MARITIME COUNCIL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6848, 9 May 1890, Page 4

MARITIME COUNCIL.

HALF-YEARLY MEETING.

[Pmr Press Association.]

WELLINGTON, Mat 8. The half-yearly meeting of the Maritime Council was opened to-day ; the delegates present being — Messrs D. P. Fisher (President), and P. Brown of Lyttelton, representing the Federated Wharf Labourers' Union; J. A. Miller (Secretary) and J. Gibb, of the Dunedin Seamen's Union; and J. Anseli, representing the West Coast miners.

The morning was taken up with the transaction of formal bnsiness, and in the afternoon rules were drawn up to guide the Council in the case of bodies applying to be affiliated with the Council. A long discussion also took place as to what bodies could be directly affiliated with the Mari- : time Council, but no decision was arrived , at. Five applications were received for affiliation, viz.: From the Federated Wharf , Carters', Expressmen's and Storemen'a Union 3; the Mercantile Marine Officers' . Association ; and the Cooks' and Stewards' Union. The Council were inclined to accept these applications, and they were referred to the affiliated bodies for confir- ; mation. The order paper for the session contains a proposal for the amalgamation of all the labour organisations of the Colony under one body, the idea being that . the Trades and Labour Councils of the . Colony, and the bodies affiliated to the Maritime Council shall send delegates to the new controlling body, which will be able to exercise much more influence and power than the present existiug Association can separately wield. Consideration of this question, however, will be deferred until Mr J. Thomas, the other delegate of the miners, arrives. A letter was received from the Secretary of the Trades and Labour CounciJ, Christchurch, with reference to the dispute between the Typographical Society and Messrs Whitcombe and Tombs. Members came to the conclusion that the Society's demands were perfectly just, and a resolution was passed expressing sympathy with the Society, and undertaking to do all in the Council's : power to assist it. It was also decided to forward a copy of the resolution to the various bodies associated with the Maritime Council, asking them to take what steps they thought fit to give effect to the motion. A discussion was entered into on • the subject of the strike which has taken place among the miners at Shag Point colliery, and the Secretary was ordered to •wire to the General Secretary of the Coal- . miners' Association, requesting him to send a delegate to enquire into the trouble . at once. The members present thought the men had been somewhat too hasty in their action, and it was resolved to telegraph to them, advising them to resume work pending investigations being made. The sittings of the Council are expected to last about a week. I