LABOUR TROUBLES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9685, 8 January 1910, Page 5

LABOUR TROUBLES.

THE COAL STRIKE.

CHARGES AGAINST LEADERS,

United Press[Association—By Electric Telegraph Copyright.

Received January 7, 10 a.m. SYDNEY, January 7.

Judge Rodgers has been appointed to hear the charges against Mr Peter Bowling and others, charged under the Industrial Disputes Act with inciting the Newcastle strike. Received January 8, 1.6 a.m. SYDNEY, January 7. The work of loading the Marama was delayed for four hours this morning owing to the wharf labourers being under the impression that the bunker coal was obtained from Newcastle by non-union labour. After an explanation by the Union officials work was started and proceeded smoothly. MELBOURNE IMPORTS. SERIOUS FALLING OFF. Received January 7, 10 a.m. MELBOURNE, January 7. The coal imported into Melbourne last year amounted to 926,000 tons, as compared With 1,172,000 in the previous year. The decrease is the result of the Newcastle strike.

BRITISH MINING DISPUTE.

DISAFFECTION SPREADING,

Received January 7, 8.50 a.m. LONDON, January 6. Seventy thousand men are idle in Northumberland and Durham.

Coal is dribbling in small quantities to the shipping ports.

The owners expect a settlement, but the union executive officers are pessimistic, their agents failing to persuade the men to yield.

HELP FOR NEWCASTLE STRIKERS. By Telegraph—Press Association WELLINGTON, January 7.

At a meeting of the Wellington Wharf Labourers' Union, a motion was proposed that £2OO be voted to the Newcastle coal strikers' fund. Objection was taken to one fourth of the Union's funds being given tor this purpose, and the vote was reduced to £IOO in addition to £lO per week being granted as long as the men are out on strike.

GENERAL STRIKE PENDING

By Telegraph—PresH Association. WELLING TON, January 7.

The position concerning the demands of the slaughtermen is considered serious. It seems that the Slaughtermen' 3 Federation, which came into existence last August, has fired a shot which may lead to a general strike of the slaughtermen throughout the Dominion. From enquiries made amongst the men concerned it appears that on Wednesday simultaneous action was taken by all the affiliated Unions, and practically every big killing house throughout New Zealand with the exception of the Wellington houses was served with a notice asking for a new agreement raising the killing rate for sheep and lambs all round to a minimum of 25s per ?00, and | for a minimum of 8 hours working I day. At the present time some \ slaughtering sheds have a right to work nine hours a day at ordinary rates throughout the whole time. The Federation now wants overtime for any period worked in excess of eight hours. There are between six and seven hundred slaughtermen belonging to the Federation, and the highest rate paid is 23s per 100. In all about 140 slaughtermen are affected in Wellington, 80 at the Gear and 60 at the Meat Export Co.'s works. Some sheds only pay 24s for sheep killed for JocaJ consumption, and export, 18s ar.d 20s per 100 being paid when sheep and lambs are killed for boiling down. The reason i for this reduction is that "rotters"

do not require the same amount of care as carcases for export. In Wellington , however, the position is entirely different, a more acute stage having arisen here than in other places. When the agreement which is beirg complied with at present expired in June last year the Gear Meat Co. and Wellington Meat Export Company opened up negotiations with the Union, a new agreement being drawn up. The Union offered to again sign the expired agreement, and this offer was kept open for about three months. Various conferences between the men and the Companies were held, but negotiations i fell through owing, ihe men state, to the companies' attitude in regard to the question of hours, and other conditions apart entirely from the

question of remuneration. The next move came from the employers, who put the matter,in the hands of the Conciliation Commissioner, Mr Hally. The it.en look umbrage at this, withdrew their previous offers, and stood out for 25a per 100 and an eight hours day. Mr Hally en. deavoured to move the slaughtermen to appoint assessors, but the Union refused, holding that they had a right to choose their own weapons of deience, seeing that the fight [ was forced upon them delioerately. I The result is the letter notifying the 1 Meat Export Company of the men's ' jrtcntion to strikp.