CONCILIATION BOAR

Auckland Star, Volume XXIX, Issue 102, 2 May 1898, Page 2

CONCILIATION BOAR

DISPUTE WITH BAKER| A sitting of the Conciliation Boat held to-day at the Supreme Court! ings to consider an order of referen^ mitted .by the Bakers' Union, Then present the Key. George Burgess, F.jffl (Cliairman), Mr J. M. Shera (emp^ representative), and Messrs John Ffa and W. F. Lucas (representing the Uni Mr E. Kawson officiated as Clecß Awards.

The following employers were cite! attend :—Messrs George Kent and | James Corley, Philip Crowe, James ]| (senior), Robert Farrell, James Garcj Job Gibbs, Wall, Thomas King, Ci1, Kingsford, Thomas Kmght, Edwarcl Keown, Thomas Nairn, F. Price, Y< Philipps, Walter Smith, George Srue| George Thomas, Thomas Wilson, | Wiles, Terence Mcquillan, Andrew Kyfj son, W. Clarkson and K. Forgie. 1 Mr James Regan appeared as,age.: the Auckland Co-operative Bakers" | assisted by Mr Gilbert Hamilton j I dent) and Mr George Wiutcombe (| Mr Regan said he wished to with . Mr Thomas Knight's name from the 1 | those cited, as he was now paying | •wages and conforming with the rnifes,The Board accordingly agreed U withdrawal of Mr Knight's name. j | | Mr Kingsford said Mr liegan si also have seen him and others arid \y-\ have found also there were no cijmpli ; in some cases. The Chairman said Mr Regan |as f\ | within his rights. It was stated that in the case o|Tlm' Nairn that gentleman had withdjfcn i ' * the trade. ,' i

PARTICULARS OF DISPJTZ. , ; 1. That no master baker shaU-nijy, any baker more than nine hourijj|r ( \f - including .sponging, or a. total op | i(> j per week, except in cases of Ifeei/. | when time and a-quarter shall be }|0 2. That the minimum rate of ML as follows :-- Fore-hand, Is per hourly hand, lpd per hour; third hand \) liour : jobbers shall be paid Is pig: All hands receive dry pay. y . 3. That no person shall he emplj an improver (other than those \M engaged), and any boy or youth llg the trade shall be duly bound by iml, -^ for a period of four years, fmprov® ,-; mean any person other than an appK ; or journeyman or a member of snips family. | 4. The preference of employment .-■!,. given to members of the Operative H(j A Union, providing the employer is awj. any member of that Union who isfe , willing, and competent to do the \yos| ' quired. 5. That no suspended member QVj&i' Operative Bakers' Union be eni;4 \ until he has complied with the requireiij of the said Union. J" 6. That in consideration of the. Msj Bakers agreeing to tlic foregoing coitions, the Operative Bakers' Union sjf; and do hereby agrees— 7. That any existingengagementbet'tf< j master and improver shall be exemjH from clause 2 and shall continue /tori exempt while he, the said improver.^ mains with his present employer, | . viding that the said improver shall, m leaving, be considered a bona 'tide jotir|| • man. 8. That any member of the Union) J cepting a situation, and not being coifj tent to fullil the same, shall be tinerfj I for the first offence, 20s for the sell | offence, and for the third oiience hew j1 pelled from the Union. j$ If 9. That any member leaving hin s|' '' tion without giving one week's notici;; not working the same , s afte^^i^ife notice shall be fined 10s. v '""" -i? '/;

10. That no member of the Unions j work for any employer who undul-; deavours to underseH'or to cut do\v price ojf bread. | ; jl Mr Forgie said he understood that! : ( tlie Act; no insolvent person or jV ;| charged bankrupt could take part i :J :i proceedings. tie therefore entei© Ij| protest. if i- ', The Chairman said chat clause siniji | jfy .■' ferred t» the Chairman and mcmbj.| §1 the Board, and he could assure then lM § were none of them insolvent. If;, f\ Wilson could take objection to any one!/| • ber he was at liberty-to do so. Iff a .j THE UNION'S CASE Mr James Regan: said he haill A deavoured for months to preventtj]) necessity for calling the Board toji'jjjßf"':. but had been compelled to do so beoai : 'h number of masters had conformed witli'/ rules, and it was necessary to compel o( 1 who did not do so to fall into liiie.li said in some places the men had ■■/\A I almost in a state of slavery. ln-(!oj|f | quence of this he assisted in fonuilf $ union. He trusted that everything witf be conducted in a friendly marlf 1 After the Union was formed 'a meft^Hl was called- at which both employersfi | employees were present, but it se4| that nothing could be arranged as soifi I the employers took up a defiant auifii. I It Avas a matter of delight in such fe J that they had a law by which t * could compel the masters to come! ! take over the matter in a conoitiftl I manner. A second joint meeting i 'm held in the Wesley Hall at rif I! he was present, and received very-t* | teous treatment from the employers. ' ! "■ proposals now laid before the Board) § at that time submitted to the einplo 1 present. The concessions asked for I | were not objected to. Ultimately he ceived a letter from Mr John (l::'Gi Secretary to the Master Bakers 1 M tion, in which it was stated the a^repi I had been signed by 29 master ba'kors. % vided that clauses were added to thcii j that the Union should within 14 U. || being requested by the Master D? H Association take steps to compel; ' Masters to sign, such agreement, f jjj document was given back to the)! i Bakers to secure signatures of some) Masters and now it was found thai ¥l been impounded. Fortunately, httf the Union had taken a copy of thatdo<s $ A meeting was held by master bakji the purpose of raising the price o$ $! He wished it to be distinctly und| that he did not ask for any cprif i contingent upon a rise in the ]W bread. That movement' was !re| secure uniformity in the price cliaJ 1 bread and had. nothing to do with! I mandsof the Union, although it Sva| I tised as being done for that purnol wished to state that two masters 1.8: the first consented to t he terms of till and loyally fulfilled the regulations' wished, therefore, to publicly tlf Buchanan and Mr John Burton ! I honourable manner in which they! * their employees. Personally he 1 the demands of the men weireasonable, the wages asked for' excessive, but the hours the men I be contented with were, he consul long. However, the men were ( work nine hours a day, so that " matter as far as he was conee: knew of some bakehouses 1R Avere allowed through his I manner to hang about 15 -4 although all the work shou.'d ' nine hours.' With regard to of improvers, they Mere dai Unions and troublesome to \ of the improvers were really! money now asked. The 'J? wanted to stop the improve substitute apprentices, wl thoroughly taught their tri cut wood, drove the.carfc. worked up to be bakers wte*« -yet tHey.nevei sjr^iperly h\

fir n Jj?^ ' aSk ed tOr meanfc tllrtt the r^.j should receive their whole wages free BS, 7 cU\ cllo]ls- The master bakers comgained about the small bakers cutting ■jw»;t», but these men were forced into that jtfawon owing to the long hours worked as J?ii»neyinen. and the low wages paid The masters said tkey could not afford to pay m h<il: wages. All he could say was that if F|? nsiness'Svould not pay fair wages, it joouhi collapse. My Regan then read the cwards made in the South, and said the ! iV U< i!? Wivs Confident in the impartiality of W)e hoard, and would, he believed, agree Jrtth its finding. I' r Fawous asked if some master bakers aad already paid the rates asked for. 5 Air Regan said from November 24th he fte^JW) masters had done so. There were -.KWyotiTiuji' employers piiyin^eijuivalent to All tb.at. was wanted in their the matter of dry pay. ; MTrthinJßa^ed how much the'increase I o^k^^4 lovmuuld amount to per week in |i .i : ;i\ ickland. i j;''v: -.frl'epnn said ho had not worked that L .nC.. Aboint :^0 men would be afiected |J^ Mr Sb6ra said he wanted to see how ISt 4*? asked for would affect the IM^ 11'1- 1 °1 bread. r; Mr Keni said two master bakers were L \ ijijig L mon wanes out of To. One of the L , - wUeinen wanted him to buy out the busip^.4 as he was sick of it " -- I^ It nf St" !ahl- Mr ndVton yd P«fevcci to | ~->tlhe I mon in every way. ,- I -.a were aliowed s,x ..»«.o niModo lKcwork< I' j.l!j isf^n!*f.'?r.V« already had Mr Wil■BiuS >(lUtaleiueilt that he was paying

/ ■^I" }'^i".vie asked how many members of |c I uion were competent bakers who Wild Show their apprentice indentures. *Mr Re^an said he could not decide about, » man's capability. fcMr Kent said he paid Union rates until pnatmas; and then hail to stop it. Me Wmld like to know who were the slave fivers amongst the masters. Mr Chapman, baker, from Coromandel, Prosed lie was a third hand, working 15 nns a day and received o.">s a week ami &))d. Before .troing to Coromaiidel he u$ work ins;- at Mr McNab's. He had 15s T week and found as an improver and jjfked ten hours. ■By Mr Wilson: They made from SOO to pO loaves per day. They had two men |po it. He had been two years and eight , jjhths at (he trade before going to womandel.

Gilbert Hamilton, journeyman baker, H Deposed he was duly apprenticed to the lra«U\ He thought until the last few months the hours worked by bakers were too !om>; He had worked 11 and 12 hours but thoukht nine was quite long enough. At- one pliiee he had £2 2s Gil and his board, but he worked 16.t0 17 hours a day. He

worked there about ei^ht months. Tho

pecand hand received 30s and his board. 9 They averaged about 15 hours a day t!ie tootith through.

■ By Mr Wilson : * Witness had been a Master IJaker, ami was not successful in hasines.*. It was at Coromandel he worked ih hours a day. He had not worked in jjackian.l as tore hand, but rm second. Jew he_\vas working under Union rules. ; Mr Wilson : How many loaves should a >aker put though in nine'hours? i<i (Left sitting.)