WORK AND WAGES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2075, 9 May 1907, Page 2

WORK AND WAGES.

Press Association. —Copyright. SYDNEY COAL LUMPERS. SYDNEY, May 8.

Five members of the Coal Lumpers Union have been arrested in connection with Wednesday’s disturbance on a charge of using violence to prevont free laborers working at their occupation. Two of the accused wore sentenced to three months each, one to a month, and one to seven days hard labor. The fifth roan was fined £2. There are no strike developments. Coaling by non-unionists is progresing quietly.

COLLIERS OUT OF WORK. Received May 8, 10.2 p.m. SYDNEY, May 8.

Owing to the congestion of shipping in Newcastle Harbor as a result of inability of the present shipping appliances and mooring accommodation to cope with the demand, causoing a dislocation of the coal trade, several pits were stopped till trucks are available. Over a thousand hands arc idle. press Association. AUCKLAND TRAM WORKERS. AUCKLAND, yesterday. Mr. Scott, in opening the case for the Tramway Company, before the Arbitration Court, said there was no friction under the original atvaid until the men heard of a political agreement made in Wellington just before . |,,, >reneral election, wheu five members “of the City Council stood for the House of Representatives. The j tramway men picked on the phychological moment to demand ertra pay, and theor demands, which meant six thousand pounds extra per annum, was loaded on the Wellington system, when it was not paying. Without I hesitation he declared that the agreeI ment. was a political agreement, which the Court should not recognise. I It caused discontent throughout New I Zealand. The Auckland men immediately came along With demands, I and moved for the first time for the I altered conditions. The Dunedin I workers also made demands, though I hue for the Wellington agreement I peace and content' would have reigned I there. Although there was some unI doubted friction between the AuckI land Tram Company and the men I during the strike, the relations preI viously were of a most cordial naI ture. Since the strike the cause for I strife has been removed, and the old I relations were now in existence. AlI exander, traffic superintendent of the I Dunedin Corporation tramways, statled that the present award gives I complete satisfaction. If the AuckI land demands were applied to the I Dunedin system it would mean an inI creased annual expenditure of £2500 I for motormen and conductors alone. I AUCKLAND, last night.

At the hearing of the tramway dispute to-day Air. P. M. Hansen, managing director of the Auckland tramways, stated that if the men’s demands were agreed to the total extra expenditure would be £16,230 annually. The company’s average profits since its inception had been 52 per cent., which he did not consider sufficient for such a risky: business. The profits in 1905 amounted to £25,000, of which £14,000 was allowed for depreciation, but this was not sufficient. The company now carried 22,000,000 passengers per year. PERSONAL