Waimate Workers' Union.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 164, 11 February 1902, Page 3

Waimate Workers' Union.

A special meeting of the Waimate Workers' Union, was hold last Saturday night, the President;, Mr J. Smith, in tho chair. ' Before declaring the meetingopon the president agreed to the suspension of rule 32 (a) fur the purpose of that particular meeting. fie desired thoao present to understand that tho meeting would have no other business to transact than that of discussing the pay at presont ruling at threshing mills. He submitted that the present system o! paying the men by the 1,000 bushels wus bail alike co tho farmer and tho men. It had beon abundantly proved that tha system of paying tho men by contract was a direct loss to the' farmer. 'That day's Lyttelton Times, in ita market reports, referred to tho careless way tho parcel? of oats coming to hand had been threshed. This state of things v/aa. to be deplored. Great loss was caused owing to the present system of rushing the stuff through. They did not want, nor would they ask for, an exorbitant wage, but they wa.-ted a fair thing; something that would encourage them to do justice to tho farmor instoad of the present system, which encouraged them in an opposite direction.

Tho secretary read correspondence on the subject, after which it was J moved and seconded, f 1 That ibe secretary write to every thrashing mill owner it: tha Catifcerbnry industrial district intimating that the Union demands a complete change of tho present son tract system, and the substitution therefor of the hours system of payment •b mill hands, That 12 hours shall bo a threshing mill day, one hou? ;cr dinner, £ bom: for lunch in tho ; forenoon, and hour foe lunch in i the afternoon,' leaving IOiV hours ] for actual work; the pay pe? hour to La one chilling and found, to all man employed except the driver and feeder; tho latter, who comes under the Workers' Union, to be paid la 6d per hour. Three men to be employed at all times at tho basa. The bag mon, in addition to their present work at th 3 bags, to sea that the sacks of bags are properly secured against rain." During tho discussiou that followed a gentloman present, act a member of any union, made himself disagreeable by continually interrupting the speakers, Finally the president called on the meeting to remove him. The president said it was So be deplored that men like the gentleman causing the trouble should so far forget themselves as to attend meetings of such importance in a state of semiintoxication. He wished it to bo distinctly understood that in future no ono under the inlluenca of

liquor would bo permitted to enter the meetings of the Union. Anyone agaia acting in opposition to the chair would be 'punished by him as the rules directed, be he a member of the Union or not.

Tho motion, 02: being put to the meeting, was carried unanimously. The secretary was further instructed to inform threshing mill owners that should they fail to agree to the above demands of the Union, steps would be taken to bring eaoh threshing milr owner before the Court of Arbitration direct. Notice of motion was then tabled " That the fieeretary tie instructed to take proceedings against the Canterbury Shearers* Industrial Union of Workers for the recovery of £IOO damages for alleged slander, malicious and false statements against the Waimate Workers'lndustrial'Union of Workers Industrial Union, and certain of its officers and for other alleged corrupt practices." The motion cornea on for discussion at the next monthly meeting. In tho meantime the shearers are to be written to asking for an apology for tho grievances, complained of.'. -,