CONCILIATION BOARD.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LVI, Issue 8625, 6 December 1906, Page 5

CONCILIATION BOARD.

+ Sitting at Masterton

The Board of Conciliation for the Wellington Industrial District held a sitting at the Courthouse, Masterton, yesterday afternoon, wli6n a conference was held between representatives of employers and employes in the plumbing trade, to endeavour to arrive at an agreement as to conditions of work, hours

and wages

The constitution of the Board was as follows : —Mr P. J. O'Regan, Chairman ; H. Inniss and T. Belford, representing the employers; A. Collins and A. H. Cooper, representing the employes.

The following firms were represented :— Pickering Bros., Kingdon and Son, and Beale and Parton, Masterton ; H. J. Shanley, Greytown ; Tinney, Featherston ; Tonkin, Eketahuna (represented by MrS. E. Wright). Mr J. W. Blackman appeared on behalf of the Borough Council.

The Beard recommended the parties to go into conference immediately, whereupon the employers elected Messrs Pickering and Wright to represent them. The Wellington Plumbers' Union was represented by Messrs J. Campbell and W. Willraott.

At the conference, the chief difficulty was the question ot wages and hours. A tentative agreement arrived at, in Wellington, provided for a forty six hours week, except where work was situated beyond a certain radius from the employer's place of business, the rate of pay to be Is 4d for certificated and Is 3d for uncertificated men. The Masterton employes submitted counter proposals of a forty-eight hours week, and a minimum wage of Is 3d per hour. The Union representatives held that they were bound by the orders from Wellington, and could not concede the terms asked by the Masterton employes. After two and a half hours' conference the Board adjourned, the chairman intimating that, after the Board had visited Palmerston North, Dannevirke, Napier and Wanganui, a further conference will be held at Wellington, at which employers from the different districts could attend if they so chose.