Waimate Workers’ Union.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 170, 25 February 1902, Page 3

Waimate Workers’ Union.

Tha regular monthly meeting of tho Waimato'Workers’ Union was hold in tha Foresters’ Hall cn Saturday, there being a good attendance of members. Outward correspoudeuce was road and approved, _ . The secretary said that he had notified twenty-nine threshing mill owners of tha Union’s intention to take the grievances of employees to the Arbitration Uourt for settlement. Other mill owners would be notified when he received their names and addresses from branch secretaries. Gorrespondencs was read froin Fuirlia, the Canterbury Shearers Union, and Mr D. Rutherford, ol Leslie Hills.

Tho secretary was instructed to reply to tho Fairlie branch secretary, informing him that before the case of tbo threshing mills would be taken to tho Court of Arbitration all financial members of the Union would have the opportunity to vote on tha question, ai/d that non-members of the Union

would not be considered in the ’matter at a-11.

The secretary is to write to Mr Rutherford, pointing oat that his letter to Mr Aikia contained libel on A. Simpson in particular and, all Waimftto working men in general, and demanding an explanation of same. Mr Borehatn tlien moved—“ That tho secretary be instructed to take proceedings, against the Canterbury Shearers’ Industrial Union of Workers for the recovery of ‘,£loo damages for slander,and malicious and false statements 'tigainst, tho Waimate Workers’ Industrial. Union , of Workers and certain of its o&cers.” Mr Borehara gave reasons for moving the inotioA, and concluded by saying that it, was tho duty of the Workers', Union to put a stop to such slanders • dnd false statements as were attributed to the Shearers’ Union agents. The only way in, which the Shearers’ Union could bo taught to be charitable to , kindred unions was to give , them a practical lesson. Hewohld agree to a reduction in the amount of damages. ,Mr Kilwortb said he would not agree to anything of the sort. That sort of thing must be stopped once for all. , ~ ..s , The'president seconded the motion, which was carried. „ . The president moved that the Premier should he written to, drawing hia attention to the fact , that, while most ol the trades were represented 19 the I Legislative Council, and a big proportion of the Upper Chamber, were' newspaper men, and agricultural and ‘ pastoral employers of labour, there was not in tho Upper House a single representative of the agricultural and pastoral labourers, to the motion, the president said > representative body so constituted was, in conseijaeuco, immoral, and could not Reasonably bo expected to make impartial laws. The secretary said he thought the and pastoral, . workers, who, constituted 65, per cent of tho worWi/g,, men t of. the colony, t were ‘justly entitled'to oho representative- in theTJpper Chamber, thatiqoot- 1 makers,hoUefc'mftkeHb "Cbmppiioirr,

House a representative, culled from their ranks. Ho seconded the which was carried without disient. ' The president thon moved the, Allowing motion—“ That this meeting Y I tho Waimate Union pro .eats against the action of the Flourmillers’ Association, as it ia unjust alike to the workers and farmers of the colony, and that a copy of the resolution be forwarded to the Trades anc\ Labour v Councils at the different centres; also to the Minister of . Labour.” In the course of his remarks the president said, the name of this trust was the Co-operative Millers’ Association of New Zealand. Co-operation wasa laudable thing, but in the case of the millers the word was misapplied. The millers were nothing more than a, trust pure and simple, created for no other purpose than to control the flour markets of the colony ; and what was more, fhe, millers had already started to'get tho bakers in their claws* This was. to be deplored in a young like New Zealand. The first move, of • tiie millers was to raise the price of flour to £.l 10s por ton in the Bouth Island, while they paid lls par ton to send flour to Auckland and there sold it at '£6 10s. He submitted that all private monopolies were a danger to the cmiiinunuy,. and when tuch, was proved to bo tho cas« the State si c .Id step ; in and legislate against it. In the obe3 of the New Zealand millers ths 'Government should come down with legislation on the matter .without delay, 'Either this or they slum <1 i-ako the duty off flour at oncie. It _could not possibly bo expected that ..-farm labourers, the lowest paid men in the country, could go on following the millers by paying 6d per loaf as, at present and an extra penny a loaf just when tho Millers’ Union liked to iuBU-uci. I lie bakers to clap it on. The food supply of tint, people was being unwarrantably interfered with by this

trust, and tho workers and farmers of tho colony should take immediate steps to chicle the miliars’ monopoly. Tho pros dent went into tin* whole question at great length, and was listened to throughout attentively, The secrotai.y seconded the motion, and it was carried.

A vote of thanks was passed to the president for his address, and the mooting closed at 10 p.m.