EMPLOYERS' ASSOCIATION

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 156, 27 July 1909, Page 3

EMPLOYERS' ASSOCIATION

ANNUAL MEETING. The annual meeting of members of the Employers' Association was held last night. The president, Mr. H. Goodacre, occupied the chair, and there were present: Messrs C. E. Baker, F. W. Okey, W. C. Weston, F. C ;J. Bellringer, A. H. Arnold, J. Abbott, T. Avery, J. Morey, G. Stewart, and L. Jackson. RETORT AND BALANCE-SHEET.

The annual report and balance-sheet were read. The report showed that there were 40 members, artd considered there ought to be more. Reference was made to the death of the secretary, Mr. J. Whitaker, and the appointment of Mr. A. L. Humphries to the position. The concluding paragraph of a lengthy report drew attention to the remark of the Minister of Labor that labor laws had gone far enough, and claimed for the employers' associations some credit for bringing about this change of attitude.

The balance-sheet showed:—Receipts: By credit balance, .CI 12s 7d; member;' subscriptions,. £34 2s Od; Stratford Borough Council's share of Mr. Pryor's expenses before the Conciliation Council, £4 4s; total, £3O l!) s Id.

Expenditure: Expenses of delegate to Wellington. £5; rent of Town Hall. 15s Od; honorarium (late secretary), £3 3s; wreath (late secretary), £1 7s (Id; subscription to New Zealand Federation, £5; advertising, £3 10s lOd; sundries, £2 17s 7d; total, £2l 14s sd; leaving a credit balance of £lB 4s Bd. It was shown tliiat liabilities would reduce this amount, but £4 4s had been received jn members' subscriptions since the balance-sheet was issued. The executive had voted a bonus of £lO to the secretary.

In moving the adoption of the annual report and balance-sheet, the president expressed his surprise at the paucity of interest of the members as evidenced by the very poor attendance. He was of opinion that members would be considering their own interests by attending meetings more regularly. But, as the Association had experienced only recently, it was when employers became embroiled in trouble with their employees that they remembered that the Association was in ' existence and attended its meetings. He instanced the etalble and cab proprietors and the butchers as cases in point. Mr. Goodacs referred to the heavy work falling upon the secretary and urged that an effort should be made to pay him an adequate salary. Dealing with the holiday difficulty, he recommended that the various trade organisations should appoint a board to arrange these and forward a recommendation to the executive for ratification. During the year the ratepayers had. decided by ballot that the factories should observe their half-holi-day on the same -day as the shops. This was found very inconvenient to factories which had no shop attached. There was need for amending the law so that proprietors of such factories might choose their half-holiday, in the same way as shopkeepers were allowed to do so. He had heard it stated, though not authoritatively, that the Minister of Labor was not going to interfere with factoryowners who observed the Saturday as heretofore, if they found the shops' holiday ■ unsuitable. Concluding, \he stated that though the office-bearers were not well supported by the members in general meetings, tie executive had shown .that (;hc Association was capable of doing good work, and had done good work.

Mr. C. E. Raker, in seconding the motion, also regretted the lack of attendant and apparent interest. He was frlad The holiday question was worrying the manufacturers, for if they wei£ worried enough and raised their voices loud enough, there would soon be ;i universal Saturday hakVholiday. Ho did not think that there was anything in the cry that the Saturday holiday would cause loss of trade. That would only come about if Saturday were adopted in one town,,and some'other day in a neighboring town. The report and balance-sheet were adopted. ELECTION OP OFFICERS. Officers were elected as follow:—, Pro sident, Mr. H. Goodacref re-elected): vice-president, Mr, C. E. Baker; committee, Messrs T. Avery (printers), J. Morey (drapers), C. Carter (grocers), E. Dingle (cabinetmakers), A. Lealaml (bakers), Honnor (wheelwrights)':, J. Attott (tinsmiths.and clumbers)'' G. Stewart (tailors), L. Jackson (builders), A. H. Arnold (ironmongers), W. Jury (cab proprietors), W. Sole (butchers), 11. I'.vans (bootmakers), F. Bellrinovr (painters), F. Okey (engineers), T.C. Sehnackenberg (wholesalers); auditor, Mr. C. H. Weston; treasurer, Mr T. Avery.

It was decided to ask the Dairy Employers' Union, the New Plymouth Hawera and Stratford Borough Councils to appoint representatives 0:1 the committee.

SHIPPIXG IXCOXVEXIEXCES. The president referred to the fact that although we had got the harbor' loan the shipping companies seemed de-1 terniined to ruin the trade of the port, j The shipping- people seemed almost to | he in league with the Government, in ruining the trade. They had devised an inconvenient service—it could hardly 0" more so. The U.S.S. Co. had withdrawn from the Xew Plymouth-to-Onehunca service. The Northern Company gave"a In-weekly service, which was most inconvenient. Leaving here by Fridav night's boat, no one could do business iii Auckland with wholesale houses (which were closed oil Saturday afternoons) and return by the next steamer, leaving on Sunday. He must remain there till Thursday, and the journov thus occupied a week. It would be" a hard matter to devise n worse time-table. It had long been, a matter of surprise to him that the Auckland merchants pai'l so little attention to the trade of thio coast.

In reply to Mr. Stewart, Mr. Goodaere said he had heard it mentioned that the mid-week boat was to he made to leave Auckland on Wednesdays. Passing on, he said that the freight services to and from the south were, if possible, worse. Goods could not be received from the South now in less than a fortnight, whereas not long ago a few days ojly were required, Sir. Baker confirmed those remarta, and said that he found Wellington far more convenient now than Auckland as Xew Plymouth's business centre, _ 'Mr. Okey .said it seemed to him that it took oyer a week now to get any goods from Auckland or Wellington to New Plymouth, whereas under the previous service a couple of days sufficed. GENERAL,

The meeting endorsod a remit from Die Canterbury Association urging that the law 'be'"altercd so that any debtor earning Hi a woek or upwards shall be compelled to pay off a certain amount of his debt until the debt Is discharged.

The Canterbury Association also asked for support of its resolution in favor of adopting Prince of Wales' Birthday as a holiday and not Empire Day.—The meeting was averse to the proposal.