DOMINION AWARD SOUGHT.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 136, 15 July 1914, Page 10

DOMINION AWARD SOUGHT.

A sitting of Ihe Conciliation Council was held this"morning to consider an industrial dispute between the New Zealand Federated Woollen Mills Employees ' Association of Workers and the New Zealand Woollen" Millers' Federation. The Conciliation Commissioner, Mr J. R. Triggs presided. The employers \ assessors were -Messrs Wv H. P. Barber (Wellington), J. Lane (Ashburton), E. Cameron (Dunedin); T. R. Leithead - (Kaiapoi), - Charles Grey (Milton), and John Simpson (Onehungaj. For the, employees the. assessors were:— : Messrs W. Tate and H. C. Revell (Canterbury), R. *Breen and R. H. Watson (Otago),' and E. Kennedy and A. Anderson (Wellington).* * . Under the old award 48 hours constituted a week's work - for all : employees. The federation 50 w asked that while"4B hours should remain for male workers, female work-ere and boys should have to work only 45.hours a-week;:* Mr Barber said that there-was a BiU. before Parliament' 'which, if -it ; were passed, would provide for a reduction of the hours'of work-for the whole >industry from 48 hourato 45. So he ttsked that, as far as this council was cdj the basis of .48 hours recognised. Then; if the. House, -a proportionate reduction, in' wages could be made. •The employees'• assessors offered n® objection to'this, but pointed out that legislation did "not over-ride awards air ready made. . . : ' Mr Triggs said he had always understood that statutes did not "affect existing awards, but no new. awards could be made without.conforming to .the requirements of the.atatuteSi| k Mr Kennedy said that the would give an undertaking that if aa " agreement were arrived at an atpplication would be made Arbitration Court to have it made into an award within three weelfs. After some further discussion the "question of'hours was deferred until after the other . demand had.Jieen considered. ' "

Mr suggested thai--as " the most vital' clause in the demandswaa that relating toth'e miriiffttim wage, thatshould be taken first. This was agreed" to.

The minimum rates of wages which the employees asked -for male .workers over 21 years of age were as Tuners, £3 10/-.per'week; head drawer, £3 10/- per wee*; assistant carders, £3 5/- per week; rope splicers, £3 5/r jper week; wool-sorter, £3 5/- per week; warpers (male or /female.), £3 5/- per week; pattern weavers (male or female, hand or power loom), £3 per week; spinners, £3 per week; combers/and fettlers, £2 18/- per week; wool scourer and dyer,'£2 18/- per week; mill-house and dve-house hands, £2 18/- per#week; woolly house, first hand £2 18/- per week, other hands £2 14/- per week; and all other workers not governed by an award of the court or agreement, £2 14/.per week. These rates represented a fairly, large advance on the existing rates. 'Under the old award the minimum rate for v*'orkers, other- "than those named, was £2.5/-.' Mr Barber said that .as -the work was regular the emplbyers considered that ; £2 8/- was a good enough minimum wage, and they were prepared to offer that. .. .

Mr Anderson saidthat not one of the workers under discussion was averaging £2 5/- |»er week. The employees asked for £2 14/- per week. He conceded that they were not going to get that, but they would not take £2 8/unless they were going to get it all the year rouifil. They were prepared to accept £2 10/-. It was the lowest paid industry - in'' New-Zealand, -and it was not creditable to the manufacturers to offer such a uteige. The yrae a protected one, but =if it could iipt pity a lining wage it was not fit to live in this country, i'lf it cannot pay us a living wage," went on Mr Anderson, "for goodness sake let us have this protected industry out of the country, and let us have cheaper clothing." The Commissioner said that he had had a good deal of experience of buying woollens, and knew something of the industry. While he thought that £2 8/- was low enough, he also considered that the workers should be very careful to refrain from asking t<fo much and crippling the industry. The public would always go where it could get the cheapest goods. After further .discussion, the council adjourned while the employers' assessors considered, in private, the question of the minimum wage. (Proceeding.)