A SILENT POLICY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1445, 21 May 1912, Page 6

A SILENT POLICY.

FEDERATION OF LA HOCK. The members of the Federation of Labour executive sat in conference all day yesterday. Two of the officers, Messrs. P. C. Webb (president) and H. Semplo .'organiser) were interviewed lust evening, but absolutely declined to make anything public ifgarding what had been done during the day. The. only subject upon which' lliev consented to speak was that uf !he atliliule of Ihe federation towards agreements made, under its auspices, with employer-. Mo-T-\ Semple and Webb ciincurris! in slating thai the policy enun-

cialed by Mr. Iliekey, when he iecenily advised the workers, in elfec!, lo tear up m> agreement, whenever they so inclined, was no! the'policy of the federal ion. Mr. Ilickey's utterance on this siibjorl, (he nHiceri of the federation stated, had been otticifiilv repudiated by that body. Mr. Webb r'enurwd thai Uw federation tlirvt

reserved to itself the right (o strike, but I hill i! would mil order a strike merely because it suv a chance of gelling another threepence an hour, or anything of that. kind, lie jiislilied (he recent action of (In- federation ill Waihi on Ihc ground (luil (ho employers hnd altenipleil lo (•renin a "scab" union, and s „ |, a ,l been liiM: In break the agreement into which they had entered with (he miners. Mr. Webb added that, (his was Ihe first fedcrnlion ngre-cmvnl which hail been broken.

THE DEPARTMENT. AND Till: .U'CICUND UNION. The postilion of |)>e Labour Department Hi regard to the dispute nl. Waihi was clearly slated by (he lion. (!. Laurcnson! Minister for Labour, yeslerdav. "The en-giue-iliivers connected with 'the Waihi mines" In, said, "have applied (o the Department of Labour In be registered as a. Drivers' and Firemen's Union. The other men have sfmck in consequence, wilhout wailing until the Department irid decided to register or nol. As far as our Department is concerned, we have received no protest against the formation of n second Drivers' Union in Ihe Auckland province. There is at present a Drivers' I -moil in Auckland, but. it dpos not include firemen, am! (ho Department has telegraphed to ihe officials of (he existing body asking if it will include firemen. A ballot is now being taken as to whether the union shall include firemen and greasers. The result of that KiHot will not be known until Mav ,10. In f'he meantime ttn can do nothing. We have not been approached by cither of the contestants. It is an internal dispute pure and simple. There is only one Drivers' Union ■in the other districts of the Dominion, and all of them 'include firemen in their membership, with (he exception of the AucKland district."' EMISSARY HERE. Mr. Parry, president of the Waihi -Miners and Workers' Union, is at pre<ent in Wellington. He spent several hour* .yesterday in conference, with, officials of the Federation of Labour, but declined to make any statement to the press.