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respect to the Northern Shipping Company and other owners. As no evidence has been tendered on either side with regard to the case against Mr. Holgate, the Board cannot make any recommendation. In the matter of an industrial dispute between the Auckland branch of the Federated Seamen's Union of New Zealand and the Northern Steamship Company, A. McGregor, Captain Shaw, Messrs. Leyland and O'Brien, Captain Braidwood, and Messrs. Hare Brothers, Mr. Subritzky, Captain Martin, Captain Skinner, Mr. J. Darrach, and the Devonport Steam Ferry Company, who were joined as parties to the dispute on application, and with the consent of the Board, and a reference thereof for settlement. The Board unanimously recommends that the following be added to its former recommendations —namely: (1.) That so long as the Devonport Steam Ferry Company continues to pay the same rate of wages on the "Admiral" as at present—viz., £10 16s. Bd. per month —the other recommendations shall not apply to them. (2.) That on vessels partially propelled by oil-engines the minimum rate of wages shall be: Able seamen, £6 per month; ordinary seamen, £4 per month. On these vessels no overtime shall be paid. (3.) That while Captains Skinner and Martin continue to pay the same rate of wages as at present—viz., able seamen, £5 per month and Is. per boatload boat-money; ordinary seamen, £3 per month and 6d. per boatload boat-money—the other recommendations of the Board shall not apply to them. (4.) That as the " Medora," owned by Mr. Subritzky and others, is worked on co-operative principles, the recommendations of the Board only apply, to it when seamen are employed on wages. (5.) That the above-named firms and the union shall be bound by the terms and conditions of this agreement, provided that if any other person or firm trading with steamers to any port served by the abovenamed owners, in conducting their business, shall not conform to such terms and conditions, or, in the case of auxilary vessels or vessels propelled otherwise than by sails being employed, to such provisions as shall be approved by the parties to this agreement or that may be fixed by the Board of Conciliation, the union shall, within fourteen days after notice in writing from any owner or owners, take the necessary steps to compel them to do so, and if the union fails to commerce and carry out such proceedings, then the parties to this agreement shall thereafter be released from any further obligation to conform to such terms and conditions. (6.) That the industrial agreement shall be signed by the parties on or before the 14th instant. —(Signed) George Bubgess, Chairman of the Board. The employers did not accept the recommendations of the Board, and the case went before the Arbitration Court in January. It was pointed out by the employers that some vessels according to the proposed agreement Would be quite exempt, which would be unfair to vessels in the same trade ; and it was contended that all vessels, whether propelled by oil-engines or by steam, should be placed On equal footing. Another point raised was that the " Kawau " was exempted from the agreement because the owner had been absent from the meetings. With regard to the original recommendations of the Board in August, it is explained that although the parties agreed they had not signed the agreement. Christchurch. Carpenters and Joiners' Dispute (before the Conciliation Board). —Dispute between the Carpenters and Joiners' Association and Messrs. J. Goss and Williams and Stephens, whom the union applied to have brought under the award of the Arbitration Court, given in July. The Board recommended that both these firms should comply with the agreement. Westport. Coal-mining disputes, between the Denniston Coal-miners' Union and the Granity Creek Coalminers' Union and the Westport Coal Company. The order of reference of the union recites the award of the Arbitration Court, delivered the 19th September, 1896, which applied for one year from date. The union applied to the company for increase of wages, which was refused, and the company submitted another schedule of rates. After conferences of both parties, the thirty-one references in dispute were reduced as follows : — List of References of the Denniston Coal-miners' Industrial Union of Workers. (2.) Bords to be 18 ft. wide, but not less than 16 ft.—Agreed to. (3.) From 6 ft. down to be single places.— Agreed to. (5.) When taking up bottoms in bords any thickness down to 3 ft. 6 in. to be paid at pillar rates; below 3 ft. 6 in. to be bord rates ; below 2 ft. to be deficient places.—Agreed to. (6 and 7.) In the event of a man driving narrow work through one pillar to take out anotherpillar he shall in all such cases be paid ordinary pillar yardage rates. —Agreed to. (10.) Tops to be classed as pillars.—Agreed to. (15.) All coal-work to be cavilled for three months— bords, pillars, and headings. All men who are competent to be included in the cavil, and in any case when a man has has finished his place in any section of the mine, and has to remove to another section through scarcity of places, he shall have the first place that is ready in the section which he left.—Agreed to. (16.) That the turn of trucks throughout the mine at Denniston be regulated as evenly as possible.—Agreed to. (18.) Contracting on all coal-work to he abolished. —Struck out. (21.) All trucking to be shift-work at lis. per day.—Withdrawn. (22.) Tippers to be paid lis. per day. Struck out. (26.) Check-weigh money to be deducted at company's office.—Agreed to on terms of last award. (27.) Unclaimed boxes to go to the check-weigh fund. —Agreed to. (28.) Water to be removed from the workingplace by the company.—Agreed to. (29.) No workman to be discharged without a just cause.—Withdrawn. (30.) The company to provide tamping, and place it conveniently for the truckers to take it to the face. —Agreed to. (31.) When the union deem necessary they shall be allowed to send men through the various sections of the mine for subscriptions for needy persons.—Struck out. The following were submitted to the Board to decide: — (1.) Tonnage rate on all solid working in the mine to be 2s. 6d per ton. (4.) Prices for differents heights of coal: 5 ft. down to 4ft. 9 in. to be 2s. Bd. per ton; 4 ft. 9 in. down to 4 ft. 6 in. to be 2s. lOd.; below 4 ft. to be deficient places. (8.) All pillars below 0 ft. in height to be single places. The manager to have the right to put on two men if it is necessary. (9.) Prices for pillars below 6 ft. in height to be paid for as under : From 5 ft. down to 4 ft. 9 in., 2d. per ton extra ; from 4 ft. 9 in. down to 4 ft. 6 in., 4d. per ton extra. (11.) Headings 6 ft. wide, 7s. per lineal yard ; headings 9 ft. wide, 6s. per lineal yard; headings 12 ft. wide, ss. per lineal yard. (12.) 6 in. sets in bords to be paid for at the rate of 3s. 6d. per set. Blinded 6 in. sets, ss. 6d. per set; blinded 8 in. sets, 7s. 6d. per set; blinded 12 in. sets, 15s. per set; blinded over 12 in. sets, £1 per set. (13.) If the stone comes down with the coal, the men to be paid—ld. per inch per ton for first 3 in.; Jd. per inch per ton for next 6 in.; Jd. per inch per ton for every inch or fraction of an inch above 9 in. in thickness. This to take effect up to 7 ft. of coal; above that height half the above rate. (14.) In lieu of discharging or suspending men for filling stone with their coal they shall be fined as follows : For the first 20 lb. weight in each box, 6d. ; and 3d. for every extra 10 lb. of stone. These fines to be made by the company and paid to the union ; the union to pay the money to the Westport Hospital. (17.) That the company should not lay idle certain sections of the mine in turns, but, if they wish to restrict the output, that all miners be allowed to work at one time, and when coal is not required the whole of the mine to be idle ; and that power be given the union by this Board, or the Arbitration Court, to at any time restrict the daily output of miners not less than what will make up the monthly demand for sale. (19.) Wages of miners taken from their places to be 12s. per day. (20.) Wages of men working at the " iron man ": 12s. per day for men working the machines, lis. per day for fillers and general workers, Men

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