WATERSIDE LABOUR.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 221, 11 June 1908, Page 8

WATERSIDE LABOUR.

COLONIAL CONFERENCE. ARBITRATION LAW AND OTHER MATTERS. ' The New Zealand' Waterside ' Workers' Conference will; bo' held' early in July. That the . conference. will • have plenty .of important subject-matter is indicated by the following list,of remits':— From tha Executive. To' oorisider offer of New Zealand Socialist pary-regarding'issues of the "Comnloriweal." ; That the Conferenco urgo upon the Government the need for' statutory weekly halfholiday for all waterside workers. ' From Dunedln. ■ That .the Conference recommend a title for any new organisation, which may, be formed. From Lyttelton. v .

k I.' Tbat'the attention,of.the Government be drawn to the amount of space at present' allotted to/men shovelling coal, and that tho Conferenco draft a resolution requesting the Government to introduce legislation providing for ample space for each man engaged shovelling in tho hold. : 2. That the • Government be requested to introduce, legislation compelling all shipowners to have some protection around all. open hatchways during working hours. 3.. That it'be-a recommendation to-the conference, to' increase the capitation per member so as to permit of the Federation being able to defray all expenses of delegate to annual conference.

4. That tho Government be urged to amend the Conciliation, and Arbitration Act in the direction of allowing industrial unions to assist'individual members in making claims under', the',labour,; laws, of New Zealand. 5. That this Union support the amendment to-Conciliation , and Arbitration jAct, in the mattor of -industrial councils brought down by tho Hon." J., A. Millar lajt year. From Wellington.; " ' • ,- That the Federation enter into affiliation with the . International Transport' Workers' Federation. .. . .That the Federation,provide a.plan for the organising.;of- the small-ports-of' t-he Dominion. ■ •: : ■, \ That- tho.' Conference iitstijtute full inquiry into ;tho individual conditions ofwith the.iqbject; of. providing a- scheme for a better distribution, of the work. , ■ , ' That . "the'-,'.Conference, consider-; methbds whereby ' the < Unions shall have ° tho putting on of-labour.'•. . Recommended by Federation's Secretary. '-' ; That the. Conference; review the -working conditions, a-s contained in the various awards and agreements, with .the object of scouring improvements of same. From Creymouth..',: The following are the Greymoiith Wharf Labourers' objections to the' Industrial, Conciliation. and-' Arbitration Act Amendment after it-had been: reported from the Labour Bills Committee,'and will/form items for the order paper:— • . "That in sub-section 6 of section 5 second ' paragraph;_the sentence ' with tbe approval of the Minister for Labour' be struck out."

.; "That the following words •be added "to sub-section.. 14 of.section 5: 'Orithe recommendation of the Industrial Union of Workers or Industrial' Union .of. Employers;'-" That the. samo'words''be added to clause '.- clause IS: 'That the word " twenty-eightbe struck out in the first line the! word "eighty-four" inserted.! " Section 21, delete;the words 'a majority of the,' .and substitute-tho word ' are.' " Clause' 22 'to be amended to includo an expert from each side to sit with the Magistrate, whose duty shall be to advise the S.M. in the- .technical of tho case in dispute,,the experts to have all the powers of ■the Court conferred, upon them." ' "Thatclause 29 he struck out/ also clauso 30, with sub-sections 2 and 3." •'"That a'new. clause 40a be struck out and section' sof ,the , principal ■ Act be retained intact." ■

, "New clause 41, sub-section ii, that the following words be, added to the end of the said clause, ' or, section thereof.' " , " That : clauso '47 and its' sub-sections be struck out.-and a new clause put in to read as.follows:—'That wherever and whenever ah award of the Court or'lndustrial Council or Industrial Agreement is in force, whether before or after the-coming, into operation of this Act, all employees working under such awards or industrial agreement shall be members of tho Union in which the awards or agreements are; binding.'" "Clause 50. and its sub-clause and tho new subclause'to be struck out." V. ;"Section 53 insert the words 'the office of secretary to bo. excepted."' ' _ . That tho * Act be, amended ■to provide Union secretaries with copies of wages sheets on demand." •. "That section 119 of the Industrial Conciliation arid Arbitration Act be, amended to include that wherever and whenever wharf labourers'belong to a registered Union'and governed bv an aT\'ard of, the court or industrial agreement in- connection with tho transport industry, and aro in the employ of the Government Railway Department, that the said department be joined as a party ffmi 0 to its provisions.!' That section".loß. or the principal Act be amendedV by inserting the. following words after tho .word 'agreement' in the fifth line, '.or; merely because of the fact that ho' has given publicity, to his views on political ecenomy. -a " Th a t the , Workers' .Compensation/' Act Amendment Act, 1904, be not repealed." That shipping companies provide wharf labourers with working tools; that timber chain slings be limited to a length; that their oarrymg capacity will not exceed two'tons"