LABOR NOTES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2604, 11 September 1909, Page 7

LABOR NOTES.

ITEMS OF INTEREST,

(By Unionist.)

The twentieth annual meeting of the Wellington Bookbinders’ and Papei' Rulers’ Union was held in the Wellington Trades Hall last week. According to the balance-sheet submitted there is a sum of £313 15s 9d now in the bank to the credit of the union. The membership of the organisation totals between seventy and eighty. Election of officers for the ensuing year resulted. thus: President, W. Naughton; secretary, E. Wiffen; Treasurer, S. J. Tatham. The Wellington Typoghaphical Union has notified its out-of-work members of the trouble in the trade at present existing in Melbourne, and has advised them against accepting engagements in Victoria until a settlement has been 9iffG , ct€d > There are five shearers’ unions in New Zealand. All of them, excepting the Gisborne Union, were represented at the recent Federation Conference. The-absent union, however, agreed by letter .to abide by the conclusions of the conference. Roughly, 1900 shearers were represented. The Canterbury Union is the-oldest. It was established -about nine years ago, and lias now. a membership of .900. Next to it m seniority is the Otago Union, with over 400 members. The other three unions —Wellington, Gisborne, and Marlborough—are only of recent existence. Their total membership is about 600. It was resolved at the conference to combine all the district unions into one, the organisation to be known as the New Zealand Shearers and Other Pastoral Employees’ Union, and to apply at once for registration. Temporary officers were elected till such time as a ballot of. the whole of the members could be taken to appoint permanent officials. * _ In Queensland the Government, which has been attempting to carry on with a majority of one, has found the task too difficult, and Mr Kidston has been granted a dissolution. The ensuing general election will be _of more than ordinary interest to outsiders, because of the fact that the Federal elections follow on a few months after. The issue in both contests is practically the same—Labor versus a combination of all other narties. The last general election in Queensland occurred in 1907. Three parties went to the poll on that occasion, and the result was the return of 25 members * of the Kidston party, 25 of the Philp party, and 22 labor members. It has not yet been decided by the Queensland Labor Party whether or not the half-dozen independent members of the out-going Parliament will be opposed by Labor candidates at the forthcoming State elections. An indication of the feeling -or., the Labor leagues in the electorates represented by the Independents is given, however, by the fact that in most of them plebiscites to select-the .Laborcandidate are "already in progress.

• *.■ . ■ r : :„ • What - probably constitutes a • record in the Wellington trade union movement has been established by Mr W. Naugbton, president of the Wellington Bookbinders 5 and Paper Rulers’ Union. At the annual meeting of the union last week, Mr Naughton was again elected president, making the fifteenth consecutive year that he has occupied the'position. Mr Naughton, in addition, has always taken an active interest in Wellington Trades Council affairs, and is a past president of the council. .<•' The unemployed Problem is almost a thing of the past so far as Auckland city is concerned, particularly for those in the building trade. There is a demand also for farm laborers and good [milkers. At tbe present moment there are in course of erection the new Town Hall, Post ■Office and Seddon Memorial Technical college, the contract prices of which run into £225,000, while the contract price of the new warehouse at the corner of Wellesley Street and Elliot Street runs .into £20,000. Tenders are also being called for a new ferry building for the Harbor Board, at an estimated cost of £50,000. _ It is also contemplated to proceed with the following new buildings: —A home for incurables, new Young Men's Christian Association buildings, extension of the Nurses’ Home, large warehouses for Mr J. C. Spedding in Custom Street, and warehouses for Messrs Nathan , and Co. in High Street. The City Council and Drainage Board are both calling for tenders for various works. Although everything promises well, workers would do well to remember that there are still men unemployed in Auckland who are employable. A member of tbe Labor Party in the New South Wales Parliament has given notice of the following motions: “That the time had arrived for the Government to prohibit by law any person from being called, upon to work seven days per week, and that in view of the high cost of living, the minimum wage paid to able-bodied Government servants should be 8s per day.” The Melbourne Eight Hour Committee, after payment of all debts, had a credit balance of over £ISOO to hand over to charities from the proceeds of the last demonstration.

At the last meeting or tne oanterbury Hotel and Restaurant Employees’ Union the half-yearly balance sheet, submitted by the secretary, _ showed the balance of assets over liabilities to be £B6 19s 7d. The position is considered highly satifactory, in view of the fact that six months ago the Union opened an office for the convenience of both employees and employers. As telephonic connection withHlie exchange is provided, the excuse of inconvenience of going to the employment book is done away with. The establishment and' furnishing of headquarters for the Union, which was entered into as an experiment, has been highly successful, and not only will it be continued but it is intended at an early date to provide a reading-room for members, many of whom are off duty part of each afternoon. i ■ ‘ The tenth annual conference of the General Federation of Trade Unions was held at Blackpool on Thursday and Friday, July 1 and 2. Mr Pete Curran, M.P., presided: Delegates were present representing 700,000 members, and sound'progress was reported. Mr Curran, whose presidential address was received with enthusiasm,' was eventually elected chairman of the Federation for the. forthcoming year. Mr Samuel Gempers, president of the American Federation of Labor, conveyed a message of ro-oodwill from trade unionists across the° Atlantic; and, Mr J. A. Seddon, M.P., gave the delegates a fraternal greeting on behalf of the Trade Union Congress.