kxcent- in case of steamers l<;:ui: n - n-iiU™. t » { ' ""lien it was del;-' ]' as lll , tle oi'cn space as poss.ble in order to keep the temperature down, it appeared that the onlv reason why the beams were left on was to iaeilitate despatch of the steamer ' except in a few instances, where the

hnleh was left partly covered to keep out- Ihe rain. A n amendment was moved bv Mr Voyce as follows: "Tl.nl it be 'a recommendation to tie l various urnnns to hare inserted i n th?ir u<*xt„- nwnrd.-. the following ch'iu-so-. : 'Thnt men shall not be compelled to work belo"'- -?.-her* any beams or hatches are left en unless there is a clear -snaes of at least feet between the edtze ---f the sling and the coamings or beam. - ' Ihe amendment v.-,-?.- earned. A." i-onie of the delegates urged that the motion,. which had been defeated, should ho passed in addition ti> the amendment-, the president instructed that it- should be moved again after the remits oil the order paper had all been disposed of. >■o. B—"That8 —"That attention be drawn to the fact that this Union desires that all men employed in connection -with loading or discharging vessels on the various wharves in the dominion should be compelled to join the I'tiion." M.r Bartley, in moving the adoption of the remit, stated that, if was intended to bring tally-clerks and railway employees into the union, so that there should be no discrepancy and eoiweqimnt- friction 1/elween them and the members of the unions. .. Oil the suggestion of Mr Lovegmve tiie remit was altered to read: "That all casual workers employed in connection with loading or discharging vessels on tile various wharves, in 1 lie dominion should be compelled to become members of the waterside workers' unions." Air Jackson (\\ estport) then moved the tollowmg amendment: "That no casual worker should be exempted from the operation of an award "or agreement oti the waterside merely because he is a tally-clerk or an emolovee of the .Railway Department.'' This 1 amendment was carried, j Ihe chairman stated thai one mere day would probably finish the work of the session.

ARCADE,