LABOR MATTERS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 77, 26 January 1914, Page 5

LABOR MATTERS.

BUILDING TRADE CRISIS. By Cable—Press Association—Copyright < Received 25, 5.5 p.m. , London, January 23. f The crisis in the building trade is ■ acute, and there is a probabilty of 150,- , 000 being locked out to-morrow. Sir ] Henry Askwith has failed to arrange a , conference, the masters insisting that ] the rule relating to non-unionists must j first be guaranteed. ] SLAUGHTERMEN'S INCREASE. < Sydney, January 24. ' After an interview with the Indus- ' trial Registrar the carcase butchers 1 granted the slaughtermen's demands cabled yesterday. ' The butchers declare that unless the men's unreasonable demands cease the public will have to pay from y 2 d to Id a pound move for meat and the pa-storalists take less for their cattle. The Victorian slaughtermen have a'so conceded an increase as a result of the conference. LIGHTERMEN'S DEMAND. Sydney, January 24. I The Federated Enginedrivers' Association has [(resented a claim on behalf of lightermen for an increase of wages from £2 10s to £3 weekly. The various claims made on shipping companies within a year represent an augmentation of the wages bills of 38 per cent., involving i total of over .£OOO,OOO. ■MARINE ENGINEERS' SPLIT. Sydney, January 24. The president and officers of the Australasian Marino Engineers' Institute admit the statement published ill a New Zealand paper that the members of the Institute were taking a ballot with a view of severance from the New Zealand section of the union is substantially correct. The rewons for the desire for separation were that the Dominion' members had opposed the desires of Australian members for a ballot, that they opposed attempts to obtain better conditions for members, and that they had broken the rules of Iho organisation by working as firemen and trimmers during the recent strike.