WATERSIDERS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16323, 12 January 1921, Page 4

WATERSIDERS.

EMPLOYERS’ OFFER OF BONUS [Per Press Association. 3 AUCKLAND, January 11. A stop-work meeting of the Auckland Waterside Workers’ Union was held this morning to consider an offer made by the employers in the Dominion generally to delegates of unions on the subject of the November cost of living bonus. When the Arbitration Court gave its decision of 3s a week, working out at id per hour, the Watersiders’ Federation, which is not registered under the Arbitration Act, made a demand for a similar bonus, which was considered by delegates of the watersiders and of the emplovers concerned. The conference resulted in an offer being made by the emploverfl, which was submitted bv the. delegates to stopwork meetings of watersiders in every port of the Dominion. The Auckland meeting was attended by between 1000 and 1200 members, and the discussion lasted for four hours, without much idea being given of the general fueling of members on the subject. The question will be balloted on to-day and to-morrow, and the result of the ballot forwarded to the central executive''at Wellington, where, acceptance of the offer will depend on the vote from :ill parts of th© Dominion. Officials of the union decline to state ohtside their own circles what the amount of the offer is, hut from unofficial sources it has been reliably ascertained that the watersiders are voting otj the question of whether or not they will accept a bonus of one penny per hour. NEW PLYMOUTH. January 11. A watersiders’ stop-work meeting at New Plymouth was held at eight o’clock this morning, and -was attended by sixty-nine members of the local branch of the Watertiders’ Federation. On the new offer of a penny an hour bonus, in place of the original Id offer, a. ballot was taken, and though no figures were disclosed, it is understood that the offer was rejected, practically unanimously. DUNEDIN, January 11. The Dunedin waterside workers held a stop-work meeting to-day, commencing shortly after 8 a.m., and were addressed by Mr James Roberts, of the Waterside Workers’ Federation, Wellington. Work was not resumed till 6 p.m., when a certain amount of unloading was done on the Cosmos, Tamon Maru, Orari and Stella, till 10 p.m.