CONCILIATION BOARD.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7202, 13 September 1901, Page 3

CONCILIATION BOARD.

THE DRIVERS' DISPUTE. I The Conciliation Board met this morning to consider a dispute referred to it by :he Canterbury Drivers' Union. Mr A. H. Turn-bull (chairman) presided, and there were also present Messrs C. Taylor, W. Newton, T. Gapes, and A. Palmer. The Union was represented by Messrs W. J. Palmer and H. W. Wise. It was announced that no delegates had been appointed to represent, the employers, and that each oce cited would appear for himself. The Union asks for 44 hours as a. week's work, exclusive of necessary attendance on horses ; a minimum wage for drivers of two i horses of £2 10s a week, and drivers of one , horse £2 5s ai week, and for horse drivers of fire engines 17s 6d> a week to be paid ie j addition to ordinary wages ; casual labour to be paid not less than Is 3d an hour, or 9s a, day ; employers to pay alt men full wages for the usual holidays, aaid all work of a compulsory nature on any of these days to be paid for at the rate of 1» a hour in addition to ordinary wages; drivers! of picnic | parties, etc., to receive 103 a day, in addi- j ; tion to their ordinary wages ; no man to be in the stable more than one hour before the appointed itime for starting work, or half an hour after he has finished Ihis day's work ; all drivers to be allowed one hour for dinner ; in all stables where fifteen or more horses are kept, a. stableman to be employed ; preference to be given to Unionists ; employers ito keep a list of drivers employed and wages paid. Mr J. M. Taylor, on behalf of the City Council, asked that that body should be exempted from <the proceedings. He said there were many reasons why the Council should not come under the: recommendations or award. For one thing, the Council's employees were in much the same position as Civil Servant?. It granted its own holidays, giving concessions. If it> was compelled to accede to the demands, it would have to withhold those concessions, and the men themselves would suffer. The Council treated its servants in a different manner from that generally adopted by private individuals, especially in regard to those who had reached an old age. There was much to be said in favour of local bodies being exempt. He mentioned that on holidays sometimes the Council's employees had to start early in the morning to water the streets. The Chairmain said that there was a good deal of commonsense in what Mr Taylor had said, and the Board would consider the matter. At the same 'time, the Board would, to a certain extent, have to be guided 'byi the action of the Durcdin Board, which had included the Dunedin City Council in its recommendation in a similar case. Mr Taylor said that the cases were different, as the Dunedin Council did nob employ drivers j it had only two horses, its work being done by contract. Mr Palmer, on behalf of the Union, objected to th« Council being exempted. The hearing of the dispute was then proceeded with. The first case was that against Messrs J. M. Heywood and Co., who were represented by Mr A. Smith. Mr Smith said, thtut his firm had no dispute with its mien. The Chairman suggested that some arrangement might bo come to. Mr Wise said that the Union had approached the Masters' Association, bub as it had refused to meet the demands of the Union, the latter thought that the only course was to take the dispute to the* Board. The Union could not depart from its demands. It was stated that the Drivers' Employers' Association had been quite willing to meet the Union. The Chairman said that no conference had been held, and the Board thought that such a course should have been taken before the present proceedings were commenced. An attempt should have been made to bring about an amicable settlement. If there was any prospect of the parties coming to an arrangement, the Court would adjourn for a week, if necessary, to allow of a conference being held. Mr W. Enaom, representing the New Zealand Express Co., speaking on behalf of >the Matters' Association* said that it would be preferable to let the matter go by default, us far as the Board was concerned. He did not blame the Union, bub the dispute had so far been conducted in a very unbusinesslike manner. The masters invited proposals from the Union, but it did not send any in. The firm he represented, at any rate, had come to the conclusion that db would nob appear before the Board to argue the matter. It preferred to let 'the matter go by default before the Board and go on with it before the Arbitration Court. The Chairman said that Mr Ensom's firm was not acting in a very conciliatory ypirit. If all the other employers held the same opinion, and did nob want a conference, and would not take p:iTt in one, the only course was tr> go on with 'the case. At the same time it could not be said thait the Board had nob offered the parties every opportunity to come to an arrangement. Mr Ensom said that, at a meeting of masters, it had been decided unanimously that the preferable way would be to let the matter go by default before the Board. The masters did not desire to express any feeling of antagonism. His firm dn Dunedin had come to an amicable arrangement with the Union there. As a- matter of policy and business, however, they preferred that > the matter should not be argued before that 1 Board. ( Mr Wise said that as the whole aim of [ the masters, according to the l:ist speaker, 1 Avas to take the matter to the Court, there did not Mfin to be much good ; in holding a conference. Mr J. Blake said, on behalf of the master bakers, that it had been unanimously decided that the. Union's claims were ridiculous in the* extrane. Tho Chairman said that that might be so, but had the master bakers suggested anything which would be reasonable ? Mr Blake saiid that the proposals had been rejected in toto. Mr W. Hill, wool scourer, asked that he should b? exempted. Tha Arbitration Court had refused to make an award affecting trades dealing with wool, in consequence of the state of the wool market, and an award in this case would affect other branches vi his business dealing with wool. i The Chairman said that the application would be considered. After some fliscuesion, in regard to bringing the proceedings before the Board, the Chairman said that a great deal of the delay which had occurred was owing to tho discourtesy of the- employers, in not submitting conditions or agreeing to a conference. Mr Smith said that there bad not been any discourtesy so far as he was concerned. The Union was to blame. The Chairman- said that he blamed the Union, but the employers were also- to blame for not submitting conditions. Mr Smith said that thsy did do so. The Chairman said that there was nothing to show it. In reply to the Chairman, Mr Palmer said that the Union was not willing ti> accept the Dunedin award. When the case against Messrs Hr-yvcocl arrl Co. was commenced again, Mr Smith said th.it lie lwcl no witnesses to call, and would Ist the case po by default. The cass ajjainst P. Allan, Linwood, was called, and he said that he, too, would let it go by default. There was no appearance of R. Allen, Ricearton Mill. When the nam* of the St Albans Bnvough Council was called, Mr Palmer stated that it had written accepting the Union's conditions. Mr R. M'Dougall, of MffM-s Auisebrook and Co., said that he would accept the Dunedin award. At noon the Board adjourned to triable a conference to be held between the representatives of the Union and those masters who desired to m?et them. On resuming, Mr Palmer ml-A- j 0 progress had been made.