WATERSIDE WORK.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 589, 18 August 1909, Page 8

WATERSIDE WORK.

I , THE .CONFERENCE / f AEBITBATION QUESTIONS DISCUSSED h SAPETY Or VfOSKESd The annual ionfeionce of the New Zcahnd , Waterside Workers' Federation was lcsumed I at 10 am l yesterday in tho Town Hall Bflild , mg, Mr T Rwfl (Lyttelton) presiding In ad I. dition to tho delegates who attended on the £ hrst daj, Mr 1! G Cass (Gisborne) was pro i Bent i i ' Mr F Lurch (Ljttelton) moved — ' i> That tho Government be uiged to delete '' Clause 53, Part IV, of the Industrial Con ' " cihation and' Arbitration Act, and substi , tnte Clause 5 of tho original Act Tho clause objected to provides that a nc-v f union 6f workeis cannot be legistered tinder h the Act unless <it has a membership of at least f 15 (instead of 7, as in the clause which it was \ desired to Reinstate) 'Ihe minimum moinber r ehip of a new union of cmplojoes i similarly raised from two to three, but this, aspect was t -.not touched or during tho discussion I" Tho mover slid that tho limit of 15 was «o ( ' large as to make it practically impossible to I"* 'start a union in •» simll place f 'Mr J Jackson (Grojmouth) seconded the mo, tioji He quoted nu instance of union of carpenters on tho coast which was "struggling * along in tho valley of deith," unable to obtain w a status so as to get an rward because they ; could not obtain V members There were otjiei ' instances ind it nvs frequently the caso that '■ ■, bakers and othcis scattered over a wido Uis ; tnet tould not the number renuired r, Tho amendment of 1303 wis not asked for I>y 5 ithe unionists, nnd ho did not think the em s ployers fi'-ked for it ' , Mr D M'L-iren, 11 P , supported tho motion Tho Inw as it stood was obviously designed to ; tlnvirt combimtion ' <■ Mr A L Jones (Wellington) slid the clause f> , was directed ag-unst tndes unionism generally '~ Tho motion ,was carried uuinimousl} ' n f and Crib-Time ; *■ Mr F Lurch also moved — < F ' that it be i recommendation 6f tho con" r » ference that "each union erdoavour to get I K embodied in their -twnrd a clause providing , t r that vvoikfcr shall be paid in tho em--6 f «plo>«s' tiniD, and 'hat workers bo allowed f a CTib tiin-f to 'jt paid for in longer shifts { than fonrthonr*. i/* j, , v> i f He said that elfUn a nun hid tn "spend lill l-Q Ins dmner half hour in collecting hi*, pi} fiom I different emplover« The worlers had to go I , to -their wcfil. nnd their /nlcils in then oirn |i .rtilrto nnd f'ncjpropo ed concession was alreidy % allowed to ficfon worker" jThe-'cnb timo ques i * tion had long ken i sore pontf I Mr W Morris (Duncdin) seconded tho mo f> Mr J lirufoni(Wellington) moved an a'nstid t inert to alter tho lattei part of the motion as - follows -i ' / / ,' ~ That cnb timfe slnlf only bo given iFter I the ordintfrv;woiking hours have been nil * filled , r\ \ii Mi \ TV'on" (ft* m.'mil se oded this \ Mi II Voyee (Lyltelton) said a. inm should } ( nevci bo asked to \ ork six hours without a ', Mr , W Morns (DunedJn) slid tho monsj 1 f should be tioji?ht to tho men at their wo;k ' i Mi J W, I/amond <Weetport) slid the wlnrf " workers aMWestporb were .ilieady piid in f / tne emplovdils'itime They were nllowed half oi hour crib tjtne, when vvorkiiig between mid I night and hm, bnt were not paid foi it I JiC J Osborne (Grejmouth) snd ( fifteen f minutes' crib time should be allowed and paid 1. Mjby tlie employers ' , \ [ \fter furthei discussion Mi D M Laien I ' (Wellington} sud it v as tho< federation ' 'opened out-on this question I,He supported t the motion-as it stood " ! ATr J Jackson (Greymouth) eaid that if j ! ttie unionsjstood to then they,would [■> 'get cnb time * i ' The amendment wasMo-jt nnd tho motion as [ originally moved was'i adopted p \' ' , „ Ships' Gear / ; , ] f i Mr, T Lurch (Lyttclfon) moved " \ i <That th,e G6vcmmejit bo urged to ap- j \ point mspecWsW ships' gen in the poits f of New Zeahnd, and,that all chain gear * be tested aifd stamped eveiy six months r ' The mover ,saiil a numbei of accidents hid I I occuired' through tho use of clinin gen which !■ was neglected" , when not in use 'It was ab i spluUly necessary th-»t tho Government should \ appoint inspectors bo that the workers would I be guaranteed a minimum of safetj ' I The motion* was seconded by Mi G Wieck , (Dunedm) and suppoited b> Mr V W Marns '■ (Dunedm), sadMrfM. (Lyttelton), and ; others ' <«f *, Mi M%aren, M>P, said there were in- ' epectors alreadj, Bdfc not enough-of them to cope with ithe work i Ho supported the mo ■ Ttfr J Jack«on (Gteymouth) spoke of a ntim- , ber of dangerous breakages of chain ge ir tint had come under hit ob<*erv ition Mr, L A. L Jones (WellingtonKsaid he had' never seen a Government inspector , examine the gear of anj vessel he hid worked on dui ' ing the last eight or nine jenrs He know tho : TJmon Company inspected its geii, and he sup ' posed othei tompaniee did the. JGver> Jink of chim gear wh°n \ tested shoulil be '■■ 6lami'ed Ropo gear should ilso be inspected [ In the course of further discussion, a dele f j gate quoted a case in which a gang refused to f, rf go aboard a ship until -v piece of ■■faulty gear \r was laid a3idc, and theu protest was success,- ' fnl v % w ' 1 v It H Vojce (Lyttelton) said ho had often drrfwn the attention of ships' officer to de ■~ fective gear, and i j.hej ,had attended to the matter l i' ' Mr J Bruton ,, fU'cllington) said that in handling foil, spreaders now u«ed "ciius i ing a wne that formerly cained four tons to carry eight This made inspection still mo r o necessary f The motion wns unnniinousjy carried r Lyttelton Ferry Service « IMr H Voyce (Lyttelton) moved i ( That the Govelnment be urged to take over the forry sorvico betveen Lyttelton and ' I Ihe mover slid the the action pro ! posed would be advantageous pa c sengeia, and would enibk> the Govcinmcnt to sive a ', great amount of money now paid foi the carmgo of tho mails J *< ;t v ui '3 0 boine (Groymouth), in 'becqndin!? the motion, spoke of the success ofUho Lake ' 'Wakatipu 'orvice, its consideratibn toi •> piisengers, and the improved wages since the Government, took it ovoi i Mi ;J Jncksnn (Groymouth) supported the motion, but said spine suggestion should »e . made as to how>tho Government should finance I the scheme Otherwise* it would bo assumed [ tint borrowing would bo the method, and tho I conference might he blamed f or inconsistencv [ Mi J Bruton (Wellington) suggested that it I 'ifould bo better, for the Government to wait ' until tho South Island Main Trunk railway j was finished, and then eshblish a feny service j across tho Stiait To cut into the nearest tervico (in which any firm could compote) t would cause the. Government to lose monej I ! Mr. A L Jonfcs (Wellington),, m supnoiting il ' the motion, declared himself i stiong op I \ ponent of monopolies "The monopolist is f ' more dangerous to the St tfe than the anI aichistr lie is tho most sinister, dangerous, f and dreadful enemj of humanity ' . The motion was cained ' Sailors and Shoremen E- Mr Di Agnen (Wanganui) moved — t , That \ the conference con idcr and try f to put a stop to'sailors working caigo on (! coastal boats, while in iny pDrt m Now l Zealand, whero bhoro laboui is available I Tho movei urged 'that it was against the [ interests of watersido workers that sailors f t should ba allowed to work cargo at all f Mr M'Cann (Wellington) said that lecenlly I ' a steamer was workinp cargo in 'Wellington, \ end 20 tons of barb wire were unloaded from I a booby-hatch without tho as&i tanoe ot a a single wharf labourer It wus about time that sort of thing wis stopped He coin plained that tho secretaries did not scorn to notice such things until Tom, Dick or Harrj" reported it Ho believed if was a t breach of award foi sailors to work a bnobj < hatch while labour wns aviihble i Mr A L Jones (Wellington) e-ud that if I sailors were emplo>ed it yaid arms, bull roues, 1 hatches, fix wmche , they were only paid 4s f 6d a day foi this work, but shore laboui had to bo pud 10s a dav Mr E G Cabs (Gi borne) warml> approved of tho motion, but slid that the alteration dc Bircd could only be effected by an amendment of the Shipping and Scunon Act 1 Mi J Bruton (Wellington) took the samo I Mi D M Ltren, MV , suggesU-d that tho in *■ coming execntivo should bo recommended to * co operate with the Seamen's TcJeration I'hero I was no legal power to copo with tfio difficulty \ at pr°sent Tho scimen had to sign articles ' agreeing to worktcaigo if rcqnired 'Ilibinado f the arbitration system i farce He know the i> Senmen's Tcdeiahon was willing to cooperate Ho moved an amendment — [ That this conference co operate with the Australasian redeiated Seamen's Union I with the object of securing a provision, legislative or otherwise, to piovent seamen f doing the shoremen's work whilst shore- [ men aie available. I

This Vas ecconded by Mr J. Jackson (Greymouth), who also mentioned that at his poll the crows of "wind-jammers" came nshoro and worked on the wharf Ho thought that could be guarded against by petting a clause in tho award. i Mr. J Purvis (Tiraaru) e'ud that at Im port tho workers had taken the? (Mud that they would not work with aliens, and the employcis had accepted this position Ho suggested that Asiatics should be inclpdcd in tho imeudment Mr I , M'Cunn (Wellington) complained that jasual labourers ufter working for a time had to stand by white the seamen worked Ihe -asunls weie made a convenience of' Mr H Voyco (T.yttelton) said there wai n> way out of the difficult} unless tho seamen s 11 tides wore altered The amendment was carried by U to 2. Preference ■ ' Mr ,1). Jgnew, (Wangnnni) moved - That conference request tho Government, where no preference clause exists, that (hey employ the men who depend solely on the whatvos for a living, before giving emploviuent to etrangois'or outsiders This was seconded b} Mr J >W Lament Westport) - ' , rrT In tho course of discussion, Mi MLarcn ,aid that as tbo result of representations, tho Railway Department had agreed to do as indicated at Wanganui The motion was cained , ~ , Space foi Shovelling Coal Mr J U'urtis (Timaru) moved to ask the Government to inhoduce legislation providing more space for men shovelling coal Thib was seconded by Mr 'H. Vojce- (LjtlelTlio discussion was interrupted by the adjournment of the conference at 4 pm. until 10 a m to-day '