PROCEEDINGS BEFORE WAGES BOARD.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 732, 3 February 1910, Page 5

PROCEEDINGS BEFORE WAGES BOARD.

THE OWNERS''"DEMANDS..' By Telegraph-Press Association-OoDjTiEht. (Eec. February 3, 0,10,a.ra.) Sydney, February 2. The Newcastle colliery owners have informed the Wages Board of their desire to come before'"the Court, and have,submitted claims : which are very: comprehensive. Their counsel thought it, would facilitate business if time was given him to consolidate the claims.. The. Court agreed.■",..-. .■■.:.. ■;..;'. Counsel for the owners then urged that it was desirablo that the miners'should return to work,- and" that-'the, .Board should make it clear that it ■; was in the interests-of-the determination, of indus-. tral i disputes that N work -should bo carried' on without outsido unlawful attempts to obtain concessions, which it was the function of the Court to grant or withhold according to the true justice of the case." The owners.felt at a great disadvantage in being asked to procesd while the men were trying in an unlawful way to obtain their,: demands.; The Judge said, that although' the Board had nn right to order the resumption of work, it had-the: privilege'of. doing everything it possibly could to bring about such resumption; but in the meantime the taking of evidence must go on. Ho fixed. Wednesday, pest fori .the', miners to file their... replies .. to ■ 'the , owners'claims. ',;..'■::.,■ .v'-.i

' Tho owners in their claims generally demand a reduction' upon the .present rates; of payment.' ! The: reduction's may. bo: fairly ,gauged' by ;taking any of the first-class seams. The . hewing rate proposed is 3s. lOd. per 'ton when;the declared selling price of . coal" is lis., with a. rise or fall of fourpence for every shilling alteration in the selling, price. For working' pillars the rate is threepence less," while for tops . the: average earnings ' - are to be J compiled, and' the rate struck to give lis. : a day. On the Maitland seam for piok-miners the,. rate to be 2s. 2d. per ton with: a selling. price of'-lis,, with a decrease of. twopence for every shilling the ; price, falls.The. wages' of machine men to .be fixed at ills. a . day. The rates proposed for. filling and working wet and. difficult places are considerably lower . than those demanded by the , miners. The. owners demand an eight-hours, day at. the face..;,;

WHARF LABOURERS' STRIKE.

A STATE OF CHAOS. Sydney, February 2. The wharf labourers held a boisterous meeting, aid "reversed'i.the 'decision carried previously to work ships "co'aled by non-union lumpers or crews.'; The ineeting was! so noisy that tho police' had to bo called in. ;.... \ ; Wy::" : : ; i: It was difficult to arrive at any real idea of what the men wanted, but on a rough-and-ready division there .appeared to, be a majority iniavour of throwing the previous ballot • overboard.., "Chaos reigns;:among the .wharf labourers, and it is supposed that each wharf will go its' own way—work or etriko as the spirit moves. : .' '' .' OVERSEA TRADE DAMAGED. A . HANDICAP ON EXPORTED COAL. Sydney, February 2. ;, The ■ Government Commercial Agent in the. 1 East says thatthe'cpal strike<:ds. seriously dislocating • Australian traded' The:agent.adds that Australia' ,an, unenviable : reputation'Vs bemg* 'the only 'country in tho world to have a strike clause in contracts... : DENUNCIATION OF THE NEWSOUTH WALES LAW.' ... A LESSON- TO LABOUR VOTERS. . :(By TeleErantt.'—Press Association.f. ; Auckland, February 2. ■ At' a meeting of- the■ Amalgamated Society of Engineers, hold last nightj 1 the i matter of the. sentence on the Newcastle miners' strike, - leaders,; was. dismissed warmly, and it was' unanimously resolved: "That'. the Auckland branch 'of' the Amalgamated 1 Society of Engineers learns with regret and astonishment-, of the drastio sentences passed on' Mr. Peter Bowling and his companions, and desires, through the Executive of. the',Strike Committee, to offer them , its warmest sympathy. Tho . branch: holds that the sen'tencos,are further ovidence of class bias in the administration of the law,« inasmuch as the extreme penalty'which the law , permitted was, given -, for a - first offence,' and hard labour was harshly,: included. The event should satisfy Labbur-of-the; need of'solid combination to send to. the Parliaments representatives: who would keep in check-such legislation as that of Mr. Wade." •