WORK AND WAGES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 157, 24 June 1908, Page 2

WORK AND WAGES.

THREATENED STIUKE 01' BAIvEKS. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, June 23. The Wellington operative bakers, wh> were discontented with the terms of the recent award, have been endeavoring to get belter conditions from tlie employers. This new award increased the wages by ;)s per week, ami adhered to the H scale of hours--lift.y-one. The men's requests were eonsiikrcil at a special meeting of the masters Inst "night. They de tided they would not accede to the proposals. This reply is to he discussed a* a meeting of the' Workers this niteinoon. It is rumored that, if the men do not get some of their chums recognised, they may cease work soon. The ein- . ployer*', however, are aware of the men's attitude and are standing linn. . THK CONCILIATION UOAKD. Wellington, Last Night. The Conciliation Board, consisting oi Messrs. I>. G. O'itegau (chairman], II Inniss, and A. Collins, filed their.■recommendations in the tailors' dispute this afternoon. The Board recommends that there be no change in 'the hours from 48 to 44, as asked for by the union, It recommends an increase of from Is to Is Id per hour as claimed by the log, to gether with an increase of from £2 Lis to O per week for weekly bauds. The Hoard adds a memorandum in which it states:—"in connection witu the dispute the employers by their accredited representative informed the Board that on account of the ruling oi Mr. Justice «ini in the ilaxmillers' case, they declined to appear voluntarily before us. Wo could of course have compelled their attendance as witnesses, but in view of the time that must, necessary ily have been occupied, more especially as the employers had declared their intention of taking the case to Court under any circumstances, we deemed it preferable to save our own time piid- fliftaxpayers' money. We have, however, collected a great (leal of information in connection with the tailoring trade, and we think our recommendations fair avt equitable under the: circumstances. At any rate, we aio ■satisiied that if ,furt:icr enquiry had been made our conclusions would not have been so widely diilercnt as to justify additional expense, which must necessarily have been incurred. Obviously we have .not been impelled to take greater pains to assist the, CoiuM; because of the avowed determination to delav the case .until the Court Sat, quite irrespective of what we did. It is quite clear that we cannot bring the parties together ,bv compulsion, and we have neither the intention nor the d.osire to do »o in the face of the settled ]voliey Oi the employers to boycott the Board as an indirect protest against the ruling oi the Court. We think it not a little remarkable that the workers only are accused of disloyalty to the Act."