AN ABORTIVE CONFERENCE

Te Puke Times, Volume II, Issue II, 7 November 1913, Page 3

AN ABORTIVE CONFERENCE

The conference representing employers and workers, which adjourned after four hours's sitting on Monday night, resumed on Tuesday. What transpired during the short sitting that was held was not communicated to the Press, but the delegates emerged a quarter of an hour after ' meeting had resumed. It was stated that all attempts to effect a conciliation had been futile. Later in the day it was stated that other negotiations had been instituted at the instigation of Mr R. Fletcher, Chairman of the Harbor Board, but the effort to bring the parties together failed. Mr Massey declined to make any statement regarding the negotiations at the conference, nor did he care to discuss. the outlook generally. The Employer's Committee issued a statement setting forth that while regretting the failure of the conference the committee did not see its way to enter into an agreemunt with an organisation which refused to register under the Arbitration Act The waterside workers' delegates positively declined to entertain the proposal to so register under the Arbitration Act, and ss it was essential that the tradd _of the Dominion should carried on it had been decided that workers who were prepared to work under the Act shall b} employed forthwith under fully adequate protection.

Auckland, Thursday. There is no change in the position in regard to the strikes. Yesterday the most interesting development sd far as Auckland was concerned, was the assembling of 800 farmers at the Otahuhu Showgrounds, where the camp is established. The Federation of Labor stated during the day that any settlement made at Huntly must be simultaneous with and contingent upon a settlement of the Wellington trouble, s Several regrettable incidents occurred at Wellington yesrerday, the most serious being the stoning, of a large body of mounted special constables by a riotous crowd, ~ The constables were preceding racehorses to be snipped to Christchurch.

The strike leaders had previously announced that the shippping of the horses would be prevented, Later it was . stated that they would not be interfered with. The mounted men stood the ordeal well. After several were injured they were compelled to charge the crowd. Twenty persons were injured, the majority by stones, including a number of policemen. ' The racehorses were shipped without interference. A deputation consisting of Ernest Allen Bell, T. W. Leys, G. Elliott, Bishop Cleary and four members of the Strike Committee waited upon the Mayor yesterday, to ascertain if it were not possible to bring about a settlement of the strike in Auckland. The deputation urged that a settlement could'only be arrived at by not employing free labor on the wharves, and also contended that it was injudicious in bringing special constales from the country to the waterfront.

The Mayor said he would be pleased to act as mediator, and hoped there would be a reasonable chance of success. In regard to free labor he said he was not concerned. with that factor. In deference to the wishes of the deputation he saw no harm in postponing the introduction of free labor until after to-morrow. In regard to tlie special mounted police he would make representations to the authorities that they should not appear at the waterfront until Friday morning. This would enable the deputation to see if they could take useful steps in bringing about a settlement-