PASSING IT ON.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1346, 25 January 1912, Page 6

PASSING IT ON.

INCREASED WAGES FOR CARGO WORK. HARBOUR BOARB'S PLIGHTMUST IMPOSE HEAVIER DUES, "HOBSON'S CHOICE," For tho first timo since it was signed, sealed, and delivered, the agreement come to between the shipowners and the wharf labourers was criticised publicly at the meeting of tho Wellington Harbour Board, and eome of the criticism was adverse. The chairman intimated simply that he had received a communication from tho Wellington Wharf Labourers' Union forwarding a copy of the agreement arrived at between tlie New Zealand Federation of Labour and the employers, and asking favourable consideration thereto. Mr. H. C. Tewsley: Where is the Arbitration Court? ■ The chairman: I don't know anything about the Arbitration Court. , Mr. Hiudmarsh: The only thing to do is to fall in .with the other employers. Mr. Jones moved that (he agreement bo accepted. The only alternative to this was to cause an industrial upheaval. Mr. Hindmarsh seconded the motion. Mr. Cohen wanted to know whether in fivo minutes -or in tho six days of the conference anyone considered tho results of the agreement to the Harbour Board. ;Mr. Jon-is: Of course we did. The Unfortunate Consumer. '- .Mr. Cohen: We are not "in the same position as other employers. They-are in the fortunate position of being able to pass 'pn the enarges. They are in the position of middle-men. We have to find the money, and after all we must pass it oii, .too, to the unfortunate- consumer. 'The .chairman: The'■ first intimation that the'board-' had that it would be' tailed into this question was a memo frdm'-Mr.. Kennedy,.' of the Union-.Company, .saying that a conference was sitting. Tne board was never asked to send .a representative. The trouble started first at Timuru; it spread to Lyttelton; and a conference was held at Dunediu. That, conference was adjourned to..Wellington,-and-the' board had no intimation irom either side to be represented at the It appeared to him that, seeing that the board • was a very much,interested party, the other parties should have had the courtesy to invite- some representative to be present. The board employed men sometimes to the number of from 500 to .800, and they, had never been consulted. Now the shipping firms wero very anxious to have the mutter settled, lie supposed their hands' had been forced, as the board's would be forced. It was a case of Hobson's choice.' The matter.' was such a serious one that it would cause the board to amend its policy. As a matter of fact he was going to ask the board to reimpose the charges remitted last month. The increased rates would cost the board about .£OOOO per annum. The board must pay it. The ships would have to pay some of it in turn, and the consignees some of it, and in the end the general public would have to pay the lot. He had that day had a conference with some of' tho representatives of tho men,, at which several items specially affecting tho board were'discussed. The agreement-set out that men should be engaged at 8 a.m. and/10 'a;ni., and after that at no other time until 1 p.m. He had pointed out that this would disorganise shipping, for tho Harbour Board was in a different position from ships. Most of the transhipment orders came in after 10 o'clock, and nothing could be done with them because no men could be engaged until one o'clock.

Replying to a question by Mr. Cohen, the chairman stated thatthV local -union was willing to meet a subcommittee of the boar'd'-fri-'order-that be made to meet local requirements as far as possible. The Board "Danced On," , "1 cannot say, sir," remarked Mr. Trevor, "that the board has fallen in, but it appears to me that we have actually had no voice in this at all." Mr. Fletcher: "It would not have made any difference anyway." Mr. Trevor resumed with tho remark that two of the board's members had attended the conference, but he did not know whether the board was compromised. Apparently Mr. Jones had not been able to attend many of tho meetings—■ 'Mr. Jones:' Who told you so? I said that I did not attend all the meetings. Mr. Trevor replied that he had under-stood-Mr. Jones to say so himself. Apparently Mr. Jones had not been able to be present when many of the decisions were arrived at. Possibly his friend Mr. Kenner had been too much taken up with his own business to think of tho'board. The union had really had all their own way. "They have just danced on you," declared Mr. Trevor. "We are asked to 'fork out' to the tune of about £mO. I. suppose it will affect us more than any of the companies." Members: Ob, no!

Air. Trevor: Well, it will affect nsvery seriously. If we have to put on the dues tint we have just taken off, that is a consideration. It seems to me UDic/u« that we aro run into this, although we have not had a voice in it. I don't know why 'we should riot have had a voice. I dont blow why any body of men should compromise anybody apart from themselves. I don't suppose we can , : fight against it, but it seems to me that it is a> most curious state of things that the board is to be bled to the tune of MOW, and to have.no voice in tho proceedings leading up to that.. Mr. 'Jones asked leave to explain his position, and'outlined the circumstances leading up to the conference. In the first •place, a'strike of watersiders occurred at limaru. With this, of course, tho Wellin». ton. Harbour Board had nothing to do. Tlie strike spread to Lyttelton. Tho Tinia.ru men agreed to, go buck to work on condition that-a conference should bo held within a week to ;discuss the position. Ihe Lyttelton men agreed to hold their hands on the sani«\ terms. Being interested, the speaker was asked to attend the resulting conference, which met at Jjunedin. While the conference was sitting demands came in from other ports. Wellington and- Auckland among tho number. It was then decided to adjourn over the holidays and to resume in Wellington; ■ The board, Mr. Jones stated, got the same notice as he did of the resumption of the conference. Certainly So slight to the Hiirbour Board had been' intended. "There was nobody who could cull you to tho conference," remarked Mr. Jones. ■ .' Members interjected that that was the objectionable feature. Mr. Jones said that the Union Company had given the board a "courtesy call" to the conference. Members: What has the Union Company to do' with it? Mr. Jones continued that the board had sent its secretary and its lawyer and that these representatives had told thn shipowners' delegates to take care what they' agreed to as th« agreement would involve tlie beard. At this stage the chairman asked Mr. .Tours to preserve his fnrther Temarks until hig opportunity camo to speak in renly. Mr. WzgerM declared that he felt tins to be an occasion on which they should congratulate the watersiders upon having as tliHr advocate a man who. as mi interested piirty. had fought very strenuously against the demands when thev werp inado. It might have sounded a grefj; tfp.il better if Mr. Himlmarsh had moved this motion inst«id of Mr. Jones. The board hod no other course thn7> to accept tho ngrepment, but it should have boon'afforded an opportunity of boing represented on Hie conference and should have been represented. Spirit of the Law Violated, Mr. J. G. Harkness said that all he knew about tho matter was thail the board would h.ive to foot a pretty considerable bill to meet the increases which would have to bo paid for waterside work. He foAk exception to the influences that had been brought to bear. There should have been some legally constituted authority, tn invite the board to be represented. The attitude of thn ship-owner?, in consenting to deal nith the Federation of Labour, called for explanation. It was i violation of the spirit of the law that

employers of labour should hove been willing to meet the Federation ot Labour —a body which hud no legal standing at all—and discuss the agreement which was before the board that evening. The two courses before the board wore to repudiate tho agreement or accept it. If it decided to repudiate the agreement, probably I here would be «. strike. On the other hand, as a local body, they had been absolutely bound by tho action of prirato employers, at. a conference nt which the board should have been invited lo be .represented. "1 say," concluded Mr. Harkness, "that we aro absolutely bound to-night to accept this agreement, whether it is for our good or for our evil." Mr. Kcnner remarked that what had been said by the chairman and other members showed clearly that tho board should have been represented at the conference. The chairman: It was never asked to be represented. Mr. lienner said that it • had not been within the jurisdiction of ■ any employer at tho conference to invite the board to be represented. Members of the board who had attended the conference, in their private capacity, had not committed it in any way. They could not say anything about any question that affected the work of "the board, although they knew perfectly well, and pointed out to the executive officers of the board, that anything done there would probably cause the hoard to be mulcted in very heavy additional charges for work done on tho wharves. "YVo also knew perfectly well," concluded Mr. Eenner. "that 'eventually tho charges must go back on tho ships and goods, and we now see perfectly well tho result of the board not being represented at the conference." Apologies to the Board, Tho chairman said Tic wished to state that the board had received no invitation to be present at this conference. Neither the employees nor the employers had invited it. Mr.. Holdsworth (who presided at the conference) had offered him an apology for the failure to send any proper invitation to tho board. Mr. Semplo ;had done the same on behalf of the men. He wished to add that if the board-had sent representatives to-a conference' at which Mr. .Tones and Mr. Eenner wore not represented, they would have been tho first to object on the ground.'that the-' conference was not legally constituted. He was not going to send representatives to, or go himself as a representative to, a body on which tho board had no legal standing. Mr. Hindmarsh recalled that he had been unsupported when he proposed, some time previously,' that the board should take over sole control of waterside work in the port.- Now it appeared what these private employers were. It was welt known that, ;in Arbitration Court proceedings, where a majority of. the men engaged in a ttade entered into nn agreement, the minority liad tn.subscribe to it. A majority'of employers, in this case, had agreed to pay certain wages, and observe certain hours. Tha board, could .not complain if it was called upon to ..observe them likewise. The best thing the board could do wa.s to smilingly accept the position, and if they could "pass it on," so mnch the better. Mr. Hindmarsh avorred-that he found it quite enjoyable to sec Mr. .Tones getting up to propose that the board should pay these high wages, and Mr. Eenner supporting the proposal. Mr. .Tones stated that some local details had been loft over to be arranged at a meeting of a. sub-committee.

The motion was put and carried on the voices. ' A Question of Law. Mr. I'reeth asked "whether the board could work under this agreement, without, breaking the law,, since it was work-, ing under an arbitration award. . . Members: They have cancelled their registration. '-'■.' • "Air. "I'reeth and other members remarked that the local union had not yet cancelled its registration. Mr. Cohen moved:—"That a sub-com-mittee be set up to arrange any alteration of details rendered necessary by. the peculiar exigencies of the Harbour Hoard work." Tho motion was agreed to on the voices, the chairman, Messrs. Hindinarsh, and Nicholls being named as the members of tho committee. Mr. Trevor, moved to add the name of Mr. Harkness, but was ruled out of order on the ground that the motion had been put and carried. The First Instalment. Later in the meeting, when, the question of confirming the new by-laws camo on, The chairman asked permission of the board to move without notice that the motion remitting some ,£7OOO in dues, passed on November 27 last, be rescinded. This, he explained, ivas rendered necessary by the new agreement, which would entail an extra expenditure of some ■£1)000 on the board. Mr. Hindmarsh was the only member who objected. He was not sure that the money could.not be found without reimposing the dues, and, unless he was assured that time was of supreme importance, he would object to "this sudden death motion." The expenditure for the increased wages would bedspread over the whole year, and would not have to be paid in one month. • The chairman argued that'as the board had now need of the ,£7OOO which had been given away, the amount must bo made up. Tho money must be got from somewhere. There would'also be an increased cost .for carting, and if the increased rates were not made up at once there would probably bo a loss for the year. • Mr. Hindmarsh still maintained his objection, which debarred the chairman from moving the resolution without notice. He therefore gave notice in the ordinary way. The chairman then asked leave to postpone the confirmation of the by-laws for a month, as it would be- useless to confirm the by-laws containing the dues payable, and then have to amend them next month.