POSITION AT WAIHI.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1479, 29 June 1912, Page 5

POSITION AT WAIHI.

Tfiß STRIKE LEVY. UNWILLINGNESS TO PAY IT, 'TIRED OP PEDEEATION/ 1 (By Aascclation.i mi' , Auckfand, Juuo i>(J. i V il |o wxt that many members of Iho Avokbuid Tramways Union are evadiiw ...tlie -paj-mont of 2s. per week—tlio levy (.truck, (;o assist tho Waihi and Hceftoii slTite-n-M ...'. recorded . in to.dnv'a * i ?i < lias boon made to ivJiito tlio BBtivments which wero obtained jrom several' of the men concerned, but : lull confirmation of thorn was secured i Irum other quarters. i first levy (taken up Inst week) was Uy .110 ' means unanimously responded to. some of tho men refusing point blank io TO a jjd oliiers only doing -so under pro- . test. 1 here ajo about 150 tnotannen aud -conductorsi m the Traffic Department, nud of these about Yll mid the lew. Out o£. 36-.other.hands, only nine paid the 2s.i the other 27 declined to do so. • io'doy thp collector at Epsom J3arn met ..tvaiJi even less, success on taking- up the second week's levy, Only four of tho 30 employees paid Hie 110 fewer than 32 musingi to do so. Tho' t'uriipMo fiuuros lrom otto branches of the union are not' yet available, but there is reason to }>?- iicvo v,liut some who paid last week declined to. do So this week. All the men Paul their ordinary contributions, the levy only being the stumbling-block. Itespite the reports of tlio supporters ot the federation of Labour to give aa impression that iho levy is ljoin- paid, uio fact remains that, in m:mv cases, it i( not, and, in mauj; others, members of ih< luuon nro oui.v induced (0 pay bocatist' hey object.to called "scabs." TM aini-fecleration feeling is daily becoming more marked omong all branches of t)w! union. As was made abundantly clear in the. course of further investigations to*<tfiy, a strong desire exists,*" amongst married employees especially, that thev should break away irom the Federation), and secuie an agreement under tho Arbitration Court.

"IVo want to feel (hat we can depend upon our wages," sn id ono of the meni who lias a largo family to keep. He is paying tho levy, bv tho way, -amply in order to retain a voice in tho proceedings ot tho union. "\ou see," he went on, "many oi' ns havo got our homes togetlier. und some have mortgages to pay oIV, and | wo cannot afford to 1m always at tho risk of being called out on strike. Not only that, but our wives dare not count upon tho few spare .shillings a. week we used !o have to spend. Now thestt levies can lie imposed at fho will of tho Federation, What we want is security in our jobs— an agreement that will make them certiiin for two or three years at least." "If wo could have a ballot taken !o-. morrow," said Another member of - tho union, "wo could get a two to ono volo in favour of breaking away from Hie Federation. Wo are all financial members of tho union, but a lot of ns absolutely will not pay (his levy, and lliey can do what they like about it. ' Wc ai'a good unionists, too, do not make any mistake about that." Not only is there a movement amongst tiie motofmcn i'uul conductors to sccedo from the Federation, but it was k-amed that some of the employees at Epsom barns and power house and on tho permanent way. arc talking of forming a separate, union so (.hat they may escapn from the control of tho Federation. Mil. FOSTER'S MEETING. ATTITUDE OF THE AUDIENCE. (By Telegfapli.-Prera Afesbdatioß.) W?.(hl, Juno 28. Mr. Joseph Foster addressed a publio meeting this evening, h'/s subject being tho trouble in Waihi, the statements made by tho leader of, the Federation, and pointing to a way. towards the solution, of the dispute. T'jcra was tin attendance of about 800. ■ , , At the outset, Jt, w,ias evident, that pre. • concerted notion hr«l been determined upon by a very section of tho meeting. to break' up the proceedings. The appearance on th-j platform of Mr.' Wallnut (chairman) r.mtl Mv. Foster was greeted with an outliT/rst of "800-hoo's." Some minute? then e'mpseu before tlio chairman could make himself 'henrd. After, rever.nl attempts, tho chairman briefly iiifro'iueed 3fr. Foster, and stated the object r/f the meeting'. -• ■ A yice-p!,»sideut of the amion asked if a union n umber eouUl take tlio platform t3 reply ki Mr. Foster. Tho bh Mrman intimated that questions could.be," asked, but tlio platform could I not bo occupied by members from the audiewja. This, reply acted almost magicnll}'. Im-' a great exodus occurred, and in a few minutes the large building was more, than half emptied, a number of woaven making their exit with the. men. Ting gave the impression that a mojority of the miners are not yet seeking a Kotiierip.nt of tho dispute. * Mr. Foster then proceeded with his nddross, pointing out that he and many 1 others had buffered as tho result of th(s i ill-advised action of ono man in causing ft cessation of mining operations. Labour Federation delegates' bad visited the district, and informed the striken that tliey would bring about a satisfactory p:dution, but their attempt to do so had proved abortive. They had met tlio mineownors' representatives in conference, but could point no.ivay to a binding, agreement, and hud thoii left the district Mid its people to face tho position, leaving behind a liazv ossrarauce that nil would liO well in Ihc oml if the dispute was lift in the hands of the Federation executive. ■ It !iad been clearly shown that tins Federation could not scire the problem, and it was for the right-thinking members of the Waihi Union to insist on steps towards a settlement by demanding a ballot of members on'(he question of cutting • awav from tho Federation and adoplinj?. legal methods, with, a vtew to a solution. This could bo don« by uppointiiig, say, four or live of (heir inembors to confer with tho minc-nwncrs, and drawing up an agreement which could then bo ratified by the Arbitration Court. The Federation. in its dying struggle, had.fallen back on that iniriuitous organisation known as tho 1.W.W,, which advocator destructive methods in. coping with (lis< putes. ■

. ft CONTRADICTION. '(Bj' 1 Tolccrnpli.—Press AMOclntlsn.l "Auckland, Juno L'B. ■ f Interviewed May, Mr. Arlhur ltesse(> secretary of the Tramways Union, said no was tiot'yet in a position, to slate definitely how members wei-o responding to th-a decision of the union to strike a two shilling levy per head. A sum or olotja on .4150—baliince of a fund raised te aid the Lit.hgow strikers—had been forwarded dircet to the Federation strike fund. So far as the two shilling eollectibns were concerned, Mr. llosser had personally come in contact with only one Miction of (he union at Epsom Barn, Out of 131 members, seven had been unwilling (o make any contribution to tho strike fund. Returns from four other collectors had.' still to come in, and Mr. Hosscl- cxpeclcd that tlio number of would l:e plcpcifiionately the same as in the ca>o of tlio.list already''completed. There.were a. few of the nion who were wiUisig (o givo to Keefton, but did not want to give to Wailii. Mr. Itosser rtsc-nted very, strongly the opinion of ono disalTaded individual being taken as reprwpsiting tlio opinion of tho'majority of members of the union.' It was absolutely untrue, bo said, that the levy was being evaded •by I a lurge percentage of meiiibet-s. . Ther-0 was no siijn of any desire to brrak away j from the F»;deration, and to form a new | union muter the Arbitration Act. j Mr. F, W, Arns, secretary of the Labourers' Union. «>id (lint the response Id (he ten per cent, levy imposed in aid of the sirike fund had exceeded his met sanguine expectations. The levy had bct-n. decided upon by a big majority of tlio-e present at a meeting enUeii for the iiv,,'pe«c, and the majority were paying' nr readily. There vverc, of convsc",. a f«»w vrho Were Unwilling, and there were many from whom no contribution cub' veiisonably lie expected, bill, takiii;;' i"( union «s a whole, (lie feeling of loyalu■; .to the I'Viletation w«s uniliminished,