WATER-FRONT TROUBLES.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 January 1917, Page 5

WATER-FRONT TROUBLES.

THE EMPLOYERS' WAGE'S COMPARED. I By Telegraph.—Press .Association. 1 Wellington, Last Night The employers to-night issued a loos' statement of the events connected with •' the. waterside dispute leading up to tM employers' decision to submit the dis* ; pute to the Arbitration Court. It is • pointed out that the new working eon- ' 1 ditioiw, if granted, would reduce iha output by one-third to one-half, *""f require about 25 per cent, more men-to! do the work, , •' v;, Tho following examples glow tfia, , wages per hour before the war, the In"' crease granted on February 1, 1016, aaff the new claims respectively in each «W ' mentioned:— j 1 General cargo—'Auckland, Weß&wtiafj Lyttelton, Dwiodiii, ordinary hours ptw war Is Sd, February Is Bd, new -1 2s 3d; overtime work, 2a &L Ss «d, fl*; : f-pecial overtime, 2b 3d, 2a Ife ijfl, ; Minor ports, pre-war Is Bd, la lid, 2d; other iteans, same as albove. Frozen cargo Auckland, ordinftrw " hours, 2s 3d, 2S 4'/ a d, 2a Cd; overtime' work, 3s 3d, 3s sd, 3s 7d; special overi time, 3s 3d, 3s fid, ss; Wellington, Dune, din and Lyttelton, ordinary hours, Is M, •2s, 2s fid; overtime work, 2s 3d, % lid! 3s 7d; special overtime 2s lid, 3e 5dJ N,ew claims for shovelling coal are 3a 5d ordinary, overtime 3a 3d, wpertat overtime 4s 7d; carrying coal In to* kets, 3s, 4s and Os; cement, euperphos-* phates, etc., 2s sd, 3b 2d and 4s 10d. The statement deals in detail with t&g earnings of the men at different porta 1 and concludes as follows: "An iscßcfc* < tion of what the increases already ed to the waterside workers during that 1 war period and the demands, now tOMi\ vt will cost the general public may he gained from the following: Cost of increMe granted February, 1016, £130,000' per annum: rast of present wages demands, £20f1,000 per annum: extra cost of pfo* posed new working conditions#£lso/100 per annum-\total, £530,000. In otfcef words, what is proposed ig that eac4» worker ou tho waterfront of the<T>H i minion should have his earning powep increased, including tho increases grant* ed in February, 1910, by £2 per weekjr '■ ACTIVITY OX BOTH SIDES . , (From Our Own Correspondent). Wellington, January 29. To-day's developments on the w&ter« front have occasioned a good deal of < anxiety in Wellington, and various ni* more are afloat to-night regarding the possible or probable'events of tfie nextj few days. Neither party to tho dispute has anything, to say for. publioan tion this evening, but on both ftidei ; there is evidence of activity. It should be understood that the new agreement proposed by the Watersidera* Federal tion, after the expiration of the old agreement, has not been considered aa i between the Federation and the em- ' ployers, represented hero by the Jimployers' Federation. A conference wet on Thursday and Friday of last weebj hut it split on the demand of the e»i ployers for tho reference of the whole . s matter to tho Arbitration Court. The terms of the proposed agreement have not been published, but they arc known to include a demand for 2s 2d per, hour ordinary time, with big increase* in overtime (rising as high as fls per hour for the handling of hot coal) and bulm stantial concessions in other direction!. The employers state that they are not prepared to accept this agreement or anything like it. After the conference ended last week, the Watersidera' JTedi eration delegates inet, and though thqjr mado no subsequent statement, it ma - gathered subsequently tli&t they not proposo a strike, but would bring pressure to 'bear upon the employers Ja other ways. The disputes that led to the discharge of gangs from two steam* crs in Wellington to-day are regarded, rightly or wrongly, as tho outcome of ;i last week's deliberations. The position now is tense. It may bo said (with som* confidence, in the light of events as wel as of unofficial reports, that the ■ em? ployers are disposed to take a strong stand, ih the hope of securing a quick : .settlement.. The situation has' been considered Toy Cabinet, but Ministers fav merely that the Government hu • no part in the dispute at the present time. ' r, t