FUTILE CONFERENCE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 745, 18 February 1910, Page 8

FUTILE CONFERENCE.

... ■ WHO WAS TO BLAME?: , ME. CARE? REPLIES TO ME. V ;.,:"' :'': . :'"' '" \ . .-". "DEMANDS;TO'BE\FILED.'. '. ' Reverting to.the question.of the.recent breach between 'the. Hotel .'and/Restaurant, Keepers'.Association: and ,the different unions of. hotel employees;- Mr, 'E. ■ J.' Carey',;-' secretary - 0f.".. the :'. Cooks' 'aid' Waiters' 'Union', informed, a.' Dominion reporter,,yesterday.'that, in.his opinion, the views expressedby Mr. J. S. Palmer,' president of f ". the Licensed Victuallers' Association of New Zealand, in.an' interview ,'on the: subject on the previous ■ day .were so.misleading','that ho was bound to' reply.to' them. • ..•'.,' : ->''.'.-' : • ''-~ '

, "I,notice," remarked Mr.'.Carey,"that, Mr. Palmer declares, that the'late conference, was-arranged without-any demands being.submitted for consideration.' Now, ■Mr.'-- Palmer'knows' very- well that it was on .his -own;: suggestion., that" the unions' submitted to the conference'a ! set of.de-' mands which it was "expected would form .the basis'of. ah agreement. '. True, Mr. ■Palmer, asked at the .conference that cer-, tain' agreements. should., form'..-the- .basis;' hut'healso'stated that he.'was under.'defi-' nitc instructions.to grant no extra. con ; , cessions. r:.then'intimated, .not", .'as Mr. Palriier v;ould .-have - the.; public : believe, that the' unions .wanted the'"whole hog. of 'nothing;, but: that .'it.'was 'the lihani,mous' opinion of the workers that' the :time had now,arrived: for at least.a-rer duction of the hours of labour; extra holidays, 'in addition' to what were already granted,'and increase.of! wages forcertain -of, the.. lower ' classes .of labour. The ibtelkee'pefs'never.. had: any-intention of proceeding '• with the, cpriference,' and were only: too. glad-of 'niy;.statein.ent, that if the conference was - not prepared to consider niy- suggestions the matter would, go 'to' .the Court, as an' excuse"for their' shabby of myself: and the other -representatives;6f:'t)ie'wQrters.::' ■■'.'• .;'' Former rßelatipns ;:Betwee'|i\ the. Parties, : -"There-is"also-Mr.- Palmer's statementthat.the employers in .the trade have always.: been, willing and anxious,that rear, sonable .demands should receive, fair con-, si.deratio'ii,.;. and ;, his., further. ; , statement, that /we .have, no. desire.: either ..-to!,.over-, work 'or; underpay, bur' employees/ which amount to-, cant and hypocrisy: <;' Ever, since,, the. workers, in -the '.'hotel .trade we.re''prganised-:. I w6,:havo : . : ..had' I : ; the,bittev opposition; of. the hotelkeepers;. and whatever improvenjents"have been' effected in. the working conditions of 'the' trade have all been.sequred at.the point of the bayonet.. As''-proof'"of-'.the'.sweet reasonableness, professed"-by'.the, hotelkeepers, let me .'quote: from : a ;back: report: presented, by, .Mr.- Palmer to the; Licensed. Victual-' ler's' .'Association, 'and adopted' by that body. Dealing with the. formation of-the workers'-into', "unions, the report, says:-- ; ':Up to "the. present timeiohly.one. '.place: and -one;', local association has .suii'eied; from the workers' deinands,.but as in.thei near;'future, quite 'a number' of. districts' are 'promised invasion : :by.:':the wdrkefs', ■ agitators/ the! matter' will.become of more general interest.and the' : proposed, amendments to' the Conciliation and -Arbitration Act. will- be awaited; with', no • little : especially, a's 'the 'fact: must: be-admitted: that-few -'concessions' are! .granted'' to" pioyers,' and;'fewer;still 1 where those:'era'; .plgyei;s.. , :ar'e'' : : :associated'' with the '"'tiquor trade:'..;,'-,,':'",':';.;;. : ~:...:..,:;.,. '..; ..\.-'.-,.

;.' ( Then:in demands, of'.tho: hotel' workers,.,who;, at:'thai .time worked ;'sev'en :days a- week, and; 365 'days a year - without a single holiday; and '-were-, agitating', for ;d: : legislative,.';half-holiday, what did the'-hotelkeopeTs-say? The report included- the following .observations:. "The Shops and; Offices ; Amendment, Bill is'',more menacing than - at; any previous time ,from, ■ the.'. fact ■■: that.,'. I .' this .year; the, tradei-wUl:.have jthe .'organised...opr, position:of, the .cooks' and waiters' union, and the Trades and Labour Council, both. of which have pronounced strongly . infavour of .the: statutory weekly-hali-holi'-' day 'being', given to hotel fservants-frbni 1 p.m. . Each member, of the association will bo-able, to estimate how : ;far' his business',-will, .be affec | ted-.,if l „'6uch'' pro-;, posals become/law. ,'■ As. showing,. the. at-, titude. of the 'Licensed Victuallers' Asso--ciation to'the Arbitration Act,.generally' accepted. by,.employers -as a. fair; method' of dealing, with.'industrial:; disputes, the report says: 'The,Minister;for-Labour;has, foreshadowed very, drastic changes in the 1 Conciliation and Arbitration Act, ' and, as there- is very' little doubt, that the ramifications;,of,.the, employees' ; unions, "willsooh.hei spread''over'thbentife colony any ..'amendment .must. of;'necessity; be ■ of. great'interest ;to-the- trade.:,-In : any district 'where ', the Act .is ■ .brought'-' into operation,- one fact 'alone is.the material increase in'the wages:sheet.!*'.' ;:,;

Sincerity of Employers! Doubted, -r v ."I - think -"that. these .excerpts,"'continued Mr..Carey,."should'convince the pub-., lie of-the sincerity of, the'professions'byMr. Palmer-'and his colleagues.. All along 'the- line the-hotelkeepers:have..given no-; thing.. /;Fbr.'.instahc«,.V.it was ".proposed, last session,- to introduce'.-.legislation.i-.re: stricting-the (hours of 'labour -for iworkers; in-the hotels.to 60. and;sfi ; for males.and females-,i-respectively; 'Thereupon the •hoteikeepers-fell over each-other-.in their, eagerness to .protest, against''-the'introduc-tion # o£ the,Bill, and; succeeded in blocking' if by prolonging their ..evidence' .before ;the Labour -'Bills • Committee.'' , lii .addition,.-- the....'records .will '.show that Mr.'. Palmer' when', before '■' the Committee'; characterised ■ workers in the- trade : 'a's.''wa'sters.'i ■ Mr., Palmer--will find, that; there is 'plenty: of' mettle leftin the.. 'wasters/ - and, that. 'tis vote-catching utterances:will;riot blind.the public, to'the genuine grievances suffered- by. the workers in,the,trade.; The'hotclkcepers'jprofessidri of their.:.conciliatory -spirit wifl . be; put to the test i.n-a.'week.otvtwo, ,for it.-is-'the' intention, of. the, local union, to .-file a ;case almost immediately. For' our-part; we are. heartily : sick'of: the - hotelkeepers'' talk' of their desire to grant .'us 'improved.conditions,'of labour 'because.:we/look 'to: "a settlement; of r any': difficulty - without-, any' conflict,- and since, .the 'expiry- of. the award have done .our .best to. maintain good .relations -between.. the -employers;- and - the employed.','. And: the 'hotelkeepers -show .their, gratefulness ..by-putting: us .to' the' expense of'bringing.delegates,from,Auckland and Duhedin,,whilst their: intention! \Was not to' discuss with ,' us: even' ■ ith'e slightest-: concession. , \.: : ,>'--. ';. •. /','/,:

■.'..'".:.'■:■ Election.Time Too Far Off.■-', <<:! ; ."My ! .experience "'of the ''•hot'elkeepers teaches me,'' added Mr. Carey, "that the only time, they : are ostensibly sincere .concerning ■:■ the: welfare, of . the, worker is. just b'eforo : election time.'; Then tho; execi.'!, tive of ..the association .will, 'even ,'con ; '; descend to' ask' me to'.meet them, withja. >iew .to. easingdowh strife in tho industry. As the>neit.election is some..time distant; wo know that we, will now - have to fight for. any concession'wo desire. The hotelkeepers', will find in; time ,that tho! fedeja'-. tion :'does -hot submit 'proposals ..unless they are sincere abont them,; and that'in our effort.to. secure them- we' .have :the backing .not.;only of all' workers in the trade, but also of the public. C,v : :,.,"!' challenge-. :Mr.' Palmer, to state' ■publicly.'whether'or not-65;hours is. a fair "working week for' a .woman/ whether .a iwage 0f.225. 6d. ;f0r.65 hours is a living, wage, for a /married, hotel worker, ' and .whether, that.is the acme of the reasonableness and .consideration that.: they >in•tend to me,te:Out.'to,us in the future.'J. ...