ARBITRATION COURT.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 272, 21 December 1914, Page 10

ARBITRATION COURT.

CHRISTCHURCH SESSIONS. COMPENSATION CASES. The Arbitration Court continued its sitting this morning, his Honour Mr Justice Stringer presiding. With him on the bench were Messrs W. Pryor (the employers' assessor) and J. A. MeCullough .(employees' assessor). Legal argument as to liability was heard in the case of Maidens v. Nieholls, evidence in which was taken last week. Mr O. T. J. Alpers appeared for the claimant, and Mr H. I>. Aeland for the defendant. Judgment was reserved. In the case of Hanson and Johnson v. Sims, argument was heard as to whether the defendant was the employer of the men who were lost with the fishing launch Te Huia off Lyttelton Heads. Mr 3. Caasidy appeared for the claimants (the widows of the men) and Mr 0. T. J. Alpers for the defendant. Judgment was reserved. NEWSPAPER AWARD. . APPLICATION TO ADD A PARTY. This afternoon the application of the

Ghristehurch Journalists' Union to have the Canterbury Publishing Company added as a party to the .Ghristehurch Newspaper Reporters and Proof Readers ' Award came up for hearing. Mr D. G. Sullivan appeared on behalf of the union in support of the application, and Mr E. C. Huie on behalf of the company to oppose. His Honour said Mr Huie should show cause why the company should not be joined. The Court did not think there should be complete exemption. Mr Huie put in a counter-claim, and suggested that the award should be varied to meet it. The conditions /in respect to the Ghristehurch "Press" and "Lyttclton Times," where an evening and a weekly newspaper were in each instance also published, were more exacting than in the case of The Sun. He referred to the award in Duncdin, which, he said, stipulated for two senior reporters and three general reporters in the case of the ''Evening Star." He contended it would be unreasonable to expect The Sun to observe a larger proportion of senior reporters than was the case in Dunedin. The company also asked for modifications in respect to overtime and the payment of readers. John Howard Dolamore, managing director of the Canterbury Publishing Company, said that the conditions on an evening newspaper (where an evening newspaper only was published) were obviously different to those where both morning and evening newspapers were published. To Mr Sullivan: The proportions of staff suggested by the company was, he considered, a fair one. Charles Allan Marris, assistant editor of The Sun, said he considered the suggested staff proportion was quite reasonable and all that was necessary to meet the requirements of the newspaper. Evidence was also given by Baxter O 'Neill. This closed the case for the company. Mr Sullivan called, A. Chappell, who said that competition made the work on The Sun strenuous. He did not consider .the conditions on The Sun should be different to those on the other newspapers. (Proceeding.)