At the Waterfront

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 39, 1 December 1911, Page 18

At the Waterfront

["Nautilus" would .be pleased to receive items of internet to Dominion Waterside Workers. Address: c/ 6 Ma/oriland Worker, P.O. Box 727. Wellington;! ■

By NAUT i'LUS.

The. I'atea Union of Watersiders , is making a ic essh demand on -the eniployers and desired that these demands J should be forward, by the N.Z.W. Fedf eration. The Federation seeks to tie the Union down' by demanding an s agreement on the following; lines:—(l) „ !l demands to be placed unreservedly in the hands of the Federation; (2) to accept any agreement-arrived at by the Federation Executive; and sign and . abide by same for the term stipulated!; (3) if the Uniofi. cannot comply in toto to give, a definite statement of lowest terms acceptable. The Executive seeks this agreement with Patea Union for the following reasons :—(1) The Federation has already drawn up an agreement for Patea ; (2) the term of that agreement has not expired; (3) the' l Patea' Union refused; to sign said agreement; (4) the Patea Union has broken faith with the Federation by refusing to sign and work under said agreement, notwithstanding the great expense incurred in procuring -same. The Patea Union —in correspondence to hand —refuses to be boiuid to any agreement, and has .withdrawn its case from the Federation. } - j ; ; After perusing the former "agreement and the latest demands, it seems that the Federation has placed itself in a false position. The demands are reasonable, . and certainly some effort should be made to help this small Union over the stile. The Federation, by demanding that the case, should be put into the hands of the executive tmreservedly is perfectly justified, but to demand a concrete agreement and. deeds to that effect is certainly stretching the "point. Unless there is mutual trust between ie various units and the executive, the effect of Dominion action is nullified and rendered useless. I-hope" that both the executive and this small Union will come, to a mutual understanding' j for the good of both parties.. We may look forward in the near -fxiture to a season of stress and industrial unrest, and if a union of 80 members is going to. defy the Federation the executive ■must either* have -the/ support of the larger bodies or resign the office to a larger and more progressive centre. . V X. -Jf The result of the ballot held to elect J officers for the Wellington Watevftklf , i Union resulted as follows: — President, J. Carr' (unopposed) ; secretary, G. G. Farland 426 (F. McCann ; 185, .W. Connell 40, A. L. Jones 39,. J. Larwood 26); treasurer,' George Bailey 442 ■ (O: "England 142) • assistant seci-etary, Geo. Bruce 316, L. Glover . 314, T. Jarvis 76 (a secon,d ballot is necessary) ; 'trustees',' J. Carr" 474, G. G. Jones 365, F. Martin, H. Ham 293. A second ballot is necessary for the assistant secretaryship. The president, secretary, and trea--1 surer are members of the N.Z. Socialist Party. A complete I.W.W. ticket was elected. This election was caused through the majority of the officers re~ j signing on the tfnion , joining the Feclj oration. . . • 9 9 ■ ■ ■ ■*. Timaru Union sought a conference with the employers' on- the question of a, new agreem,ei\t. " The employers -refused to. meet theni,, and. work was immediately stopped on s.si Korbmiko and Waitemata. : The employers' yielded, fiat the men-, held tkei ships up. till the following morning owing to a, number of the men having gone. home. - s ■■".....• ♦ 1 - The vice-president of the Greymoutli • Waterside Workers' Union called oii-nie before embarking on the ; Manuka v.for Sydney. He ..states ,that. the Grey is ready to come into the Federation. His Union has become exceedingly- militant lately. .This was shown by., the -.excellent stand made by the men when demanding the "di s'itt iss'a-1, of- a'btilly who has held the. .position of labor foreman .for some time. He Ayas, given 48 Lours 3 notice to qiiit." Needless- to say,. the-Union Company (by whom this man was employed) acceded to the demand and sacked him. « 9. * A meeting of workers engaged in removing manures from the steamers Paparoa and Opawa, at Auckland last Vitek, was held, when it was decided not to resume work unless Is 6d instead of Is 3d .an hour was paid. The -j stevedores superintending>the discharge-j agreed to pay the extra money under protest, reserving the right to prosecute, and work proceeded. * * - * ' Secretary Bo wen, Nelson, writes to say that things are industrially lively. A. large meeting of the General Laborers , Union was held on November 29, and preparations- were made for further organising work.- Demands for better conditions and wages, will be shortly pushed forward. Nelson, watersiders are in a hurry also to meet the employers. They only await their registration certificate. The English shipowners have formed a Federation and combined with:, other, large' employers in the transport trade,, with;-the object.of. fighting strike movenieoatSr