THE COLONY'S UNIONS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8488, 16 July 1907, Page 3

THE COLONY'S UNIONS.

It is interesting to note, from a return presented to Parliament recently, that here are in the colony at the present time 274 unions of workers with 34,978 members, and 109 unions of employers, with 3,337 members. Fifteen employers' unions and thirteen workers' unions have failed to send in annual returns, and will consequently be cancelled. The existing unions are distributed throughout the colony as follows: — Unions of Workers: Auckland district, 56 unions, 7,929 members; Wellington district, 63 unions, 9,311 members ; Canterbury district, 65 unions, 7,479 members; Otago and Southland district, 59 unions, 6,884 members; Taranaki district, 5 unions 202 members; Marlborough district, 3 unions, 164 members; Nelson district, 10 unions, 450 members; Westland district, 13 unions, 2,559 members. Unions of employers: Auckland district, 27 unions, 613 members; Wellington district, 25 unions, 526 members; Canterbury district, 24 unions, 1,218 members; Otago and Southland district, 24 unions, 848 members; Taranaki district, 3 unions, 48 members; Marlborough district, 2 unions. 40 members; Nelson district, 1 union, 19 members; Westland district, 3 unions, 27 members. The Waihi Amalgamated Miners and Workers' Union easily tops the record with the largest numof members, 1,187, but the Canrbury branch of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants comes a good second with 1,010, the Otago branch of the Amalgamated So:iety of Railway Workers being third with 954 and the Wellington Drivers' Union fourth with 837. Of the employers' unions the Canterbury Sheepowners' Association comes first with 414 members, and there are twenty unions which have only one member.