TRAMWAY AWARD.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1001, 16 December 1910, Page 8

TRAMWAY AWARD.

DISCUSSION BY CITY COUNCIL. . -The Tramway Conference held in Wellington last week was responsible for a brief discussion |at tho meeting of tho City Council last evening, several councillors evincing a keen desire to bo informed as to tho conclusion at which the conference had arrived. Councillor Fletcher said a statement had appeared in the press to the effect that no Dominion award could be effected between the employees of tho tramway service and the council. It-seemed to him strango that neither members of the Tramway Committee nor of the council knew anything about it. The Mayor said the statement had not como from the council. He could only be responsible for statements ho had actually made. After the conference took place the Tramways Committee considered tho. matter, and the town clerk had bscn instructed to approach the Tramway Union, to see if tho council could come to terms wit.i them on their award proposals.. Councillor Fitzgerald asked if the council could not be informed of the decision at which the conference had arrived. The Mayor, in his reply,- stated that the council- could not lay its hand on the table before it had met the union executive in conference.- It was hoped that an understanding might be como to without approaching either tho Conciliation Council or Arbitration Court. The representatives of .the council could not state to the. Tramway. Committee or to tho council what, they were going to propose to the union. If they did the possibility tf arriving at ail understanding would be jeopardised. It would l.e useless io treat with the Tramway Union if they now stated what they were going to do. The Mayor expressed his confidence that tho ccuucil would givo its sub-committeo this measure of discretion. Councillor Fletcher asked -whether lie v.as to understand that '.ho.sub-comniitteo was to make terms with the men? The Mayor said that of course the committee wi.ild report back to the council. Any understanding at which it arrived would of course bo subject to confirmation by the council. . Councillor Fletcher said he wished to ask a question. Was the sub-committeo cet up uy-;tho Tramway Committee negotiating for a Domini-in i-.w-in! or a local [•ward? He could not see the reason for all this secrecy. Even the Tramway Committee did not kno v what had passed at tho conference.

The Mayor said the Tramway Committee had empowered its representatives to negotiate. v Councillor M'Laren understood that the h 0.111 way employees of, the Dominion were acting through their federation, and had approached heads of trinuv.iy services in the Dominion with tho view to obtaining a Dominion award. He would like to know if their proposal had been U'j.ectcd from tho side of the employers.. . •" ■ The Mayor: "Oh, no!" Councillor M'Laren: Is it proposed to meet representatives of the. tramivaymeii with the object of arriving at a Dominion agreement? The Mayor said that could only be done by approaching all the councils. His hands were tied to a certain extent, but it, would hardly bo questioned _ that the tramwaymcn would not be prejudiced if they got an award with the city of:Wei-, lington. His questioner must be content with that (Councillor M'Laren - said h" merely wished to know whether a local award only was being sought. The Mayor replied that the present negotiations might, pave (ho way for .a Dominion agreement, but the union executive was being invited to meet.the council's representatives on tho basis of a lrcal award.. He took ;t they (tho Iramwaymen) wanted an awird with the.city, before going for a Dominion award, but •ho would rather not be pur. in the posi-tion'of--having-to say any.more at that time. ,-. , At this stage the matter , was dropped.