PETONE WOOLLEN MILL WORKERS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2722, 17 March 1916, Page 6

PETONE WOOLLEN MILL WORKERS

i DISPUTE UNSETTLED

!■ HANDS LEAYE THE WORKS

i -The dispute about wages as between ihe Petone Woollen Mills Employees' pnion and their employers,. the Wellington Woollen Company, Hs still uniettled. : : The notice given by the workers expired last night, and they were ill paid off at tho end of the day. There was no demonstration or any unpleasintness at all. In torms of notice given\i the employees have simply left the company's.emplo.y. There may bo a question of law as to whether the circumstances within which thoy have, left constitute an, offence, under tho Arbitration: Act,; but ,the. fact ,is aa stated. • The mills will not be closed down it once. . Certain foromen and employees or this .class will remain on fluty and they . will put', through all jvork now in hand which is partly com- . Unless ■ some agreement. -is reached in the meantime this work will be completed.much .more.'.slowly than ft would otherwise have been.;. I

£■ The Minister of. Munitions and Supplies. though not a .-party to tho dispute, is , concerned as to what occurs' from this point; 'onwards.. The mills have been, producing 1 khaki 'cloth for' uniforms and top coats, and / also material for other', military supplies, and it is his business to see that, all the necessary goods of this class are produced. He Has already taken some steps, to prevent .-things from reaching the: present State of deadlock', but without success. Mr. Myers tfould not say last night, •whenquestioned on the subject, what steps he .proposed to take, or whether he proposed to take any steps to secure tho reopening of tho mills. i , (From Our Petone Correspondent.) : • V. The much-talked of cessation of work at the Petone -Woollen Mills , became an established' fact at'' 5 "p.m." ' yesterday.' Shortly'., after -the' steam siren' had. blown,' the entire army ; of employees walked'quietly .away, and to the onlooker. scarcely.. any visible sign was fehown of anything unusual. However,: &s they .approached the Hutt Road from the Mille: Lane, cries went up: "Are we down-hearted?" "No!" '.'Have we got cold feet?": "No!" and simiiiar queries, causing :the server; towonder what was in the air." !A;.very dd- resident' of Petone;stated that .it jb - just - twenty-six years ;-siiic© there : was any labour" trouble.: 1 at': themill. - i_",The mill, manager (Mr. A. Ramsden), in reply to a question, declined to make a statement; except that , everything - had been left in order. '. i A mass meeting was held in the evening. -;-The secretary of (Mr. 'E. Kennedy) "and others -delivered addrosses, , v and ; . everyone pre-. 'sent agreed -;not; ytp'_ resume" work ;until .the 10 per ' cent.' increase, had been granted. .-.-v-