PASSING IT ON.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCIV, Issue 14658, 27 January 1912, Page 3

PASSING IT ON.

INCREASED WAGES FOR CARGO ' .WORK. [ I "HOBSOVS CHOICE." I i For the first time since it was tiiiu- j od, sealed, and delivered, the agii-e----niont come to between the shipowners ; and the wharf labourers was tritu.-i.-v-i publicly at the mooting of the Wellington Harbour Board on Thursday, and some of the criticism was adverse. \ ■ Tii« chairman intimated simply ih,.t he had receive! a communication from ! the Wellington Wharf LalxmroiV Vn- \ ion iorwiudi-ig a topy of the ipco- ; | ment arrived at between iho r\ew j Zealand Federation of Labour and ] tho employers, and asking fa.vouiv.blo j consideration thereto. ! Mr 1-1. C. Tewsloy: Where rs tLo Arbitration Court The chairman: I don't know any-• thing about the Arbitration Court. i Mr Hind-marsh: The only tiling 10 j do is to fall in with the otlisr cm- j ployers. Mr Jones moved that- tho au'ree- ! ment ho accepted. The only .ilterna- ; tivo to this -was to causo en ir.<'-vs- I trial upheaval. Mr Hindimirsh seconded the motion. Mr Cohen : Wo arc not in the same position as other employers. They are ia the fortunate position of being able i to pass on the charges. We have to j find the money, and after all we must j pass it on, too, to the unfortunate consumer. ! The Chairman: The first intimation I that the Board had that it would ha called into this question was a memo from Mr Kennedy, of the Union G re- ! pan", saying that a- conference was j sitting. The Board was is-rvor asked | to send a representative. The trouble j starred first at Timarii; it spread to Lyttelton; and a conference was held at Dunodin. That conference was ad- | journed to Wellington, and the Board \ had no intimation from either fide to be represented at the conference. It appeared to hini that, see.ng that the Board was .a very much interested party, the other parties should have had the courtesy to invite some representative to be present. Tho Board employed men sometimes to the number of from SOU to SOO, and they had t never been consulted. Now the 6hip- I ping firms were very anxious to have , the matter settled. He supposed their j hands had been forced, as the Board .s j would he forced. It was a case of i Hobsnii's choice. The matter was such \ a serious one that it would cause the ; Board to amend its policy. As a mat- •: tor of fact, he was going to ask the : Board to reimpose the charges remit- | ted last month. The increased rates ! would cost the Board .about £6OOO ncr annum. The Board must pay it. The > ships would have to pay some of it in 1 turu,_ and the consignees some of it, and in the end tho general public ' would have to pay the lot. i Later in the meeting the Chairman ' gave notir-p of motion that the re=iln- I tion remitting some £7OOO in dues, i passed on November 27th. be rescind- i eel. This, he explained, was rendered ! necessary by the new agreement, winch ' would entail an extra exnendlture of ' some i'fJOOO on the Board." j