WATERSIDE WORKERS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1347, 26 January 1912, Page 3

WATERSIDE WORKERS.

HARBOUR BOARD AND THE CONFERENCE. MOKE ABOUT THE-INVITATION. "In to-day's is ; iie of The Dominion,'' writes Mr. W. ( A. Kennedy, local manager for the Union Steam Ship Company, yesterday, "the chairman of the Harbour Board is reported to have made fhe following statement at last night's meeting of the board, viz:— , > ... "'The chairman: Thefirit intimation that the board had that it would be called into this question was a memo from Mr. Kennedy, of the Union Company, saying that a conference, was sitting. The board was never asked to send a representative. "'Thechairman said he wished to state that the board had received no invitation to be present at this conference. Neither tho employees nor tho employers had invited it. Mr. Holdsworth (who presided at the conference) had offered him an apology for tho failure to send any proper invitation to the board. Mr. Semplc had done tho same on behalf of the men." "I regret to havo to traverse these statements," continued Mr. Kennedy, "as the board was just as fully informed on the subject as any other employer of waterside labour in Wellington, and in proof of this assertion 1 attach a copy of correspondence between myself and the secretary of the Harbour Board, which is self-explanatory. Tor the purposes of this communication I am but concerned with the regrettable omission on the part of the Labour I'cderation to formally place their claims before the Wellington employers prior to the date of tho conference, but tho fact remains that with the exception of the Harbour Board the wholo o£> tho Wellington employers of waterside labour, recognising the importance to themselves and tho public of the issues involved, responded to my invitation of December 31, and were present at and took part in the strenuous debates which followed on the presentation to them for tho first time, on January 10, of tho knotty problems covered by. the claims of the federation. "Representatives of tho Harbour Board wore present at tho meeting of employees held prior to the opening of the conference, but expressed their intention of taking no part in the latter." The following is a copy of tho correspondence:— "Wellington, December 21, 1511. "Secretary, Wellington Harbour Board, Wellington. "Dear Sir,—l am advised from Duiiediii that the conference between the employers and tho waterside workers'. representatives was yesterday adjourned till January 10, on which date the proceedings will be resumed at Wellington, when the local union and several others will bo represented. As tho matter is one in which your board is specially interested, you will doubtless arrango for the board to bo represented.—Yours faithfully, W. A. Kennedy, Manager." "Wellington, New Zealand, "December 22, 1911. "Tho Manager, Union Steam Ship Co., Ltd., Customhouse Quay, Wellington. "Dear Sir,—l thank you for your letter of 21st instant (W.H.8.33943), re conference between employers and waterside workers, to bo held in Wellington on 10th proximo. The subject will have my best attention.—l am, Dear Sir, yours truly, (Sgd.) H. E. Nicholls, Secretary." J "Wellington, January. 8, 1912. "Secretary, Wellington Harbour Board, Wellington. "Dear Sir,—Referring to my letter of 21st ulto., kindly note that a preliminary conference of employers will bo hold on tho third floor of .the Union Company's Buildings at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, preparatory to meeting the labour delegates at 2.30 p.m. on the same day.—Yours faithfully, W. A. Kennedy, Manager."