HANDOVER THE KEYS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1614, 4 December 1912, Page 8

HANDOVER THE KEYS.

MINERS' UNION HALL. LAST ACT IN. WAIHI STRIKE. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Waihi, December 3. This morning four officials, representing the Federation of Labour and the Miners' Union, served the : officials of tho new union with a notice to hand over the keys of . the Miners' Union Hall by noon, on. Saturday, otherwise proceedings would be taken. -Possession of tho- hall was taken on November 12, nnd it has been occupied by the new union ever since. The strikers who 'have returned since the strike was called off have been using aii' office in another part of the street. Since yesterday over one hundred federationists have applied to the Wailii Grand Junction mines for work, but the applications have not yet been dealt with. This afternoon the federationists. who lately returned quietly entered the Miners' Union Hall and established quarters there. A crowd assembled in Main Street awiiiting, the workers coming off tho day shift. The latter (acting under advico) took no action at tlie occupation of the premises which they had been in possession of since November 12. The legal status .of the respective parties regarding possession of the hall will likely be the subject of litigation. Tho Waihi Company has issued official notification that only suitable _ miners, who must be members of a union registered under the Arbitration Act, will be employed.

' CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT. Auckland, December 3. In view, of the statements contained in a telegram from Mr. R. Semplo to the federationists at Waihi (to the .effect that it is not a condition of employment that applicants should join the .new Arbitration Union), Mr. Charles Rhodes, local director of the Waihi Company, rtates that by a report to.-day, he had made no arrangement whereby returning federationists, applying for work at Waihi, must join the new union, there. Ho had, indeed, originally, thought that, as long as the men were unionists, nothing further would be required of them. He know, however, that owing. to the flooding of the lower levels, the companies could not at once use all the men formerly employed, and he therefore promised to giv6 preference for.ten days to married men with homes in Waihi. So many men of all kinds, however, ■ had applied for work that some inodo had had to bo adopted to simplify the final choice, and, yesterday, lie had received a , telegram from- Waihi advising that preference would be given to those who h.id joined tho new Arbitration Union. All applicants were therefore advised to place their names on the books of the said union from which the companies would make their selection. . "It is this," said Mr. Rhodes, "to which somo of the moro ardent federationists apnear to have taken exception, but it will surely, not be considered strange if the companies, in employing additional labour, should prefer to engage those who (by registering) give some evidence that they are willing to bo _ bound by the Conciliation and Arbitration Act."

REG FLAG RESOLUTION., Waihi, December 3. A meeting of federationists to-night resolved that .members will not return to work at tho mines under any union registered .under the Arbitration Act conditions imposed by the Waihi Company. ; The town is. quiet and orderly.