CONCILIATION BOARD.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 186, 19 August 1901, Page 5

CONCILIATION BOARD.

THE CARTERS' DISPUTE

This morning- at ton o'clock the Conciliation Board dealt -with the grocers' carters.

Charles Goulton, in the employ of Mr A. VV. Page, Kingsland, said he received £2 10/ n week. He went to the stables at about seven o'clock and was at the store about, 8 a.m. He returned to the stables about 0 p.m., and was free about C.30. He had a half holiday, and on that day worked from about six to seven hours. He was paid for all holidays and when away from business through sickness. He did not favour v minimum wage of .€2 5/, as many grocers could not afford it, but said that a man working full time was well worth £2 5/. He collected orders while on the cart, and acted sometimes] both as a buyer and salesman for his employer. A youth under twenty was capable of driving a grocer's cart. He thought 5.30 p.m. was rather early to have carters returning to the stables. As far as he knew carters returned to the stables at 12.30 on Saturdays. He thought the majority of carters would.be satisfied with 3/ per hour overtime. He thought 59 hours per week, inclusive of stable work, was little enough time for the work he hud to do. A man doing heavy carting at the above hours was worth C 2 5/. On Saturdays he finished his work between 9.30 and 10 p.m. Charles Laurence, .grocer's carter for Mi' W. Q. Huchison, Karangahape Road, stated he received 02/t> per week. He considered n grocer's carter was worth £2 5/ a week for 53 hours' work per week. He went to the stables about 0 or G. 30 and left for (he store at any time between 9 and 11 o'clock. He attended to three horses up till nine o'clock, and also carted produce from the back of the store to the front shop. On the Wednesday half holiday he commenced at l> a.m. and finished his work between 1 and 3.45 p.m. He considered overtime waa worth 1/3 an hour, but it was a bad practice. A lad of eighteen could not 'carry all the packages he lifted into his cart. Under the present system he could not do his worll in shorter time. He worked about two hours and a half on Sundays.

Edmond Eobertson, barter for Mr Rew, Victoria-street, said he started work at the stable at about seven o'clock and went to the shop about eight. He had an hour J'or lunch and left the stables about 6.45 p.m. On Wednesdays he finished about 1.30. His present work was worth 45/ a week. lie favoured overtime at the rate of 1/3 per hour. Charles Hammond, grocer's carter to Mr H. M. Smeeton, said that he received 37/0 for about G5 hours work per week. Two pounds five shilling;! was a fair wage for a grocer's carter, and fifty-three hours inclusive of stable work per week was reasonable. One shilling1 and threepence an hour was little enough for overtime. Mr Way announced that in the case of small businesses the Union agreed that where a man did not get less pay than that proposed to be given to carters a grocer's carter should be allowed to work as assistant in the shop. . Mr Smeeton raised the point that if carters were to be employed in shops they would come under the provisions of the Shop and Shop Assistants Act. Mr. H. M. Smeeton, in opening the case for the master grocers, said in the grocery trade there were a very large number of small businesses which did not require the services of a competent carter; and in fact businesses of this character could not be carried on properly if the owners were compelled to comply with the demands of the Union. It would not be in the interests of the carters themselves to force them to be carters only, as when they assisted in the shops occasionally they got an insight into the business, and could, by diligent application to their business, rise" up to important positions in the trade. The prosperity of the business had a great deal to do with the wages paid. The. Auckland grocers could not see their way clear to pay £2 5/ as a minimum wage. It would be impossible to conduct a business successfully if their carters were compelled to be in the stables at 5 p.m. An enormous amount of delay was caused at the ship's side and by the wet weather, circumstances beyond the empoleyrs' control It did not require any great amount of experience or ability to manage a grocer's cart. The great extent of some of the rounds also greatly hampered the early return of the carters to the stables. The grocers had no objection to a time book being kept. The dinner hour was almost universally observed. They considered £2 5/ was too much for a minimum wage. A boy seventeen years of age. was capable of taking charge of a cart. Provided the hours laid down were not exceeded they thought the time of starting and knocking off work should be arranged mutually between employers and employees. The overtime of 1/3 per hour demanded by the Union was very excessive.