WATERSIDE WORKERS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3315, 6 September 1911, Page 3

WATERSIDE WORKERS.

THE AUCKLAND CONFERENCE. IPEB PRESS ASSOCIATION.} AUCKLAND, Sept. 5. At the Waterside Workers’ Conference Mr. G. Smith (Patea) said there was discontent among the members of the Patea branch with the award tney are working under since the strike in December last. The only alteration secured was the improvement in the hours of work. Consequently they had cancelled registration under the Arbitration Act, and declined to sign the present agreement. The' feeling was also strong because the railway men who had struck in sympathy with the waterside workers had not been reinstated though the inference was that they would he, blacklegs being employed instead. An application had been made to the Minister, who replied that lie would not recognise any union. Unionists objected to work alongside the Government blackleg. Before the matter was settled, it would become a question of unionists against non-union T ists. A resolution was carried to write to the Minister of Railways protesting against the inconsistency in protecting one class in Lyttelton and enabling them to- form close corporations, and assisting non-unionists in Patea bv refusing to recognise any union there, and, further, asking the Minister to reinstate the men dismissed at Patea.

An important remit- was moved at the Waterside Workers’ Conference yesterday by Air. Allington (Timaru), to the effect that the conference urge upon the Government the need of some measure or Bill being passed in the interest of the workers of New Zealand, to deal with the export of necessaries of ■ life,such as blitter, etc., and sold in the Homeland at almost half the price at which they can be bought on the spot where such neeessarie-s of life are produced. Mr. Terry (Wellington) moved as an .amendment, that a- committee should bo set up to draft a Bill oil the subject. Mr Good a 11- (Greymouth) con-skl-erecl' than an export* duty should ho put- on these commodities. As far a-s the setting up of a committee went, lie did not think it could do much, as other questions w-ould also have to be considered, and it was raising the- tariff question. He thought there should be an export duty. Mr. Schofield (Auckland-) considered that at present the workers were being The- remit was carried", and Mr Terry’s amendment was seconded by Air Boardinan (Auckland), who considered that the sugar question should -also be considered. Some time ago, lie- said;, the Government took the duty off sugar, and now, within the last.- three months, the price of sugar had been raised by £2. The amendment and motion were carried*, and Messrs Terry, Schofield, and G. Smith were appointed a committee to report to-day. The Waterside. Workers’ Committee appointed to consider the excessive rest oif the necessaries of life reported that they had failed t-o discover any remedy that could be deemed practical, so long

as the production remains in the liands of a class. They argued the workers to organise industrially and politically upon a class basis, so that they would be able to supplant the present system of distributing the necessaries of life with a system of national democratic ownership, which alone coukl remove the anomaly complained of. The report was adopted without discussion. At the Waterside Workers' Conference Mr G. Terry (Wellington) moved : ‘ "That this Conference approve of the following: '(Should England declare war on any other nation, we, as workers, unite with the workers of other countries; in declaring peace.’’ Mr Boardman (Auckland) secondjed the motion.

Mr Reed (Lyttelton) said it would be a good thing if the workers of rival countries could unite and stop horrible war. If the money spent under the present- New Zealand Defence Act had been spent under the volunteer system it would have been formed ' into a nucleus of a verv efficient service.

•Mr E. Conham (Auckland) referring to the compulsory military training scheme, contended that the standard was too harsh. He suggested that the motion should he amended as follows: “That in the event of any two nations of the world declaring war on one another, this conference. pledges itself, along with the other workers of the world, to declare for peace.” The amendment was accepted by the mover of the motion, and was carried.