ARBITRATION COURT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXV, Issue 95, 21 April 1904, Page 5

ARBITRATION COURT.

THE TRAMWAYS DISPUTE. CASE FOR THE UNION. '■■'] i The hearing of the tramways dispute 1 was continued before the Arbitration Court after we went to press yesterday, j John Gahvay, motorman, stated that he had been in the employ of the Auckland Tramways Company since the service started in November, 1902, being en- ' gaged in Sydney at a salary of 8/ a day, ' with a promise of 8/6 per day after three : months, the promise'of the increase being ' verbally given. He received 7/6 a day in ' Sydney, which he considered equal to 10/ a day in Auckland. In a case at present : before the Arbitration Court in Sydney 10/ a day was being claimed. He received 26 days' holiday on full pay in : his last year in Sydney. The work in Auckland was harder than in Sydney owing to the brakes being more difficult to manage. Living in Auckland was more expensive than in Sydney. Spare men were kept hanging round tbe barn for four or five hours a day without receiving any remuneration. He consid- ' ered that a man before dismissal was entitled to give his explanation, and when ' accused by a passenger should be confronted by the complainant. The standard of comfort in tbe cars in Auckland was much lower than that in Sydney. He generally had his meals on the car. He was of opinion that he was considerably better off in Sydney than at the present time. By Mr. Scott: He had been permanently employed as a motorman in Sydney for about four months. - He considered ■ the privileges the men received in Sydney compensated for the fact that their wages were only the same as that of labourers. He was aware of the fact that it was against the company's regulations for a driver to take his meals in his car, but a man could not go for eight or nine hours without a meal. The regulations provided for the morning men relieving the evening for meals, but this was not generally carried out, because it practically meant that the.men would be tied to the trcms for the whole day. A smart man would learn to drive a car in about three weeks. Mr. Curey, in the course of a question to witness a3 to the frequency of accidents, quoted statistics to show that the proportion of accidents to the number of I passeng.rs carried was the same as that [ in all other countries where cars were j run, the proportion all over the world | being in the neighbourhood of one to the | million. George Dibden, joiner, stated that he had ha' 1 experience in Sydney, where he was engaged for Auckland at a salary of 8/, with a promised rise of 6d after three months. He found rents and the cost of living higher in Auckland than in Sydney, and doubted whether a man receiving 10/6 a day would be on the same • plane as a man in Sydney at 8/ a day. Mr. Way: Do you have the same privileges here as they have in Sydney? Witness (scornfully) : Privileges! There are none here. Mr. Hansen called us together, and promised great things. He promised to take two or three old cars to make us a club-house, and to provide us with plates for meals, but it never came off. Continuing, witness stated that he had got tired of the company, and had left it, not considering he was well treated. He had had some words with the manager of the car barn, and had got off the car, there being another man there ready to jump his claim. Witness warmly criticised the system of observation of the company, alleging that 'pimps" were put on to watch the motormen. His Honor: You have a trade; what induced you to 6tart car-driving? j Witness: I wanted to get in the Govlerument. (The Sydney trams are Stateowned. ) By Mr. Scott: He had been suspended twice for collisions, one a very small one. He did not think he had been discharged, but considered that he had resigned. By Mr. Way: He knew that it was the custom to change cars about, and that the car through which the Kingsland fatality occurred had been marked by a driver two days before. George Mann, a spare hand, 'said that he had been on the spare list since February, and had to report himself at 6 a.m., remaining till 7, and again at 2.30 p.m., remaining till 4 or 4.30. He averaged about 30/ a week. On Sundays his time was deducted from 7 tiU 8.20 pjn. during church time. His'time was booked off when the car was standing waiting for the close of an entertainment. By Mr. Scott: He had formerly been a seaman, and considered that he would be better off as a motorman. John Crump, a conductor on the spare list, stated that he had been a spare hand since December. He corroborated the j evidence of the last witness as to the I hours of spare hands at the barn. He i averaged 30/ a week, his takings on the Onehunga line being about £8 a day, on Sundays as high as £15. He sometimes worked for 13 hours at a stretch, and found the dust, particularly on the Parnell line, a great nuisance. The Court then adjourned until 10.30 a-m. to-day. TO-DAY'S PROCEEDINGS. The Court resumed its sitting at 10.40 a.m. to-day, A. W. Comer, motorman, being the first witness called. He stated that he had been employed in the Auckland tramway service since its inception. He produced the agreement under which he engaged to come to Auckland from Sydney, the rate of pay being 8/, while an additional 6d was verbally promised at the c"ad of three months. He had not received this rise. Witness corroborated the evidence of other witnesses as to the increased cost of living in Auckland, stating ttiat the Sydney men were much better off than those here. Since his arrival in Auckland he had been presented with a gold medal, subscribed for by passengers for pulling up a car quickly, and thereby saving the life of a little girl. Motormen and conductors, when attending sports and entertainments, were signed off during the . period their cars were waiting, receiving i no pay for this time. He considered that overtime should be blocked as much as possible, and that the demand for double time after nine hours was therefore justifiable. He was aware that one of the company's regulations provided for 25 demerit marks being awarded to men for incompetency, but his own opinion was that such men should be discharged. Seeing that tne men had to work particularly hard on general holidays, lie thought it only right that j a week's holiday should be given each ; year. The men had to get their meals 1 ' as best they could; if the regulation ' , that the morning shift man should re- | lir- ■ ' ■> evening and vice versa, the s | ni. would practically be at work '(th lo day. He considered that 1 switchmen should be well paid, their 1 position being one cf great responsibility. 'j By Mr Scott: He considered he was ' | betier off in Sydney, hut came here for .l*fca sake of hU health. Ha ha* -«*•

known of a man being fined while acting I under the instructions of a superior officer, nor of an employee being charged while riding to his work. By Mr Way: When a man's demerit marks totalled 100 he was discharged. • He had on one occasion worked 17 hours at a stretch, receiving no extra pay per hour for the overtime. A CONTRAST WITH AMERICA. Edwin Thackeray, spare motorman, stated that he had. been employed by the company in his present capacity for six weeks, and had averaged 15/ to £1 a week. He had a wife and child. The most of his wages were claimed on Sunday. He had to turn up at the barn at 6.15 a.m., 11.30 a.m., ana 2.15 p.m. His Honor: That regulation is not strictly adhered to, I suppose? Witness: Yes it is. If a man does not turn up he is liable to demerit marks. I received ten for absence one morning. Witness stated that the men had to remain at the barn for about four hours per day. He did not consider it right that men should be require to hang round so long without payment. By His Honort He had learned his business in Portland, Oregon, and had also driver cars in San Francisco and Oakland, California, and in England, having had several years' experience as a motorman and as an instructor to others. In Oregon he got equal to 10/5 per day, and living was much cheaper, witness never having lived in so expensive a town as in Auckland. The work in Oregon was considerably easier, and the men had intervals of rest which they did not get here. The work there was carried on under more comfortable , conditions. There was not the petty officialism which was rampant in Auckland. A motorman in America had confidence in himself and worked so as to give satisfaction to himself and to his employers. Here the men were subject to petty annoyances on the part of officials who did not thoroughly understand their business. Mr Way: You mean the inspectors?— Yes. To His Honor: In America the spare men were on the same basis as here, the system being that unless a man was employed he was not paid. By Mr Wray: In America the men were relieved for meal hours, and were not signed off. The general conditions here were about the worst he had ever "hit," My Mr Scott: He could give no idea of the position of the companies who paid 10/5 per day in America, but knew that they were not embarrassed. He had worked in Coventry, England, where the drivers received 30/ a week for about 52 hours per week. In America he worked about 54 hours per week. By Mr Way: In every part of the world electric traction was looked on as a profitable investment. His Honor: To whom? Witness: To the shareholders. His Honor: Or the promoters? Witness: To both. A FORMER HORSE-CAR DRIVER. Patrick McManemin, motorman, said that he had formerly been a driver of the horse-cars on the Newmarket route, making eight trips per day against 13 at present. He had a quarter hour's spell after each round trip, while at present there were now practically no stops at all. There was much less anxiety under the old system, and the ears were much easier handled. Accidents were very rare with the horse-cars. The conditions of labour, both for driver and conductor, were better under the old system than under the present. He and his mate relieved one another at meal ] hours, which meant that he was tied Ito the service for the whole day. He workeH ten hours per day on the horse-. ears at 2 guineas per week. By Mr Scott: The conditions under the horse-cars were preferable to the ! present in spite of the increased pay, | because the mental strain was greater, ! and there was more anxiety, while the work was much colder in the winter on account of the increased pace. By Mr Way: The spells at the end of each trip with the horse-cars brought the actual working-time to within fifteen minutes of the present hours. Wm. Partridge, a motorman, stated that he learned to drive electric cars in Auckland, having joined the service a year ago. He had been employed in laying the permanent way for the cars at 8/ a day, and considered that if a labourer received 8/ a day a motorman should get 10/6. He thought it hardly fair that time should be written off motormen's waybills during church-time. He did not consider the duties of a switchman so important as those of a motorman. Mr Scott put in a petition forwarded to the Company in November, signed by 90 men, who requested that they be not compelled to return to shift in ordeT to relieve their mates for meals, as this would mean breaking their time and tying them to the service. (Proceeding.)