SETTLEMENT TO-DAY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1691, 6 March 1913, Page 5

SETTLEMENT TO-DAY.

■;v;'v^ dispute. A FRIENDLY CONFERENCE . HEW'-'UP,' ■ AGREEMENT ARRIVED AT. ON. ' MAIN ■ POINTS. ■ ■

It is practically certain that a settlement of the dispute between the Union . Stearii Ship Company and the marine engineers in its employ will be announced to-day. The Hon. W. F. Massey (Prime Minister) presided yesterday oyer a conference of the parties to the dispute, which lasted for over two hours. Eventually it was decided to adjourn until this morning, when it is hoped that another hour's discussion will lead to a full settlement. -The conference assembled 1 in the Cabinet room at .Government Buildings" at 4.30 p.m. yesterday. . The representatives of the Union Company were Messrs. W. A: Kennedy (Wellington manager), D. A. Aitken (assistant-manager at Dunedin), and W. G. ; :Smith (of the Union Company's'Duriedin .staff). . The Marine Engineers'.lnstitute was represented' by Messrs.. A.' Wallace (Wellington .secretary), SV D. Hauna (Auckland secretary), nnd W. C. Hampton (a member of the Wellington committee). Mr. P. Hally (Conciliation Commissioner) was present when the'delegates assembled, but did not attend the conference; The sitting, which eomriienced at 4.30 p.m., lasted without interruption unti1.7.15 p.m., when.it was agreed to adjourn until 10.15 a.m. to-day. .THE OPENING POSITION.. i Before the confcrenco assembled there was talk- of a possible adj ournnient, pending the arrival of Sir Jitincs Mills, who is to arrive from Dunedin to-day. This Course, as-indicated,'.was..not taken, and it is understood that the delegates decided that agreements arrived at regarding any of the details in dispute should be final and . binding. Both parties, that is to say, negotiated with full powers to make or refuse a settlement. Sir. Jas. Mills wiil attend the. conference . when .it resumes this morning.' / ■ • VERY FRIENDLY,SPiRIT. A reporter who made inquiries last evening gathered that the parties at the conference met.: one; another in a very friendly spirit..' It is statedthat the proceedings were in the nature of "a talk round the table," and that no record.was takes of the'discussions. It was further ascertainedrthat. a good deal of time"OTas?iakenf;up)ajt : y®tfii(lay's conference in preliminary" discussions leading up to the crucial point : at issue. The gr6iind''hits: now been cleared; and it is expected that, to-day's proceedings Wiil be brief nnd to the point, Although some questions! in dispute still remain unsettled; there is.every reason to believe that; the .conference .will;bring its work to e successful termination this: morning. THE PROSPECTIVE AGREEMENT. . The exact nature of. the agreement which will be arrived 'at is still to ,'some iextent .a fhatter of surmise, but certain tdefiiiite facts are available; : Wages were not in. dispute as the company. has. agreed in recent conferences with. the engineers to concede the Australian award rates.'' This entails an. advance of, on ah average, about fifteen •per cent.' on the wages paid at present iu New• Zealand, ships.

The present rates are shown in: the foitable:—

Chief . engi- ' neer. Second. Third. Fourth 1.11.P. .fi £ ' £ ..■ £ Hinder 500- ... 21 " 16"« 14 . —

501 to 750 " ... 22 IOJ 14 — 751 to 1250 23 IGJ' 14 — 1251 to 2500' , 25 1?| 12 2501 to .4000 ' 26}. 19 15 12 4001 to 6500. • 281 '20 . 15J 12i 6501 to 10,000 30 20 • . 10 13

All below , rank of fourth engineer, ,£lO •l>er 'month. •One of the most important questions in. dispute is that of overtime. The, company has .hitherto, refused ' to concede overtime payment. save' for hours worked in.excess of sfl per week,, and even . so stipulated that . the overtime .paid to any one engineer 7 should not exceed .£2 .per month. The engineers : are demanding overtime payment, under Australian award conditions, for, all /hours Worked in excess of eight, per day. It could not, be

ascertained last evening whether the question of overtime had been settled, but it is ii known fact that the engineers' representatives went to the conference under instructions from their organisation •to demand the local application of the Australian award in its essential features. It is, therefore,. probable that the New Zealand agreement,, when it is made, will not differ in any material particular from the Australian, award,.though modifications, reasonable in view of local' conditions, may be agreed to. A SIGNIFICANT INCIDENT. An incident with a highly significant bearing upon the position at the moment is that the Union Company's steamer Maheno, after beiiig detained at Sydney for several, hours yesterday, was released last evening. The Maheno, under ordinary circumstances, would have left Sydney for Auckland at noon yesterday, but her engineers, in common with their brethren, liad given 2-1 hours' notice on Tuesday morning, nnd when the|time for sailing arrived the Maheno remained tied up to the Wharf. In view of the favourable turn. which negotiations took at yesterday's conference, the Maheno was released by a cable message from headquarters of the Engineers' Institute in New Zealand, which authorised her 'engineers to return to their employment. New Zealand time is reckoned to be an hour and a, half ahead of Sydney time. Allowing for this difference the Maheno was delayed for something over six hours. -. THE PATEENA'S ENGINEERS. , A report that the engineers of the steamer Pateena did hot give notice to the Union Company'.at the same time as their fellow-members of the institute is officially denied. The Pateena' engineers, it appears, ga-ve the company 24 hours' notice of the termination of > their engagements 'at Picton on Tuesday evening.

LAND ENGINEERS';POSITION. In conversation with the president (Mr. C. M'lntyrp) of the local branch of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers yesterday, a Dominion representative was informed that the Society was entirely in sympathy .with the marine engineers, considering that their demands are just and reasonable. / jfjlS p'jSoJsJrjSj t!M"ii® 'W <sfriiie : did fcinncinl assistance would, if' necessary, be forthcoming from, his society. , The. society lias a large membership, which■ extends the world over.' If the marine engineers went out' on strike, members of the' Society of Engineers (a number of whom are employed in the local foundries),; would not be allowed to carry outjany repair -work on any of the Union Company's vessels until the strike ended. .'■ . OVERSEA PASSENGERS.

Several people who', had booked berths by the Maunganui leaving here to-morrow to connect with.-mail boats at Sydney for London, have expressed some Jittle anxiety over the threatened strike of the marine engineers of the Union Steam Ship Company's fleet, tearing that if the worst happened, they would able to connect .'with the Home steamers. This appears to be one of the many serious annoyances that would result from a general strike of engineers, serious because if the steamer they had booked passages by we're /hissed, it would be si very difficult matter to find accommodation for them •'in t>oats sailing at a later date,'"'as nearly all the passenger accommodation on steamers leaving Australia for London has been fully booked,for ;a couple of months to come. There is a particularly large' number booked to leave for Sydney to.morrow, and if a settlement. is not arranged before then, many people will be put to serious inconvenience. SIR J.AMES MILLS. (By Telegraph.—Prosß Association ) Christchurch, March 5. Sir James Mills passed through Christchurch on his way lo Wellington, but informed a reporter that he ..had no news regarding the trouble with the engineers.