WOOLLEN MILLS STRIKE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2725, 21 March 1916, Page 6

WOOLLEN MILLS STRIKE

STILL NO SETTLEMENT

There has been no further attempt to a rapprochment between the Wellington Woollen Company and their employees. Except for tnose members of tlio staff of tlio Petone mills who arc still steadily engaged in completing the work in progross on the "sets," when the trouble culminated on Thursday evening last, all is at Petone. 10 P res ' c ' I the union stated that thero was nothing further to report, though the executive is meeting doily. Yesterday afternoon it was an* nounced that Mr, P. Hally, Conoiliatin Commissioner, was' approaching ftmploj ers and employees with a scheme for a settlement of the dispute, but nothing is available for publication. _ An open-air meeting of the workers is to be held on Sunday next. It is reported that some twenty of the men and several sirls have found other situations. A MINISTERIAL STATEMENT. A representative of The Dominion, cn interviewing the Hon. Mr. Myers, Minister of Munitions, was informed by him that, as far as lie was concerned as the Minister responsible for the supplies of military requiretaents to the troops, the Wellington Woollen Company wero under obligation to supply a large quantity of cloth and "woollen garments for delivery monthly, similar to the other woollen mills throughout the Dominion, and that the directors had informed him that, so far as tlie month of March was concerned, they were in a position to carry out their contract. Therefore, until they failed to do so, he could not* take any action. '

As to the future, however, Mr. Myers said that the obligation resting 011 l\is shoulders to see that the cloth, etc., was delivered would necessitate actiou beiwc taken in due course. He understood there was a meeting of the woollen mil lownors to-day in Wellington, and he trust<xl that, as a result of the same, satisfactory arrangements would bo arrived at to enable the miTitarv supnlies to be duly delivered 110 to the end of the year, in accordance with specific contracts entered into by him with tliem.