WORK AND WAGES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16486, 27 February 1914, Page 8

WORK AND WAGES.

AUCKLAND TRAMWAY MEN. [Per Press Association.! AUCKLAND, February 26. When feeling ran high during _ the strike period, a member of the Tramways Union was ordered by the committee of management to pay a fine of 10s for his conduct at a meeting held to consider the question of contributing to the strike funds. The member persistently refused to pay the fine and as there is an agreement between the Union and the Tramway Company which demands that an unfinancial member of the Union must pay up or be dismissed from the service, the matter has become one on which members of the Union as a whole have decided to express an opinion. A meeting of the afternoon men was held this morning and the members discussed the question, with the result that by 43 votes to 21 they dissented from the action taken by the committee. The matter will be further discussed by a meeting of the morning men to-night. WELLINGTON WATERSIDERS. ARBITRATTONISTS AND EXSTRIKERS. [Per Press Association.] WELLINGTON, February 26. A deputation from the executive of the Arbitration Union of Wharf Labourers waited on the Harbour Board, and protested that the' arbitration men who joined the Union during the strike, were not receiving the treatment they should in accordance with a resolution passed by the Board. They quoted figures showing that many of the lex-strikers were earning £3 to £4 a week, while the Arbitrationists could not get £l. Captain Munro, the chief wharfinger, informed the Board that he had endeavoured to carry out the Board’s resolution, and had dealt with the cases of friction as soon as he had heard of them. The chairman pointed out that the Board was employing more men, but they were taking longer to do the work than before the strike. After a long discussion the Board decided that the secretary should be authorised to furnish the Union executive with copies of the paysheets signed by him as the executive officer of the Board. N SOUTHLAND JOURNALISTS. [Per Press Association.] INVERCARGILL, February 26. The Conciliation Commissioner sat at Invercargill to-day in connection with the' dispute between the Southland journalists and the newspaper proprietors. , The proceedings were only formal, as botli patties preferred that the case should go to the Court. THE TRAMWAYS DISPUTE. THE BOARD’S REPLY. The following letter, signed by Mr Frank Thompson, General Manager of Tramways, has been sent to Mr H. Hunter, secretary of the Tramway Employees’ Union: “ Dear Sir, —Re the new Award. With further reference to your letter of January 14, submitting proposals for a new award, I have to say that a careful analysis of the same was considered by the board this afternoon, of which I advised you last week when you telephoned me on the matter. “It has been found impossible to make even an estimate of the financial effect of a number of the new conditions sought, but the estimate that has been made of the others shows that the union’s proposals would in-, crease the expenditure of the board by over £IB,OOO per annum. “The board understands that your union is meeting to-morrow for the purpose of considering whether it should not immediately take steps to have ‘ the dispute ’ considered by. the tribunals appointed under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act. “The increased expenditure which ■the union’s proposals involve is so large that the board thinks there is no prospect of coming sufficiently close together to enable an industrial agreement to bo made, and therefore favours the course which the union is already considering, namely, the lodgment of the dispute in accordance with the provisions of the Arbitration Act.”