FURNITURE WORKERS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 654, 3 November 1909, Page 5

FURNITURE WORKERS.

. .NEW-ZEALAND CONFERENCE. ' • -; .■',:■: SOME SHARP/ CRITICISMS. ;. Yesterday, morning, at the office of the Wellington Furniture "Workers' Union, -the con; fererice of delegates l from the various; unions throughput the Dominion was resumed. .Mr.D. G. Sullivan (chairman of the conference) presided, arid;there were.;also present: Messrs. ■H. Banfield, G. F' Renshaw, W. S. Pattison, I. R. Wilson, T. Robertson, W.'.'H; Alllan, and D. Moriarty. .-. ■..'■■ ■ ■ ; -'.■•■.. ... - -• '■; '.■ The conference concluded its examination of .tho draft-constitution prepared by tho'Wellington Union for'the new federation of furniture workors throughout New Zealand, and, with certain amendments,' adopted the; same, ' and referred, it to , the; various'/unions for consideration. ; ■ ■ -' ■■ • '"'"■'.■

-Mr. Banfield -moved that, a funeral benefit fund .be/established, in .connection, with the federation/ -.'.• .- . -.-. ■.'■■■■■

■ Mr.,D. Moriarty. (Wellington) expressed himself, as being in favour of the principle of 'the' motion, but- thought, -it,- better that 'the unions themselves should carry out the idea. . After ' discussion, the; delegates -agreed that the proposition should not be embodied in the draft constitution, tut that, it should, be. referred to the .unions'for approval, the question of its final adoption to be determined by a majority,'vote ;.ol the unions.' / . ■■'■' ■"-■ The, conference also affirmed, by resolution; the principle that all .partnerships should be in writing, arid registered. It. was stated that there were several partnerships in;.. existence which .were only created for' the /purpose of evading the wages provisions of the' Conciliation and Arbitration Act. These so-called partnerships were not much more than co-operative concerns, paying below the wage minimum fixed;'by the Act. '-. ' . . /

•/■ "The Meddlesome Agitators." i. Objection was - taken to', the recent strictures upoh:,the' "meddlesome, agitators" of labour unions, delivered from the Bench at Auckland during a-hotel case by Mr.' C. C.. Kettle, S.M. Mr: Barifield moved:—"That this meeting,;in view of ; the /facts, ■ feels . that Mr. Kettle's remarks ■ we're--' grataitously ■ directed '■ against union secretaries Who, under the circumstances, are.unablo to combat and refute the_.same; that the said remarks d cqnstitute.an entirely., uncalled-for'.'stigma:-*against union officers' expressly/ recognised by. the law of: the holding their positions, by the good opinions of the workers in the various trades for;which they act.". ; '.-'.'•■• Mr. Banfield. said he didn't quite know whether the magistrate's remarks had a general' application'or not. It had been so/interpreted by the'uriions. 'The main point was that Mr. Kettle had no,business to say'what he did. He (Mr. Banfield) had no sympathy whatever with those who adopted' tho poficy of endeavouring to ontrap the employers in technical breaches of. awards/-. He, as a union secretary, 'held it to be- the business of unionists to advise of'.breaches.'.of.awards before going any further,/ and, holding such opinions, could only regard Mr. Kettle's remarks as a personal insult. They did not complain of the .magistrate's right to deliver' judgraent—thoy/ were 'quite prepared' to take their gruel in the matter \6t adverse judgments—but he-should stop there. ■. / ; /'Mr. D. Moriarty seconded the motion. He quite agreed with the mover in what had been Said about the agitator who made it his business ,to entrap the employer; Hβ! remembered that' when' he was appointed secretary to the Wellington Union one employer had: come to him and remarked: "I. suppose/you- won't be happy -till you succeed in. putting some of. us up. He had retorted that he would not be happy -if he' were called upon,to put any em-ployer-up: during the next twelve -months. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Moriarty then referred''to the. treatment that he had'ireceived on a recent occasion- at:the hands of -a Wellington- magistrate (Mr.'. W. G. Riddell), who; he said, had spbken.to him aa-if he'.(Mr. Moriarty) were,-a dog.-;- He contrasted, this treatment with that metied put'to him by Dr. M'Arthur, S.M., and Mr.'.Thpmson; S.M.":{of P.almerston North), who KadjaccordedVbim' , every consideration.; Mr.. Mpriarty-'also/objeritod to the attitude;of tho Employers'-.-Association, towards the union sec'retaricis. ■. "'vx-" .-■'.A-.. : .-'•.•■•■'•. - :■.'■,■:•. /.r ,"■ .The'chairman concurred,_'and''the,motion was carried'^rianiriidusly/'';'..''': V"-'. ;"" 1 'A'-,copy of the 'resolution is to' be; forwarded to:the -Minister: forJustice.;:"ii'"'--'^ -'J ' " : : :

■'■ ; ;: JL^bour.' Department Criticised; 'y ;, Labour Department seyerely..;.tp".-'.task iattitude towards- the laboiir'.- ■ union's; ;It .was,'generally. supposed, ho saidi';that.,the JjabWr/ ; Dep;artMisnt was -created to, , be: of "some porkers; ,'a'nd to saftguaM'their-iinterests.f.Yet'.'.'whatVdid they find:?': .-'His';ow.n , ."unipn, i ha4 , !.taken .case, after case!'to 'the'' Dep?itment;.'cases.-'in>-,which the facts- w'4re ;,breaches vfere sticking.;int- : a':-mjieT*:and .it'.had refused, toj-take' 16gal .prdefedings:".'•-Notwithstanding that;- his.union" Had' takenHhpse'cases; into its owßf.h'ands; ■ and (successfully", contested' them in Court....-They <had,'.with the• exception • of one ',thatv.was:;at, present':before A the attention of-,the Minister, who had'promised to remedy defect in ..the 'law—won all along .the line. , : -On top ofthftt, bis union had received tie'.following circular (dated-October 26y:'frbm';the ~-']f'i -r '.'; ;

,' "In".reference to cases;of. ': enforcement p 1 'Awards 1 and' Industrial ■■ Agreements:'-under-tW.industrial Conciliation and, Arbitration, . ,'.Act-.' -taken.'before ..Stipendiary Magistrates vby.,'UniplßS:.A. difficulty has..arisen, in the past:-.in 'pbtainihg,;reliabld: reports.-of any cases' taken"J.b'y:' unions' before; Stipendiary ■Magistrates, ,, and -1. have,'-,therefore,v'tb ask :- you-'whehever.-any:.cases ate: taken''by ; 'your, ; union if you "will kindly send an official rc- •'.. port■';of' same .to. the nearest Inspector of ',-;. Awards; so.that'he'ean send it on to this ' office for publication. You ■'will, of course, . .'recognise that it is desirable [that. reliable -. reports of .'all cases uidor. the Act be'p.ub.lished and included in the Volumes of'the .'Awards,, eto., under the Act." ■;

.Hβ .'gave .the. ■■• Labour Department's .officers credit' for -being sincere, but they were ' onl} , . layinenvin. snch matters,;. although,- curiously enough; pneof;ithe. officers had.been thesecretary of "an.-old furniture union. : llr. : Moriarty also. referred•'.to the necessity.for.. some legisla-. tiVe authority which , would determine precisely when" an ;; .employee • could •be held to have "been disulissed."ln-i a enactment '■ it had bfe'eii- laid' down I .that- if v a; niaii' had. been told to stand off..owing to;..slackness 1 of work, he could not be,said-to have been, dismissed until the expiration', of -ten days. ( :' The 'amended Act made.' no. . sucb.':'proyis'on,': and it , was imperative ;that this• defect'should be remedied, and in such a manner, as;to.govern both unionists and 'non-unionists.. ltover,ting.:.to;. the -re- , fiisal of the ■ Labour Department to proceed ;logally r -on behalf, of. the .unions;; for breaches ■of : 'awards, -the speaker.; contended' that in any case where the Department niight in future:ro-fuse-to proceed; and the union'took the matteT into : its', --own;' hands,-.all 'penalties awarded should be rcicoVered by.- the union. He moved that the-Minister be urged to 'carry into effect his :promised., legislation. determining the dismissal of a worker, and that cases taken up.by unions after refusal by the Department to proceed, all"penalties' be' recoverable by the unions) The motion was seconded by Mr. Banfield,. and carried" unanimously.; ■' '.: '.'•■■'•