LABOUR MATTERS.

Waipa Post, Volume XVII, Issue 963, 3 July 1920, Page 5

LABOUR MATTERS.

'INK MINK US’ FEDERATION.

. A STRIKE AT CHRISTCHURCH.

THE JOCKEYS’ ASSOCIATION.

RAILWAY OFFICERS’ INSTITUTE.

annual conference begins. (By Telegraph.— Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Friday. The annual conference of the New Zealand Miners’ Federation opened to-day, all unions being represented except Waronui, Avoca, North Cape, atul Mataura. Only formal business was transacted. The conference will probably last some days.

COLOURED LAB,OUR CAUSES TROUBLE. (By Telegraph. Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, Friday. About 25 men working on the Lyttelton Sumner Road downed tools today as a protest against the Public Works Department employing foreign labour. The imported men number five, and are Indians, and it is alleged that they were sent by the Department from Auckland.

DECISION AGAINST A STRIKE. (By Telegraph. Press Association.) AUCKLAND, Friday. The result of the ballot conducted under the Labour Disputes Investigation Act as to whether the members of the Jockeys’ Association should go on strike has been announced by the Labour Department. The number of riders <entitled to vote was 213, and the result of the ballot was as follows: In favour of a strike, 9; opposed to a strike, 69. There were 56 invalid votes.

CONSIDERATION OF AGREEMENT. (By Telegraph. Press Association.) HAMILTON, Friday. A meeting of the South Auckland branch of the Railway Officers’ Institute was held at Frankton last evening to discuss the terms of tlie agreement recently entered into with the Government respecting conditions in t the first division of the service. The ’meeting unanimously rejected the following clauses in the agreement: 4,6, 8, 13, 14, 24, and 35, and asked that the rejected clauses be dealt with immediately by a 'tribunal, with special reference to overtime and special rates between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. The meeting was of the opinion that compulsory retirement should be insisted upon.

PUBLIC SERVICE CONTROL.

AND MINISTERIAL INFLUENCE. (By Telegraph. Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Friday. Among the remits carried by the Public Service Association Conference was the following: “ That the executive council of the Association views with‘alarm and strong disapproval a, recent statement of the Prime Minister that he is in favour of amending the Public Service Act in the direction of permitting the introduction of Ministerial influence where administrative appointments are concerned. The council considers this policy as gravely opposed to the spirit of nonpolitical control as expressed in the Act, and by the Government when the Act was before Parliament, and authorises the executive to take such steps as it considers necessary to ensure legislative maintenance of non-politi-cal control in* all grades of the public service.”

THE BASIC WAGE.

AND THE SIX-SHILLING BONUS. (By Telegraph. Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, Friday. An important judgment of the Arbitration Court was issued to-day regarding the Court’s April pronouncement on the basic wage and bonus. The judgment was in connection with the application to the Court by the Christchurch Tramway Union for increased wages and the bonus. Mr Justice Stringer’s judgment stated that in th tramways dispute the parties reached an agreement before the Conciliation Council, and the award was duly made. The Court was now invited to delete the schedule of the wages covered by the award and substitute a new schedule of higher wages, the ground of the application being in order to bring wages into conformity with the Court’s pronouncement at Gisborne regarding basic wages and bonus. The pronouncement, however, was not intended to apply to cases of a special character, such as the present, where the workers have permanent employment and concessions. The Tramway Board iwas paying its employees l£d per hour to cover the increased cost of living, and in the opinion of the Court that was all the workers were entitled to.

DISSATISFIED RAILWAY MEN.

(By Telegraph. — Press Association.) ■ NAPIER, Friday. At a special meeting of the Napier branch of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants the following re■jpiution was passed: “ That the members are not in favour of accepting the latest proposals as issued by the board set up to deal with increases in pay and better conditions; further, they insist upon their executive demanding from the Government a full acceptance of the schedule of demands as placed before Mr Justice Stringer; also, that this branch asks the assistance and the hearty co-operation of every branch in New Zealand to secure those demands, and also asks them to telegraph the executive effect.”