"WE WON'T GO ON.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1143, 2 June 1911, Page 6

"WE WON'T GO ON.

FURNITURE TRADE DISPUTE.

CONCILIATION FAILS.

UNION OBJECTION OVER-RULED.

WARM DISCUSSION,

The dispute between.tho . Wehngton United I'uniitnre Trade Industrial Union ot Workers and the employers was be ore the" Council of Conciliation yestcrdaj, Mr. 1 , . Hally, Conciliation Commissioner, ip i?Lssor union were Messrs. .David B: Kennedy .(machinist) .Jas-Tfcrgusbn (cabinetmaker), and Daniel Jloriarty (secretary of tho union), Ihe assessors for tho employers .were Messr». y "I?-' Brown, A. Bishop, and J. b. Marshall. Mr.'W. Grcnfell appeared on behalFof the employers cited. Mr.". Moriarty asked if the assessors for the • employers had complied with tne acccS forms of the Act. He ques;tfncd the right of Mr. Brown,, a servant if the employers, to sit. He would also like to ask what Mr. Grenfell-was doing "Mr." Grenfell: '"V am,here by right of the provisions of tho Arbitration Amendment Act, under which any employer, cited -to' a dispute may appoint a person to . TC T?c sC CWissioner: "Have you your * Mr* r Kell: "Yes; I-have authority ' fronra number oE-employers. . - The Commissioner: "I think Mr.- farcn-ffell-is iii-order, and has a right to ap-pear-here." There could, he added, after examining Mr. Grenfcll's authority, be no objection. - ■ ■ •. . ■ ■ T Mr. Moriarty:."l am not objecting. 1 '-'simply want h"is status defined. _ Mr: Grenfell asked if the union was represented by any person duly author-ised-to - represent thein'in the claim. It so, he would like to see. that person s credentials. If they were not represented ■by anyone;' he'clairocd...that there ■ was no 'appearance of the applicant m the dispute. ■ . , Mr. Moriarty remarked that this meet'ing was for t'he purpose of conciliation. If the meeting could not-settle matters it would go on to the Arbitration Court. He claimed that they did not need to be represented in these proceedings. . rhey had no witnesses and would .call, all the evidence they required when they met the ■employers in conference. • Builders or Cabinetmakers. ' Mr.'Campbell 'asked why'the Builders' ; 'Association had been cited*. They had tho carpenters' award, which they were all ■ working under. It appeared to them thatth'e cabinetmakers wero trying to en- . • croach on their work. If this was so ■ they would know what position to take up. Mr. Moriarty said tho joiners did cabinetinaking work as well as joinery, nnd competed-against the cabinetmakers. If .tho"-'parties.in question would underlako to do no cabinetmaking work, such as shop-fittings, show-case- making, and bank fittings, there would be no-objec-tion to them being exempted. • It was stated that the builders had ,TnadVmantelpiec.es, cabinet fronts, etc., for 'some years past. . ''~., _ . The Commissioner: How would it affect I your, union, Mr. Moriarty?" ■ ■ Mr. Moriarly said tho. effect would be very considerable, as these people werecoming more and more into competition with cabinetmakers. -In fact, cabinetmakers who had come out from the-Old Country had. registered as joiners, because of tho higher wage. A lengthy discussion.ensued.on what: constituted cabinetmnkers* alkl-what-constituted joiners V.work. Mr. Campbell said'he thought iit might be arranged that ;cnbinotmakers 'should, do joiners',.;work ; and vice-;.versa. ■ They could overlkp" >on'each side'if; a proviso were Wa'ced in the -awards. - ...~ .....

Mr. "Sibriarty argued that if the ,wages and hdjirs for cabinetmakers and joiners weie Mic same, matter^.OTuld. boT«llj right, but the wages''-'frere,Sdiffferp'nt!;'; , 'i The Commissioner: "Could not the two unions in ther-riiatter of preference ... . ■ , . . ."

Mr. 'Moriarty-said this "had been considered; already, but the difficulty was the difference: in wages.-.. They.did not wish to bring the joiners down to their wage., ih'ati rather to lift the 'cabinetmakersv.ijprtp the joiners' level.' The matter o£ granting exemption was htld over. The Commissioner, said he would give, a decisio'n later. The claim of North and Co., wire mattress makers, for exemption, was also held over'to'enable "the Commissioner to look.into the matter. ■ .'Exemptions Granted. Exemptions were . granted in tho following cases, after hearing argument :— B. Diederich nnd Son, -Harcourt and Co., ,T. Johnston, J. Linley, Mrs. -I/eydin, W. :-H. Morrah and Co., T. Kennedy Macdonnld'and Co., Biaithwaito and Co., A. . L. Wilson and Co., Bethune and Co., W. H. Philp, AVellington Cleaning Co., > J. Duthie .ami Co., ,-Sargood. Son and- Ewen, Stewart Timber Co.. Odlin Timber Co., saundors Bros.,'Mitchell and King, Humphries Bros.. W. L. Robertson, Salem, f'- Arnold. Gurney Bros., P. D. Wcine,' ii.-w. Wallace and Co., Ha'rro-.vby and Son, van Staveren Bros. ■ .- * ■•. Statement by the Commissioner. i. The council then went into'committee. A statement made by tho Commissioner to the press .afterwards was to tho effect ■ that , after'theS.council-got on to th'o-de- : mands/'Mr.'Moriar.ty 'asked that '-"Mr.'Grenfell should' retire;-and:insisted'.-'on this being done... .'-, ; •■'•.':'■'•''•,' .'- 1 --' j The Commissioner-, said; he i was.. only idopting the usual;.'practice in.allowing' Mr; ■ Grenfell, or any .other agent,'"to-bo present until such" --.tinib as":.th.e-J council ! ; nad set about preparing ,its recommerida-' lions. At Uiis .stiigp...,it:was:alwhy,s the practice, for those outside the council to retire.-r.; "Mr. Moriartj-still persisted," .added the Commissioner,- "and"l'said V would n&t allow any dictation-front him on the matter, and it wa,s. quite possible that I had more experience in the arrangement of these disputes than he had, and had probably taken part in proceedings of this nature before he had adopted the swaddling clothes of a trades unionist. 1 advised them to retire, and to consider the position as to whether or not they Tonld proceed," concluded the Commissioner. . . When Mr. Moriarty and his fellow assessors returned to the council, tho press were readmitted. The Chairman: "1 understand, Mr. Moriarty, that you object,to proceed any further with,tho cost unless Mr. Greufell 18 asked to retire?"Employers' Agent Explains. Mr. Grenfell itsked if he could make a statement. He appeared before the council 'under due authority as prescribed for in the Act, to-represent the employers cited. -On behalf of the parties cited lie claimed that he was entitled to remain at the hearing so long as matters between tho employers and the union were unsettled. He did not think tho ■ council was receiving the consideration it deserved from the union. , Mr. Moriarty: "I object.to. that statement. . Yon arc talking to the press now." • Continuing, Mr..Moriarty said the position was that when the Conciliation Council was set up they understood that three employers were to meet three workers, and. try to arrange matters; hot that there should bo trial by jury. If they could not come to an agreement, then the matter shonld go on to the Arbitration Court. The employees had three representatives, Rnd the employers four, and Mr. Grenfell was reading set resolutions from his association. It was an impossibility to come to a settlement with Mr. Grenfell present. Only a shc-rt time ago 1 ho (Mr. Grenfell) had blocked a private conference between the parties. Mr. Grenfell protested against this statement, which ho said was not correct. At any rate, Mr. Moriarty proceeded, the conference was not allowed to take place. He had not objected to Mr. Grenfell up I ill now because lio was there to do work of a formal character. When it :ame to a discussion of the award,- the union should not be asked to give their reasons with Mr. Gvenfeil present. It ivas not in his (Mr. Grenfell's) interests !o see a settlement arrived at. "I know !eu will object to overy.tliing. i know 3 too well," ntided Mr. Moriarty. He »uld : sec nothing in .tho Arbitration let

which gave an agent a right to sit there after the formal matters had been disenssed-. ' ■ ' Union Refuses to Proceed. After the agent had said ail-ho had 4 to sav in this connection he'should retire. .-Unless Mr. Grenfell was a.-ked to retire during the deliberations of tho council, the'union would refuse to "proceed any further. They were sorry 'to have to take up this stand, but they wero not going to allow the'case to, bo run by Mr. Grenfell. Mr. Bishop: "Because-a man goes into Court without counsel, that.does not stop the either side having counsel, surely' Mr. Ferguson said.he thought they had come to n Conciliation Council, but he found they had come'to a Court,' to have a trial by jury. ■ The Commissioner Explains, , The Commissioner said he .was sorry this stand had been taken.: The practice adopted that day had been the practice since the inception of the Conciliation Council. They ' were entitled to have agents present during the- preliminary discussion, but all parties except the assessors must , retire when.it came ito making tho award. If it-was-the wish.of the union that proceedings should' not go any further, well and good. •• At the same time, he would ask them to consider the point that the Arbitration Court would riot .hear a dispute-that.had not been before the Conciliation Council. .-Hethought it would be wiser for the union to ask another representative-to afctend.i This to his mind was .the wisest policy. It did not follow that because the union did not appoint an agfint-thai the employers were wrong in doing so. • . " "I advise you now- to hold a meeting and to appoint someone," said the Commissioner, addressing' .the assessors for the union. ' ' '' . " Mr. Moriarty: - "Show : us where it is .compulsory in the 'Act." ■ ■' • . Tho Commissioner: "It is not compulsory. I put the position- to you. and you can please yourself. I will ask Mr. Grenfell to retire immediately you start to frame jour recommendations." Mr. Moriaity: "Our minds are made up —we won't go on.". ; -. ........... The Commissioner: "Well, you must take your dispute somewhere else." ' I The Council.then rose., . In ' view of the turn the proceeding have taken, the position appears to be that tho case will be struck out.