13

H.—ll

Kaitangata Miners. The recommendations of the Board in the matter of the dispute between the Otago Coal-miners' Union and the New Zealand Collieries, Railway, and Oil Company were as follows :— 1. Clause 1 to be as agreed to by the parties—namely, balloting for places every three months to bo under the following rules : (a) Headings, levels, dips, pillars, and robbing-work to be balloted for specially ; (6) names of tho3e thrown out to be put in the general ballot; (c) in case of blanks in the general ballot those drawing them to ballot for the first place or places to start, or which may be vaoan*; (d) unsuccessful balloters for special places (if desirous) to ballot for the first special places to start, or which may b_ vacant; (c) one man to ballot for his place out of two or more in the same manner as two or more men would ballot for one place. 2. Headings to ba paid for at the rate of 3s. 6d. per ton and 7s. per yard when worked by one shift, and 3s. 6d. per ton and Bs. per yard when worked by two shifts. 3. Levels to be paid for at the rate of 3s. 6d. per ton and ss. per yard when worked by one shift, and 6s. per yard when worked by two shifts. 4. Clause 4 proposed by union to be struck out, as agreed by the parties. 5. Bords 14 ft. wide to be paid for at the rate of 3s. 6d. per ton. 6. Stenton's not less than 12 ft. wide to be paid for at the rate of 3s. 6d. per ton and 6s. per yard. 7. Pillars to be paid for at the following rates : When taken back in the solid, 3s. per ton ; when taken back in strips, 3s. 6d. per ton ; or shift wages to be paid. 8. Head-coal to be paid for at the rate of 3s. per ton when there is not less than 6 ft. of a carry. When there is less than 6 ft. of a carry shift wages to be paid, or a rate per ton to be agreed on. 9. Shift wages to be 9s. per shift, as agreed on by the parties. 10. Clause 10 as proposed by union to be struck out, as agreed by parties. 11. Clause 11 as agreed to by the parties—namely, deficient places to be paid shift wages, and to mean all places driven through faults, or in faulty coal, or less than 6 ft. wide or 4 ft. 6 in. high, and extremely hard places : Provided always that this clause is not to apply to stonework. 12. Clause 12 as agreed to—namely, wet places to be paid shift wages for six-hour shifts. 13. Clause 13 as agreed to—namely, shift wages to be paid when brushing headings. 14. For the purpose of the foregoing recommendations, a ton of coal shall mean three boxes of the size now used in the mine filled with coal up to the level of the sides of the box, and in the centre to a height of 6in. above the level of the box. 15. Clause 15 as agreed to by the parties—namely, in headings where four or more bords or places are working a helper shall be supplied by the company. Where there are less than four places being worked the men to receive extra tonnage rates proportionate to the loss sustained through the helper being taken away. 16. Clause 16 as agreed to by the parties—namely, to ba suspended for a period of three months. If the electric lamps are not introduced, then the question is to be discussed and settled, if possible, between the mine-manager and the local committee of the union. 17. Clause 17 proposed by union to be Btruok out. 18. Clause 18 as agreed to by the parties—namely, no coal to be worked on shift wages in places where piece rates have been fixed, except by special arrangement between the mine-manager and the local committee of the union. 19.' Clause 19 as agreed to by the parties—namely, special arrangement to be made between the mine-manager and the local committee of the union with regard to prices in places where more than two workmen are to be employed on one shift. 20. Clause 20 proposed by the union to be struck out, as agreed by the parties. 21. Hours to be eight hours per shift at the face. 22. Clause 22 proposed by union to be struck out, as agreed by the parties. 23. Clause 23 as agreed to by the parties—namely, Saturday to be a half-holiday when the mine has worked three full days previously in the same week. 24. Clause 24 as agreed to by the parties—namely, the horn to be blown at 8.30 p.m. when the manager knows for certain that the next day will be an idle day. 25. Clause 25 proposed by union to be struck out. 26. (a.) Members of the union shall be employed as miners in preference to non-members, provided there are members of the union resident in Kaitangata who are equally qualified with non-members to perform the particular work required to be done, and are ready and willing to undertake it. (6.) This recommendation shall not interfere with the employment of non-members at present employed by the oompany. The company shall be at liberty to retain such non-members in its employment, and from time to time to employ them or any of them again in the event of such non-members or any of them leaving or being discharged from the company's service, (c.) No distinction shall be made between members and non-members. Clauses 28 and 29 proposed by union to be struck out, and the following substituted, as agreed to by the parties : Any timbering work required to be done to be paid for at shift wages. 30. Clause 30, as agreed to —namely, the company to cut all timber to the length required by the workmen and place it in the working-places. 31. All matters not provided for in these recommendations to be settled by agreement between the company and the local committee of the union, and in particular the following matters are to be settled thus: (a) The price to be paid for work in dips ; (6) trucker's wages; (c) the division of work when trade is slack. 32. The industrial agreement to remain in force until the 31st December, 1899. The Board adjourned to give the parties an opportunity of signifying their acceptance or otherwise of the recommendations. Industrial Agreement. This agreement, made in pursuance of " The Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, 1894," this 17th day of April, 1899, between Louis Warsaw, of Dunedin, master tailor, and the Dunedin Tailoresses' Industrial Union of Workers, whereby the parties agree to abide by the statement of wages and conditions of labour as per award of the Court of Arbitration. (For details, see page 239, Labour Journal, No. 74.) < L. Warsaw and Co. For the Dunedin Tailoresses' Industrial Union of Workers— Sydney C. Brown, President, Ada F. Whitehorn, Secretary.

July, 1899. The following are copies of the recommendations of the Boards of Conciliation in the Wellington furniture trade, Wellington building trade, Auckland building trade, Auckland furniture trade, Christchurch tinsmithing trade, and Canterbury baking and pastry-cooking trade disputes, and of the awards of the Court of Arbitration in the Westport coal-mining, Inangahua gold-mining, Wellington building trade, Wellington painting trade, Wellington moulding trade, Wellington furniture trade, Wellington seamen, Auckland boot trade, and Auckland building trade disputes; also, two agreements between the Bootmakers' Union in Dunedin and the employers : —