WORK AND WAGES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16485, 26 February 1914, Page 9

WORK AND WAGES.

DRAPERS' ASSISTANTS. A TRADES UNION. [Per Press Association."| AUCKLAND, February 25. A meeting of drapers' assistants, convened by a circular signed by Mr Arthur Rosser, was held in the Trades I Hall last evening. Tho object of the meeting was to form an industrial trades union on the lines of those existing in Wellington, Wariganui, Christchurch and Dunedin. It is stated that only fifteen drapers' ■ assistants were present, and that a resolution was passed in favour of the formation of a union. A large number of assistants were refused admittance, being " informed that the meeting was only for those who had received a notice of the meeting. ;'.;■- •";.-'.; In- opposition to the 'movement, a meeting was held in another hall, and a motion was carried expressing strong resentment at drapers' assistants being denied admittance to the meeting, cajled by an individual not connected with the drapery trade. . ; j Opinions were also expressed that any such meeting should have been publicly convened, and open to all employees of drapers and the allied trades. . RIVAL ORGANISERS. , PROTEST AGAINST REGISTRA- .... ...TION,- .- ■ :"• -i •: [Per Press Association."] AUCKLAND, February 25. Ahother meeting of drapers' assistants, called by Mr J. Purtell, a member of the executive of the recent strike, took place to-night for the purpose of forming a new Union . and registering it. A large and very, critical gathering listened while Mr Purtell dealt generally with unionism and comS>lained of the action taken by Mr tosser, who called the meeting of drapers' assistants ' last night and formed a Union with about fifteen members. Mr Purtell complained that he had been working up this' new j Union for two months and he suggested 'that Mr Rosser had got in front of him in an Unfair manner. The meeting showed- a disposition to chaff' Mr Purtell and eventually carried a resolution that, no action be. taken. . ' To-day the old Union sent to the Registrar in Wellington an emphatic protest against the registration of the new Union formed by Mr Rosser last night. .' CHRISTCHURCH SECRETARY'S VIEWS. Speaking to a " Lyttelton Times " reporter yesterday, Mr R. : Hoppy, secretary of the Canterbury Drapers' Assistants' Union, said that Mr Rosser had acted rightly in confining the meeting in Auckland to those who had desired the formation of a union* Years ago when steps had been taken to form a union in Christchurch the admission of those opposed to tho proposal had led to tho meeting being broken up without any result being arrived at, but later, when he himself had set out to-organise. tlie assistants, he had adopted the course taken by Mr Rosser. Only fifteen were required for the formation of a union, but he obtained sixty signatures to an undertaking to form the union and he took steps to prevent those opposed to the idea frustrating the legal attempts to establish the union. . The Union had been formed and was working well in Christchurch.-' There was no friction with the employers, who had treated the; Union well. ..;,,/.. THE AUCKLAND WATERSIDERS." A THOUSAND MEN*WANT WORK. . [PER Press Association."! AUCKLAND, February 25. . The state of affairs just now prevailing on the waterfront with regard to labour is distinctly-unsettled; Mr Woods, president of the Waterside Workers' Union, stated to-day that.;at present there were- at least one thousand men seeking-work oh the wharves and unable to obtain, it. Of these about five hundred were members of his Union, and the rest were not. 1 Some five hundred men were already , at work upon the wharves. The condition of wharf labour, Mr Woods stated, indicated to a great extent the state of the labour market' as a whole. When work .was scarce men Were used to falling back upon wharf labour as a means of tiding over a time ofstres9. In -the past .the'Waterside Workers'' Union had had ho power to'limit the number of its membership, and when, little other work • was offering the wharves became the casual labour dumping ground. Mr Woods thought that the. numerous applications for work which he was receiving at present were directly due to the bad conditions prevailing in the labour market. . '-..•;.

THE WELLINGTON WATERSIDERS. [Per Press Association.]

WELLINGTON, February. 25. . Last evening's conference of representatives of shipowners and labour foremen and. stevedores was held to discuss certain. private resolutions passed by the shipowners, dealing with the control of wharf work and tlie question of, preference. There was an attendance of about sixty persons,. and Mr R. Fletcher, chairman of the Harbour Board, presided. After a lengthy discussion it was decided to recommend the secretary of the Wharf Labourers' Union to prepare a revised list of the men at present working on the wharves who joined the Union on or prior to December B.' A motion dealing with a proposal to establish a permanent stall of wharf hands will come before the Harbour Board to-night. LABOUR AT GREYMOUTH. MEN BARRED FROM WATERSIDE UNION. [From Otto Correspondent.] GREYMOUTH, February 25. The new port workers' arbitration Union is proving a close corporation, and it is stated that about a thousand men formerly engaged as watersiders are debarred from work on tho wharves through their non-admittance to the Union. There is a shortage of labour air the gold-sluicing works and quartz mines, but only experienced miners need apply. The men out of work here scarcely come under the heading of experienced miners. As regards the sawniillers, it is clearly understood' that this work is hard work, and mill-owners differentiate bo : tween those who will work and.thos? who will not. . An authority here states that there is plenty of work for good toilers, but the shirker or. the "agitator" will get short shrift unless ho settles down.. There are. inquiries for flax-cutters at the rate of 6s 6d per .ton. If is stated that an expert cutter can earn 18s per day if.given n good crop, while several." newchums' from the Old Land recently nrade'l'4--per day at the work. . 1