FERRY FRICTION.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1334, 11 January 1912, Page 4

FERRY FRICTION.

THE WING 07 THE FEDERATION. . It is now definitely known that the New Zealand Federation of. Labour intends to champion the cause of the local ferry workers who are demanding increased wages and shorter hours. . Mr. I?. Scinple, organiser of the federation, made a statement on the subject to a reporter last evening. After remarking that the Wellington Harbour Ferries Company desired its employees to refer their case to the Arbitration Court, Mr. Semplo said that tho federation absolutely disagreed with this suggestion. "Wo want," ho said, "to settle this dispute, in tho eame way as wo have settled, and arc attempting to settle, larger disputes. We have replied to the Harbour Ferries Company that the union which obtained tho award under which they claim to bo still working is defunct. Further, wo have informed them that we do not agree to refer the matter to arbitration, but that we are prepared to meet them in open conference and discuss tho situation as wo have done in disputes with larger companies. If in the case of the huge concerns with whom we have had dealings in the past it has been possible to arrive at an agreement, surely it can be done in this case." Mr. Semple added that tho ferry employees were inombera of the federation. Should an agreement bo arrived at the federation would compel them to abide by its conditions quite as effectively as if they were members of an ordinary local union. Mr. Farland was the local representative of tho federation here, and it would be for him to seo that any man engaged in future became a member of the federation, and observed the agreement.