CONCILIATION COUNCIL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2329, 10 December 1914, Page 7

CONCILIATION COUNCIL

; ' DRAPERS' DEMANDS.- ' - 'A' Conciliation Counoll met ; in the ;ffice of the Conciliation Commissioner '.Mr. P. Hally) yesterday morning for the purpose or discussing the dispute, ■which has arisan between the Welling- .-' ton Retail. Soft Goods Employees' • Union .and the employers. The demands' of the union were published ear-1 •.. lier in the week Mr. P. Hally presided at yesterday's sitting of the council, while the- assessors were Messrs. T.! Bush, F. J. .Caterer, and W. Simm (for the employers) and - Messrs. Chas. Barker, A. J. Humphreys, and A. W. Croakery. (for the union). At the commencement of the proceed- . ings, the employers , representatives placed before- the Commissioner ; two resolutions carried at a= recent meeting

of the employers cited by tie union. The resolutions were:—"(l) TMb meeting regrets that the 'Wellington. Betail Soft Goods Trade Employees' Union has, at this strenuous and serious time, applied to the Conciliation Council to grant such excessive and impossible demands as set out in its application to the Conciliation Coinini .sionor to be heard on December 9. This meeting is 'of opinion, that until the Dominion is ui a' secure and tniore settled state it would bo inadvisable both for employers .and employees to disturb the oxißting award." "(2) That this meeting appoint three assessors iu terms of. the citation notice. That Messrs. Thomas Bush, F. J. Caterer, and W. Simm be the assessors." It appeared that at a conference between the representatives of the union and the representatives of the Master Drapers' Association, an agreement had been reached on all points. but the term of the award and' the matter of the preference clause. This agreement was not binding on the parties, however, owing to the fact that many of the employers cited are not members of the association.

When the whole of the employers mot, the resolutions above referred to were carried, and the employers' assessors announced yesterday that they were unable to discuss the demands until affairs in the Dominion resumed thoir normal state. They would be quite, prepared to meet the union's representatives at a more suitable time. The union's assessors stated that they were prepared to discuss the whole position now. If the.other side declined to go on, tfe union insisted on the dispute being referred to the Court of .Arbitration.

As it was clear that a deadlock had been reached for the present, the Commissioner finally- agreed to refer the matter to the Court.