MINING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6125, 11 March 1898, Page 4

MINING.

[Per Preps Association.! AUCKLAND, March 9. During last month the Waitekauri Company crushed and treated 1730 tona of ore for bullion valued at .£5486. INDUSTRIAL ASSOCIATION OF CANTERBURY. « A meeting of the Industrial Association. of Canterbury was held last evening ; present— Messrs J. A. Frostrick (chairman), A. Q-. Howland, J. Buchanan, H. B. Kirk, Captain M'Clatchie, W. Cogan, K. C. Bishop, B. Smith, W. W. Charters, J. Maddren, J. L. Scott, A. W. Beaven and W. Eollitt. It wns resolved that the suggestion of the Canterbury College authorities, that the age for the Association scholarships should be raised from eighteen to twenty-one years, should be approved, and -• ilnspeojor Wood was appointed examiner. The Parliamentary Committee reported • as follows :— ln reviewing the practical y • -working* of the Industrial Conciliation and ';".-' Act, we consider that, the title „-'7' of -the Act, instead of reading "An Act to. "encourage the formation of Industrial ! arid* Associations and to facilitate tte settlement of industrial disputes," should be altered to read "An Act to facilitate the settlement of industrial disputes." After considering the manner in which, the Act has worked during the last two years, your committee consider that a change in the constitution and powers of the Conciliation Board? should be made. They suggest that the Board should be enlarged so that experts in all the larger branches of industry should be included on it; that it should consist of twenty-four employers and twenty-four employes, who -hall be severally balloted for and elected by the whole of the persons engaged in the .various trades ; and in view of the great expense to the country of the Conciliation Boards as at present constituted, they believe these forty-eight -nen should give their services freely to the community. We suggest that when any -dispute arises and the aid of the Board is called upon, the Board shall meet and select from their number the employer and employe most conversant and expert on the matter in dispute, and also the chairman, who shall preside during the time this particular dispute is being arranged. The parties in dispute shall also elect each ' a person from the members of the Board, and these five men shall, after hearing the case, deliver their award, which shall be compulsory upon the members of the trade in dispute. Power of appeal to the Arbitration Court shall remain with either party > . in the dispute if he is not satisfied with the award of the Board; but this appeal •shall only be on that portion of the Conciliation Board's award that may not have been accepted by the parties to the dispute, and evidence on those matters only ' "shall be taken by the Court. The committee have not been able to go into all the clauses, of the Act, and have dealt only in ""preceding resolutions with two matters of - principle, whiqh, in their opinion, most detract from the efficient working of the Act; they propose, therefore, that a committee of six, drawn from different trades of Christchurch, be appointed to act with \ this committee, and that' the enlarged committee revise the clauses of the Act, so as to make suggestions which would make the Act more equal and efficient in its working ; this committee to report to the committee of the Industrial Association, and their report, a^ter revision, to be forwarded to the Industrial Corporation, with instructions that they use their best endeavours to place the same on the Statute Book. The six gentlemen to be added to the subcommittee, your committee moves shall be Messrs E. C. Brown, Greig, Gapes, Whitcombe, Hirons and Coles. The report was received and adopted. ■■ The Chairman of the Kegis .ration '■-■ Committee reported that the Government had been applied to for a list et factories in Canterbury, which had been supplied. Forms had also been printed and a sub-committee appointed for the purpose would take them round to the factories for filling in, with a view to ascertaining the number of hands eraployed, amount of wages paid annually, the annual value of local products used, the effect of the Customs tariff on their , trade, suggestions for improving trade by alteration of the tariff, reductions in railway rates, or otherwise, and the effect of foreign competition. The subcommittee will enter these in a book kept for the purpose, and at the end of the year the- results will be condensed into an annual report. The report was adopted. Messrs W. Horn and W. Foster were elected members of the Association. It was suggested that the accumulated funds of the Society, amounting to ,£2OOO, should be placed in the hands of trustees to lend out on freehold security, but it tvas decided that the money should remain in the Po3t Office Savings Bank. Mr Scott moved that any members of the Association who • should visit Dunedin during the approaching exhibition should be delegates to meet the Dunedin manufacturers to assist in forming an Industrial Association foi ' Dunedin. Mr Smith seconded the motiou which was carried. It was resolved tc send copies of the Times and Presi containing reports of the proceeding*; of the Association to kindred Associations, with a request that thej should reciprocate. It was agreed tha the next general meeting should bo held in April, and thereafter at regular periods f . every three months.