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Coal-miners, Stockton. miners ceased work as a protest against the employment of the brakesman on the workmen's train to drive the locomotive in the mine in addition to his train duties. The original driver of the locomotive had been injured, and the men contended that a new driver should be appointed. After a stoppage of five days the men resumed work. A breach of the Labour Disputes Investigation Act was committed, but no action was taken. Shipping, Greymouth and Wellington.— While a vessel was at Greymouth a dispute arose between a fireman and the cook regarding the quality of the food supplied to the crew, and in support of the fireman the crew advised the master that they would not sail with the cook. The cook left the ship and proceeded to Wellington, where he rejoined the vessel on her arrival there. The crew, however, refused to have their meals on board, gave notice, and were paid off. The matter was finally settled by the company dismissing the cook, when a new crew signed on. The dispute lasted nine days. The men were bound by an agreement under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, but it was not deemed advisable in the circumstances to take proceedings. Shipping, Wellington. —When a vessel arrived at Wellington from Sydney seventeen members of the crew who had absented themselves from duty without leave while the vessel was at Sydney were dismissed. The following day twenty-four other members of the crew gave notice, apparently out of sympathy with those who had been dismissed. The company experienced considerable difficulty in obtaining a full crew, the men engaged adopting irritation tactics, during which some of the men refused to proceed to the vessel, while others after being placed on board came ashore again. After the disturbance had lasted about five days a full crew was secured and the vessel sailed. Proceedings were instituted under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, but were subsequently withdrawn . Waterside Workers, Dunedin. —Fifty-eight men were engaged to unload a cargo of guano. After about two hours' work the secretary of the union, on behalf of the men, asked that a disputes committee be set up to consider the payment of extra rates on account of the allegedly dirty nature of the work. The disputes committee failed to agree, and the matter was referred to the National Disputes Committee at Wellington. In the meantime sixteen men, comprising a number from each gang, failed to return to work. As the men who continued working on other cargoes refused to be transferred from hold to hold in order that the gangs might be completed the work was disorganized. After a lapse of two days the employers offered an extra 4d. an hour, and the sixteen men resumed work. Action was taken against the men concerned for ceasing work instead of awaiting a settlement of the question in dispute in the manner provided for by the award, and fines were imposed. Waterside Workers, Lyttelton. —After the greater part of a cargo of bulk phosphate had been discharged from a vessel the men refused to complete the unloading with baskets unless they were paid an increased rate on account of the allegedly dirty nature of the work. On the failure of the local disputes committee to come to a decision an independent arbitrator was appointed, who decided that an extra 3d. an hour should be paid. The disturbance lasted about a week. The men were bound by an award under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, but in the circumstances it was decided not to prosecute. Ooal-mineri, Stockton. —Two miners reported that the place in which they were working was unsafe and ceased work. After a delay of two days another place was provided for the men. The management refused, however, to pay the men for the time they had lost, and the remainder of the miners thereupon ceased work. After a four days' stoppage the management paid the sum in dispute and work was resumed. Action was taken against the union under the Labour Disputes Investigation Act for instigating an unlawful strike, and a penalty was imposed. Shipping, Auckland. —The Federated Seamen's Association of New Zealand issued a circular instructing firemen not to work valves or any other kind of machinery in the engine-room and stokehold of ships, holding that such work was dangerous and was contrary to legal enactment. The firemen on a number of the coastal boats trading out of Auckland accordingly refused to work valves and other machinery that they had previously been accustomed to operate. It is understood that the question was settled by compromise between the employers and the men. As the parties were bound by an award under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act action was taken against the association, and also against its president and secretary for instigating an unlawful strike, and penalties were imposed. Coal-miners, Glen Afton. —270 miners presented certain demands to the mine-manager and ceased work until the questions had been discussed. After the mine-manager's decision had been given the men still refused to resume work, and the manager withdrew the concessions he had made. Work was resumed after a stoppage of two days, and a deputation on the management, when the matters in dispute were settled. No action was taken against the men. Slaughtermen, Christchurch and Feilding.—Slaughtermen on being engaged for employment in five freezing-works in the Canterbury District demanded an increase of 2s. 6d. per hundred over and above the award rate for killing sheep and lambs. It was stated that the demand was made because the Court of Arbitration had recently announced its intention of increasing the basic award rates in future awards. The employers considered that this increase had already been included in the slaughtermen's current award, and the men's demand was therefore refused. Employment at the award rate commenced, but a few days later the slaughtermen in each of the five factories reduced the number of animals killed per hour from twelve to about four. The employers, taking advantage of the clause of the award which allowed them to regulate the killing-pace, responded by posting a notice in all works restricting the killing-rate to four per hour, and dismissed 144 of the subsidiary workers, whose services were thereby rendered unnecessary. Three of the employing companies
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