A UNION CASE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 12, 14 June 1913, Page 5

A UNION CASE.

STRONG JUDICIAL COMMENTS. UNION MULCTED IN DAMAGES. Per Press Association. Auckland, Friday, Mr. Justice Edwards delivered judgment in a case brought against the Auckland Watcrsiders' Union by two members, who alleged union officials had by intimidation prm.nted them from obtaining employment on the water front. The plaintiffs were Joel Smith and James Miller, and the defendant James Collet v ,,.secretary, of the union. Plaintiff* claimed £2OO and £250 damage* respectively and nn injunction against the union, which was not 'incorporated or registered under any raw. His Honor, said plaintiffs were employed on the Malu-no because no less than eleven of the chosen g:ing failed tf, turn ii])., Certain ni,Bn.'»jL'rs of .the union took exception to. the extra industry shown by the plaintiffs and at a meeting, in the absence of plaintiffs and without evidence, lined Smith and Miller tinamount'earned by them on the Malieno. Such a proceeding was void, as being contrary to'natural justice."'The evidence was held to prove thit both plaintiffs bad been excluded from the' watcrsiders' waiting-room, and regarded as non-mem-bers. Both men, owing to preference lining given, to' unionists, had been unable to obtain employment as waterside workers. His Honor found that the union, without' any color of right or authority, had penalised plaintiffs, who had not' done anything of which the strictest 1 unionist should disprove. Defendant without a scintilla of right gave, employers of the Waterside workers notice that plaintiffs bad ceased to be members of the union, with the object of precluding employers from employing such persons, and upon this notice employers were bound to act. He assessed Millet's damages at £.">." and those of Smith, whose case was more serious, at £BO.