TRADES AND LABOUR COUNCIL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9675, 18 October 1909, Page 2

TRADES AND LABOUR COUNCIL.

■ » — An ordinary meeting of the Canterbury Trades and Labour Council was held on Saturday, the president (Mr E. Howard) "in, the chair. ?. New delegates Were received from the Curriers' and Wicker and Rattan Workers'. Unions. A letter was received from the New Zealand Executive of Trades and Labour Councils, stating that the date of the annual conference had been fixed for October 25. Mr A. W. Hogg, M.P., wrote, thanking the Council! -for the, attention paid him during his visit in Ghristchurch. A letter was received from the Wellington Cooks and Waiters' Union, stating that the four Hotel Employees' Unions in the dominion were arranging a •deputation to wait on the Minister of Labdur on Saturday, October 23, to lay before him the need of legislation providing for a" "six-day week" for all hotel and restaurant workers, and asking that the Council should elect a member to represent it on; the deputation. • • r The president was appointed to represent the Council, and a resolution was carried—" That the Wellington* Cooks and Waiters' Union be written to, pointing out the exact position that exists between this. Council and the Canterbury Hotel Employees' Union." Messrs Sullivan and iScroyd were appointed auditors of the Labour Day ricnic accounts. •,,•■ , '. , The delegates from the* Council end Unions brought up the question of the value of the Technioai ; College to all who chose to take advantage of it, and urged the Council to do its utmost to further the objects for which- ; the Cpllege was founded. Itwas resolved— "That the Unions be communicated with, pointing out the advantages to be gained by attending the Technical College, and that .they consider the advisability of giving it financial assistance." . . , , Mr A. D. Hart was appointed convenor of the Bills Committee. • The secretary was instructed to thank Mr T. H. Davey; .M.P., for* Government returns sent by him to Abe Council. . • ;'■. The executive's report, which wast adopted, recommended that the following manifesto should be forwarded to the Unions: — ; . . Fellow-unionists,— The Tecent secession of a number of Unions from the j Canterbury Trades and' Labour Council has been the oocasioii of grave concern to all those who are interested r t& | the cause of labour in this province. With the hope of inducing reconsideration of this serious step on the part of those Unions who have already withdrawn, we bespeak your earnest and sympathetic attention for the facts and statements contained in this manifesto: The continued progress of the secession movement is fraught with the possibility of the -complete wreckage of organised labour iii Canterbury, and whatever differences of opinion maj exist regarding the value of those concessions obtained by Labour in the past, there can be no division regarding aH that has yet to. be accomplished before Labour has attained to its rightful place in the world of industry and the' councils of the State. We are justified in looking to the past as a guide to the possibilities of the future, »and we. boldly venture the opinion that a review of the achievements of the Canterbury Council, wilt inspire the conviction that if the affiliated unions will remain loyal and maintain the Council in its integrity it is destined to play a great artd nobli part in the realisation of Labour s ideal. In the brief space and limited time at our disposal it is impossible to recapitulate all that has been done in the past, but we might mention the recent amendments to the Arbitration Act. Unionists ./will remember that, as originally brought before Parliament , in 1906, the amending Bill contained l several objectionable features, which • the active energy of the Council was i instrumental in getting eliminated. . viz., "The needs and exertion wage, / . "restrictions on officers of Unions, 1 "the issue of permits," and "the-ax- ' cessive penalties for strikes/ etc. The , Council has taken an active interest m , the question i of , technical education, i and upon its initiative the funds collected for a Scddon memorial were ■ donated to the erection of a handsome Technical College, that will prove to the advantage of the children the workers. A lew weeks ago the Council • set up a committee to cope with the unemployed problem in Christchurch, t and besides inducing members of Parliament and local bodies to take action, succeeded in raisiug a sum of £136 for the assistance of our unfortunate fel- ( low-workers. In reference to the' same question, we might point out that, through its . representative on the Citizens' Committpe, the Council succeeded, in the face of ' considerable opposition, in maintaining the x wage for relief works at a minimum of 8s per day.; The existence of many Unions 1 in Canterbury, organised as they have 'been by the Trades Council officers, is a monument to the Council's devotion '■ to the cause of trades unionism, and last, i but not least, we point to our splendid haM, the home of labour, un- ' surpassed by any trades hall in the » dominion. We repeat that much re- : mains to be done. Several classes of > workers are still unorganised. Many men still labour under conditions that preclude the possibility of > living a de--1 cent human? life, with long hours and " insufficient remuneration. The forces > opposed to Labour are more solidly • organised, and consequently ; more aggressive, than at any. period for a long " time past. If the disintegration of. the ■ Trades and Labour Council is brought 1 about by the withdrawal of Unions it ' is futile to expect that a host of dis- • organised Unions will have any influ- ; ence cither upon public opinion or ' upon the Government of the day. In a spirit of brotherhood and animated '. by a desire to maintain and further the solidarity of Labour in the Canterbury province, we appeal for a wider tolera--1 tion of opposing opinions to those 1 Unions within the Council to continue I their affiliation, and to those who have already withdrawn to reconsider their decision.