At the Waterfront

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 35, 3 November 1911, Page 18

At the Waterfront

. ["Nautilus" would be pleased to receive Items of interest to Dominion Waterside Workers. Address: c/o Maorilan_ Worker, P.O. Box 727, Wellington.!

By NAUTILUS.

A serious- accident was sustained by St member of the Auckland W.W. Union Decently. G. Deason, when coming over .the top combing to cease work for the ; Bight, on'board'the'Tomoana, had the ; misfortune to grasp the loose hatch- ; batten, and before he could change his 'grip, was precipitated down into the •"•fewer hold—a fall of 35 feet.. The in- , juries' include a f rar-.ured right arm. ' .'left' leg fractured, and severe concussion amd shook. -' ". '...■• ,* -.. * i Mr. W. Murdoch, of the Auckland i W.W. Union.' writes to'-the "Star" as . follows :— "Sir,—l have been appointed a delegate from the "■Auckland Waterside : Workers"' Union to a council of which ; its name has become,, as it were, a ' Chinese puzzle. When 1. with my eo~ delegates, was ejected, it was the "Trades and Labor Council of Auckland," but since then I have discovered that, this council has been going through some stages of evolution, its second name being.''Tlie Trades.and Labor Council of Auckland Industrial Association of Workers." And now its ithird name is "The-District Council of Employees' Federation." I contend that in this juggling of names the whole council that passed these mg*"_i©ns was completely, out of court. Ber fore the delegates could dissolve any oouiijcil, they should have had authority from their unions, and such unions .should have been duly notified, with sufficient time to have enabled the taking of a plebiscite vote of the members as to whether they would withdraw from the one council and join another body." ■ . 9. * *• . The latest name cf that hybrid organisation, the T. and L. C., is the "National' Federation of Affiliated-' Unions-.' ' .*. . . *.. * There are but two unions of water - aiders left in the T. .and L.C. in N.Z. '.--'"' "... -' *' ». Mr. Blair Mason. secretary H.B;. and engineer respectively, have given the Dunedin 'Union-great assistance in furnishing the . new offices and rooms. ■■ . # * * Auckland Waterside Workers unanimously, resolved that no work should bo dome on the wharves on Labor Day after 7 a.m. Members were of the opinion that. Labor Day was the only day in the year on which they had a chance to sneet together for enjoyment. Port Pirie, Aus.. W.W.U. is having a large hall built, also a bakehouse. Regarding the same. Comrade Harrison '"■ writes as follow..:- —The building will be a two-storeyed one, the ground floor consisting of shops, which we anticipate letting, and thereby, carrying on and extending .our union providorc.. I may further,state that, in regard to the building, tho contractors are paying over and above the schedule rate of wages to men employed, laborers receiving 10s per day, etc. Our aim is to be in a, position, to supply members with any and every article, and try and abolish' the credit'system, at the sa/m© time helping ourselves pretty considerably, but- the difficulty uppermost is to "instil into the minds oi the vast numbers who are continually moving from place to place the benefits obtainable by dealing with the Union. and. the amount of persuasive i>ower exerted is large. The only means of making the task easy will be tlie an.algapiatioii of the Unions, whereby a member who chooses to roam wili.be able to join the branch, and thus retain his interest therein. Thus the "W.W. Gazette," Melbourne: "The Waterside Workers' Federation owes a debt of gratitude to its President (Mr. W. ,'M. Hughes) and secretary (Mr. Joe / Mti)'*r_is) . for their efforts in settling the late sugar strike aaid also the Queerihiand Waterside Workers' strike. The president and secretary were untiring'in. their wprk for the" cause, and the-speedy settlement of the matter reflects, great credit _upo.n these two gentlemen." Strike "settling" has long: .been the art of politicians 3 _'"' '. « *■-_■# The following alterations have been made in the Harbours,... Regulation.. to suit, the convenience of ship owners. ..The original regulation stated that all beams and hatches shall be moved clear of-hatchways. The amended regulation reads as follows: —(I) There shall be a fore and «aft space of at least eleven feet between the fore or 'after end of hatch-combings and the ■nearest cross-beam, or between crossbeams, and, where necessary, sufficient hatch-beams shall be unshipped and moved clear of the hatchways to give such space, provided that in vessel;. . whoso hatches are less than eleven feet faro and aft measi.reri.ent, alii cro. sbeaniis and fore and afters in the hatches shall he unshipped and moved clear of the hatchways. All hatchbeams which are not unshipped must be properly secured to prevent their becoming unshipped should a sling of cargo catch underneath them; provided further that hatch-beams Jiwd mot be unshipped when coal is being shipped into the hatches in bulk. # . * Tho r>. per "W _h.lst.vnd fur A3lc" |We 11-being for All) complains of the «ck of solidarity in Austrian, strikes where political action is used to divide the labor forces. At Fin mc the employers of the Navigation Company. & «.ng__ro-Oroato struck work. When. re»