TO SEVER OR NOT?

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 810, 6 May 1910, Page 8

TO SEVER OR NOT?

HAWKE'S BAY INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT. . THE MINISTER'S DECISION. "NO ALTERATION." Representatives of the Wellington Tailoresscs', Engine-drivers', Bakers', Butchers', and Furniture Workers' Unions waited upon the Hon. J. A. Millar (Minister for Labour) last evening to protest against the formation of a neir industrial district including Hawke'sßay, which is at present a part of the Wellington industrial district. Mr. Field, M.P., introduced the deputation. Mr. D. Moriarity, secretary of the Furniture AVorkers' Union, said.that he did not know why. the employers wished the alteration made. There wns a strong feeling among the employees that there should bo only one industrial district for the whole Dominion. He might point out that in the furniture trade the hours and wages in the different centres were as Under: Auckland, 47, and. <£2 18s. 9d.; Wellington, 46, and £3; Christchurch, 41, and .£2 155.; and Diiuedin, 48, and £3. The Court was now asked only to fix the minimum rate of wages and not the maximum rates. More than 50 per cent, of the workers in the Dominion received more than the minimum rates fixed by the various awards, which showed that the minimum rates were altogether too low. At present there were only a handful of workers in the dilferent trades in Hawke's Bay, and if the proposed alteration were made they would be at tho mercy of tho employers. In his opinion it would be disastrous to competitive trades, if the number of industrial districts were increased. It would be easier for . the officials of the. Labour Department to carry out thdr duties if there wo» only one award for each trade for tho whole Dominion. These officials now appeared to have too much to do.-. Mr." A. H. Cooper, secretary of tho Butchers' Union of Workers, declared that the present districts had been in existence for sixteen years, and lie took t that the Government would not make any alteration unless just causo was shown. The workers were in tho dark as to the reasons which had prompted tho employers in their action. Ho noticed that the Builders' and Contractors' Association had stated that the conditions in Hawke's Bay were , different from those m the cities. In that regard they gave away the whole position, for the Court always took into consideration the conditions of a district. Tho old Conciliation Board and tho Conciliation Commissioner had been more successful in Hawke's Bay than in any other part of the Dominion. In the two principal industries in Hawko's Bay they had been working for some years under agreements. It had also been alleged that agitators' from Wellington interfered in connection with industrial matters in Hawko's Bay. That, ho could assure tho was not the case. He considered that the object of tho proposed alteration was a belief that if Rawke's Bay were made a separate district the various unions in that district would die out, and small wages would again be the result. . He could not seo any legitimate reason why any change should be made. It. wns the employers of Napier and not of Hawke's Bay that had made tho. request.

: Mr. A. Collins,, president of. the Tailoresses' Union of Workers, and , .secretary of tho Bakers' Union of Workers, and Mr. S. Waite, on behalf-of,-.tho Engine-, drivers' Union, endorsed-:the remarks of previous speakers.

Mr. Rosser, of Auckland, said tbnt the natural result of a change ?uch as was proposed would' be the 'cancellation of trades unions. Those vrhe ivevii am>l) ing for the alteration should know that the Court had power to constitute a separate award for any particular district. His second point was.that the tendency to-day was towards tho creation of uniform awards for the whole Dominion.

The Minister (in reply) said that the matter had cropped up einco he went on his trip ,to , Australia. Ho knew of no solid reason'why there should bo nny alterations in the districts. Statistics ■showed that the number of industries in Napier had increased lu the same rates, as those in other parts of the Dominion. Supposing that there was anything wrong with the condition in any district, the court now had full power , to, remedy matters. It was not his intention to bring down any.legislation giving effect to the proposal. When he suggested in Parliament an increase in tho. minimum membership of a union, he did so because he wanted tho "mushroom * unions to become branches of the larger unions. In connection ■ with the matter before . he found that nine 'unions favoured and S7 opposed tho proposal. In conclusion, he said that the court had now the fullest power to deal with any dispute that might crop up. The power to grant colonial awards was contained in the existing legislation. "What I have told you," added Mr. Millar, 'will be my reply to any other deputation coming to. mo on the subject." (Applause.)