Waimate Workers’ Union.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 223, 1 July 1902, Page 3

Waimate Workers’ Union.

The regular monthly meeting of the above Union wasbeldin the Foresters’ Hall on Saturday last, there being a large attendance of members present. There were also present by invitation Messrs Manchester Bros, (millowners). Mr J. Mills, in the absence of the president, presided over the meeting. e The minutes of the ordinary and of a special meeting, held in the Empire Hotel were read and confirmed, as were also the minutes of the meeting dealing with the dispute between Mr Waldie and two of his shearer’s, Outward correspondence was read and approved. . Inward correspondence was received from Mr Ell, M.H.R., and the Hon. y, Duncan pointing out that the secretary was wrong in his statement of the formation of Mr J. Sullivan s section on Pareora No. 1 Settlement; that there was a water course running through Mr Sullivan’s section, and that he, the Minister of Hands, saw no reasons to alter his previous decision not to conoeed one half-year’s rent to Mr Sullivan. From the Under-Secretary for Labour and from the Hon. the Post-master-General informing the Union that it had been decided by the Department to include more houses in the ciceuit of letter delivery in Waimate, and that in consequence the letter carrier would be allowed a bicycle, Mr Boreham said he had written asking for back allowance for the letter carrier, who had been using his tiKe for the last two years and had received no allowance. If the meeting thought fit he would write again. The general opinion was that the Union should be satisfied with the consideration to be allowed the letter carrier in future. Mr Boreham said that he would he going to Ghristoburoh at an early date to attend and represent a section of the Waimate Workers' Union at a con, ferenoe of sheep-owners and employes, Should he proceed to the conference with no other instruction than the minute gave him he would consider it his duty to leave no stone unturned to get a rise of wages for shed hands in preference to shearers. Mr Boreham spoke at length, pointing out the low wages paid to rooseabouta and the long hours they had to work. Should shearing be stopped through rain the shed bauds wm aqt a ll°.w®d to h® idle i 'they were set tp work tp grub gorse or weed the garden. (Mr Mills, Or pick gooseberries tp tpake jam for the shearers,) Just ap j he had thought it his duty to let shearers who were members know what he intended to do were he to go to the conference under present instructions. It now remained for the meeting to say whether further instructions should be given him. Mr J. White said Mr Boreham should let the Shearers’ Union deal with the shearers’ demands, and he should look after the rouseabouts interests. Mr Boreham said he would gladly do as Mr White desired, but Mr White mast remember that he (Mr Boreham) was strongly of opinion that rouseabouts were more in need of a rise than shearers, and he would, therefore, strongly oppose any rise being given to shearers until shed hands were considered. , j i|f j||g b&u told them plainly that were he fo proceed to the conference with no other instructions tbpn to look after shed bauds he would do ap if to do so necessitated hipp opposing the shearers demands, In prefer to secure representation at the conference for shearers belonging to the Workers' Uuion he would wove that Mr Boreham h® instructed to watch the interests of shearer* as well as shed bauds. Mr Williams seconded the motion* On the motion being put to the meeting the chairman declared it carried, Mr While dissenting. Mr Mills reported having attended a meeting of the Farmers’ 'Union that day, and he gave a resume of what took place. He said that Mr Borrie, millowner, complained that in the notice he received from the of the Union Jtbere was no invitation on‘the-part to sorrier with miuowners, He would ask the secretary if he had a copy of the notice with him. The secretary said he had not, but ha would bring one to next meeting. He would, however, say that in the notices he sent to millowners it was slated that the Union was prepared to meet mh}owriers' as an organised body, but not otherwise.'' The“noticd3 were posted four months back and he hap not received a single reply. This did pot goto show that miUowoers were desiripus of conciliation. This was the way the Union took it, and in consequence went straight to the Arbitration Court.

Mr Manchester said hia notice con* tained unreasonable demands to be complied with at a certain date; if not, the case would bo takes to the Arbi* (ratios Coon.

I Mr Boreham - -id -m no'icc he b.nl | sent out fixed any d-it-i for a re; ly; the ' millowners W ire given th. ir own time j to consider" the rn iit .w. I Mr Manchester isk-d the chairman I if shearers wore pud tor iho time lest going from shed to shed. The secretary said they were in many cases where sheds at a distance followed, but the question was not analogous with that of mills going from camp to camp or stack to stack. In the case of mills the men’s labour was continuously at the demand of the same employer, whereas shearers leaving one shed and going to another were generally changing employers. Mr Manchester would also like to ask was it reasonable for unskilled labourers (he supposed it would be admitted that mill hands were unskilled labourers) to bo paid a* much as a tradesman ? In the awards made by the Court to tradesmen the usual wage was £3 per week, and this was accepted by trades unions as a fair wage. Now, were the demands of the mill hands awarded by the Court they would he receiving as much as tradesmen, and tucker thrown in. The secretary said Mr Manchester | had not told them that the tradesman’s week was one of forty-four hours ; any time worked over that was paid for as overtime, usually at the rate of time and a quarter for tho first two hours and time and a half after that. Mr Manchester would agree that there was a difference of sixteen hours brtw.en the hours worked by the tradesman and the mill band; hence the award they asked for was not so unreasonable after all. The hours worked by mill hands, in the past, as Mr Manchester must be aware, ware from ten to seventeen hours a day, and he could show that mill hands working I these long hours were not making more than 4s per day of eight hours clear of tucker. Surely under these condit otis it was time the demands of tho men for a living wage should at any gate be listened to, if taken no notice‘of.

This being all the business, Mr Boreham proposed a hearty vote of thanks to the Messrs Manchester Bros, for their attendance that evening, Were employers to mix more with their employees in meetings like the present the Arbitration Court would not be brought into requisition so often.

Mr Mills seconded the motion, which was carried by acclamation. Mr Manchester having responded, a vote of thanks to the chairman closed the meeting. During the evening a member slightly under the influence of drink was* severely chastised by the chairman, after which ho relapsed into peaceful silence.