ARBITRATION COURT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXV, Issue 94, 20 April 1904, Page 7

ARBITRATION COURT.

»■■ ■ ; THE TRAMWAYS DISPUTE. The Court commenced its Auckland session at the Supreme Court this morning, Mr. Justice Chapman presiding, and being assisted by Messrs. Brown and Slater, assesors. The tramways dispute was taken first, but prior to its commencement it was decided not to take the ten breaches of awards in the seamen's award before Monday next, witnesses having to be brought from Dunedin and the country districts. In answer to Mr. Tole, His Honor said that the Court would sit at Waihi, and the applications for enforcement of award . against the Waihi Company was taken first. To Mr. Reed, His Honor said that applications for enforcement would be taken in trade sections. His Honor intimated that'the order and time of commencement of other cases would be fixed when the Court had ascertained how long the tramways dispute was likely to last. ' The demands of the Auckland Electrio Tramways Industrial Union included — Hours of Work. —Eight hours a day for all employees. Overtime.—Motormen, conductors and switchmen: The first hour after the conclusion of the eight hour shift shall be paid for at the usual rate per hour of the shift time. After the first hour all other overtime shall be paid for at the rate of double time. For all other employees all overtime shall be paid for at- the rate of double time. Sunday, Christmas Day and Good Friday to be paid for at the rate of double time. Wages.—r(a) Motormen, 10/6 per shift; conductors, 9/; trackmen (day shift), 8/; switchmen, 10/6; switchmen's assistants, 8/; trackmen (night shift), 10/; car examiners (night shift), 12/; car examiners (day shift), 10/; car cleaners (night shift), 9/; car cleaners (day shift), 8/; general labourers in car shed per hour, 1/. (b) Students for a supernr.-.nerary staff shall be paid halftime while they are placed under the control of another employee of the company, wlro acts as instructor, (c) No deduction shall be made from weekly wages for wet or bad weather or holidays, or for any cause than for time lost through the default of the particular employee, (d) No employee shall be dismissed without a week's notice, and no employee shall leave his employ without giving the company a week's notice, (c) Any employee being accused by a passenger or any person j of an offence must be confronted by! the person levying such accusation j against him within 48 hours of the committal of such offence or such report will be invalid; and ample opportunity afforded him of endeavouring 'to establish the injustice or otherwise oi such accusation. Holidays.—Each employee shall receive annually a week's holiday on full pay. The usual clauses regarding incompetent men, except in the case of motormen, switchmen, and conductors, and preference to unionists, are inserted, and it is also asked that when an employee ' of the company is fined for breach of the tramway regulations while he is- acting under the instructions of the company or a superior officer, the company shall pay such fine and other expenses. No officer who fails to turn up to duty ' at the exact time shall be suspended for more than one day. When, in cases of emergency, a car is crowded with passengers, the conductor shall not be penalised by the company if, through sheer inability to gain access to all passengers, he overlooks a passenger's fare. The company shall provide at each terminus a place where men can have their

meals; also a lavatory and latrine. Spare men shall relieve all regular men for 20 minutes each for dinner and tea. Mr W. Scott, secretary to the Otago Employers' Association, conducted the case on behalf of the Electric Tramways Co., Mr P. M. Hansen, managing director of the Auckland Electric Tramways Co., and Mr F. Carey, electrical engineer. Messrs R. F. Way, P. Richardson and E. Thackeray appeared on behalf of the union. In answer to His Honor Mr Way stated that there had been overtures made by the company as to the demands, but except as to the clause relating to incompetent men there was nothing in common between the parties. In opening the case on behalf of the union, Mr Way stated that practically every member of the company's employ was a member of the union. The decision to appeal ,to the Arbitration Court was unanimously decided on. There were no previous awards to guide the Court, but he proposed to bring evidence which would show the danger of the service. From November 2 1902, when the service started, there had been 115 accidents, and the fatalities had averaged one a month, while several of the company's employees had been injured. He contended that the traffic was much more dangerous than that of the railway. In twelve months there had been four fatalities on the Auckland railways with 15 times the mileage of the trams, while on the trams there had been" 161 .persons injured and 12 killed in a similar period. He pointed out the necessity for trained and competent men , as was evidenced by the Kingsland accident, confessedly due to incompetency. As to the ability of the company to pay, he stated that the prospectus had promised a profit of £36,000, and he would call evidence to show that the managing director had stated that his most sanguine anticipations had been realised*. He referred to the responsibilities of the position of, motormen and conductors, stating that £130,000 passed through the hands _of the conductors per year. Under these circumstances the men should get more than an ordinary labourer without any responsibility. The company paid between £ 16,000 and £ 17,000 in wages to its conductors and motormen, who were directly responsible for a return of £130,000 a year. Tney submitted that the switchmen should get a wage commensurate with their responsibilities. Notwithstanding the expense due to mistakes, the managing director had stated his satisfaction at the yearns returns. ' Mr Way stated that it had been proved in Brisbane that the mental strain was so great that a man could only hold his position as motorman for five years.. The public demanded that competent men should be paid competent wages. There was no industry in Auckland so badly paid as the tramway employees, while a -omparision "with rates in Sydney and '.bourne showed that the Auckland .tea were much worse paid. In answer to His Honor, Mr. Way stated that the present rates per day were —motormen Bs, conductors 6/4, switchmen and trackmen 7/4 per day, switchmen's assistants 3/4 per day, car examiners from 7/ to 8/, labourers 7/ to 8/. Extra pay for Sundays was received by employees. The first witness called was Joseph Chas. Walsh, motorrnan, whto stated that be had ben employed on the Auckland cars since they commenced running on November 24, 1902, receiving 8/ per d<iy. Ho learned his present occupation Jn bear'.saret«natie*Jlj iitughj^

and having a year's experience before coming to Auckland. He received 7/G per day in Sydney, but with the increased cost of livingfhere he considered he -was better off in Australia. He was 'engaged at 8/.a day, and was promised an increase, which ho had not received. Had he known the cost of living in Auckland he would not have come here at 8/6 a day. He considered 10/6 a day a, fair wage in Auckland for the day. The Sydney drivers were appealing to the Arbitration Court for 10/ a day. Driving iv Sydney had advantages over that in AucKteud. the motcrmen there being provided with seats and with air brakes. One of kh<3 Auckland company's employees had ' ; en ruptured by the heavy work on the brakes. In Sydney the grades were not so heavy, and ill motormen were given about 21 days' holiday during the year on full pay, and a free pass for themselves and family over all the railways. Had he known as much when he contracted to come to Auckland as he did now, he would not have come. The conductors had more difficult work than in Sydney on account of the increased number of tickets here and the increased amount oi booking up. When motormen and conductors were called upon to take cars to sports or entertainments they were signed off during the time the sports were in progress. They were also signed off on Sundays during church hours, being only paid for the actual time they were on the footboard. He did not con sider it fair that time should be signed off while entertainments or churches were in progress. Here no time was given off for meals, the men working under a reciprocal arrangement by which the afternoon and morning men exchanged trips. Veiy frequently the men had to eat their meals while driving their cars. By Mr. Scott: In Sydney the men got one day holiday every week—sometimes on Sundays, sometimes on week days. The busy streets in .Sydney were no busier than Queen street, but the extent was greater. He preferred to remain in Auckland rather than return to Sydney .though conditions were better there. He had not been definitely promised a rise when originally engaged, but had been told tbat he would probably get a rise of 6d a day at the end of a year. The rules of the company, witness stated, said that there was to be no overcrowding. He had received about two months' instruction before passing his final examination. .After a indnth he was taken on as a permanent hand. |He believed that a smart man could I learn his work in about three weeks. jHe considered that motormen should receive as much as carpenters or jis engine-drivers, because, although less experience was required, the work was very much harder. He did not know whether the company had difficulty in obtaining motormen. Mr Way: Do you think that God endowed Auckland with special advantages solely for the benefit of employers ?—No. John T. Murray, at present a grocer's assistant, stated that he had' been a conductor in the employ of the Tramway Company at a salary of 38/ a week. He thought the demand for 9/ a day was not too much. The men had no time for sitting down, and had to take their meals on the car. Spare hands had to wait about the car barn for four or five hours a day without pay. These hands received 1/ per hour if employed less than 24 hours per week, and 9£d per hour if employed more than 24 hours. If a spare hand did not turn up at the stated hours he was put down one on the list for permanent employment. The average time for a man to bo* on the spare list was about a month or six weeks. The conductors were continual-

ly in a mass of dust, there having been no solution of the dust problem so far. He considered it only fair that an employee should be confronted by passengers who have complaints to lay, but had never known this to be done. His average takings per shift of eight hours was from £6 to £8 a day, and twoshifts were run daily. By Mr Scott: He had taken the position of conductor to tide himself over a bad time until he found something more to his taste. He had had four months' experience as a conductor. Had he seen any chance of promotion he would have remained with the company. (Proceeding.) '