BOROUGH LABOURERS' WAGES

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XXXV, Issue 8903, 11 April 1936, Page 2

BOROUGH LABOURERS' WAGES

CONFERENCE WITH COUNCIL SOUGHT NEW AWARD WANTED A request for a conference with a view to drawing up a new award was received from (lie secretary of the Borough Labourers’ Union, Mr R. C.

Saunders, at tlie monthly meeting of the Waihi Borough Council on Wed-

liesday evening. The ,Mayor, Mr \V. M. Wallnutt, in moving Unit (lie letter lie received, said tiie council was not yet ready to meet representatives of the union in conference. The statement of accounts for (lie year's working showed that the council was down £GOS, and there were many other items in which the town clerk would show that the expenditure had been considerably over tiie estimates. The position thus was that the council was not prepared to discuss the terms of a new award with the union until it had gone fully into the question of finances. In tiie meantime he would suggest that the union should put its proposals into writing and submit them to the town clerk. Cr. J. F. Robertson seconded the motion. Cr. J. Mitchell said lie thought: the union would lie well advised to postpone the question of a new award. The borough council had given a lead in regard to the payment of its employees and lie considered it would be unwise to rush things at this juncture. Cr. C. F. Butcher concurred with tlie views of the Mayor and Cr. Mitchell. There could, he said, be no question that the council would have to use the pruning knife. Year after year the estimates had been exceeded and there must be some pause. The motion was carried. Writing in regard to tiie borough drivers' dispute, tiie conciliation commissioner, Mr P. Hally, said that if (lie drivers’ section of the council’s employees were already covered by industrial agreements the matter would not he disturbed. Advice that the council had boon cited as a party to the proceedings in connection with the Dominion drivers’ dispute was received from the Auckland Provincial Employers’ Association, which stated that a meeting would he held on March 24tli Country employers who were unable to attend were asked to forward their views. Both communications were receivec