Still on Strike

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 188, 26 August 1937, Page 7

Still on Strike

-PxeSs Assooiation,

ORAKEI CARPENTERS All Work on Siate Houses Halted CONTRACTORS' POSITION

B* Telegraph-

AUCKLAND, Last Night, ! I Progress of the work on the JStatej 'liousing scheme at Orakei remains com-, 'pletely halttd, Although the carpentersj and other. men pa the job, who ceased| work last .week, held further conversa-: tions with union ofiicials and among themsfelves ip-day, no settlenient be-; tween them and the Eietcher Oonstruc-| tion Company has been reaohed, and itj is not knowh when work will be io-j sumed. - Sinca the failure on Monday pf the conference between the interested parties that was. called by Mr, ,W. J, Lyon, M.P., ott the authority of tha Acting-j Minister of Labour (Hon. P. C. ."Webb/,1 no. aetion has been taken by thoj Government. to interveiie in the dis-j pute. The secretary of the Auckland Carpenters, and J'oiners' Union (Mr. P. G-, Keaherley) said he did not knOW-if the Under-Secretary for Housing (Mr. Lee, M.P.) intended tft take any steps ia the niatter. . On. the pther side .of thp .dispute both! jthe Auckland Master. Carpentcrs'i lUnion and the Eletcher CoUstructioui iCo. are the interested parties, but soi it'ar as is known in Auckland, nothing; ikas been done in ."Wellington to .enlisti istate aid in order tp xeach a settle-j jment. The prpgident of the New Zealand, ;Federation pf Labour t(Mr> ^ Mc" Lagen). atrivcd at Auckland from; [Wellington by aeroplane to-day and1 ,later met the job delegates and pfficials; jpf ,the Uniou. The efiect of .the interruption up0n: tthe solution of the housing problein in Auckland was pointed OUt by Mr, W. J. Fletcher, who said that for. etery daythe meu refused tb work the timo when •the houses WOuld be availablo to help relievod the shortage would be correspondiagly delayed. There was also the. •possibility of Ahancial loss thTOtlgh iwastage of materials which could not !be Used no loilg as work WaS not pro-, !ceeded With, and although at presenti Ino waste, was occurring, the position! .could be seriOuSly changed if ihe' strike continued. According to the Government con-: jtract under which .the hoUSes are being jbuilt, the firm Was allowed 10 months •to complete 20S houses and, although it jhad the right to deduct time for work jnot done through wet' weather, ihe firm' jhad estimated that the contract Would [have been completed within the stipuilated time had it not been for the pre■sent disturbance. iJntil last week the . 'schedule of work was well np to fhe 'aate. The penalty clause in the ponjtract fortunately did not apply to timo !lost through industfial tfoubles, thefe being a condition that .the period of 10 .months could be inSisted upon only if jsufficient labour was hvailable to carry jout the work, In the event of a strike jthe timo lost was "deducted from jthe • penalty period, said Mr.. Eletcher. jHowever, the firm had sefi itself ,to ! complete the houses in as short a time fas possible in order to help relieve the housing shortage and the present interruption to the work was yiewed yery j seriouily. ^ .. . iu_ j