ARBITRATION COURT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 71, 23 March 1906, Page 5

ARBITRATION COURT.

DISPUTE. _ The Arbitration Court continued its sitting yesterday afternoon. evidence being taken in connection with the : Fellmongers, Tanners. Soapworkers, and i [jeneraf. Tinfiery Emplove.es' Lnion's| application for an award. Mr R. F. | Way represented the employees, and , Mr C. Grosvenor conducted the case for ! the employers, being assisted by itessrs"EL Warnoek and John Stoup. Mr -Way Informed the Court that conditions in the tanning and allied industries were very bad at present. Men averaged 5/6 to 6/ per day. In the application the men were asking for higher wages than those prevailing in G-isborne because they did not earn overtime, which was an important factor in the wages of the Gisborne employees. The Union asked for a 48----hour. wpek. with payment for overtime at the rate of time and a quarter for the first two hours, and time and a half afterwards. The wages demanded were 0/ per day for pullers, pelt, dassers, tanners, and limedrawers, roller men. and basil workers; S, 6 for steam wool dryers, wool scourers, painters, cure dollymen, lime dollymen. woohvashers. woolpressers.. fleshers, dollymen, and chrome workers: 8/ for trimmers, general labourers, ?eudders, night watchmen, skin-washers. ■ paumen, millmen, head of boiler makers, oilworkers, headmen; and 7/(5 per day for all other hands. Kmployers were a.?ked to provide took, payment on four holiday?, and preference to unionists. After calling several witnesses, who described the conditions at the Oil, Soap, and Candle Works, Otahuhu, Mr Way asked for an adjournment of the case until this morning, as there was every prospect of a compromise in all departments except that in regard to which he had tendered evidence. The Court adjourned until this morning. THE WICKERWORKERS. , DISPUTE. An error was made in our report of the settlement in the wickerworkers , dispute, the terms of the citation being published instejid of the actual agreement. The wages agTeed upon and adopted in the awnrd were at the rate of 1/1 per hour, improvers to receive :)."),' weekly for one year, and boys other than apprentices to be allowed to do certain classes of work specified in the award. TO-DAY'S PROCEEDING*. THE SEAMEN'S AWARD. When the Court resumed tins morning, the Seamen's award was read. It provides wage« as follows: Able seamen, £6 10 per month: trimmers, iM> 10 ; firemen, £8 10 ; greasers. £8 10.. : don-key-men. H .) 10 : lamp trimmers. £6 10-'; lump trimmers and A.B.'s. £7 10-; boatswains. £' 10 : ]-z class ordinary seamen. £ 1 10 ; 2nd class, £3 10 : Ist .■lass boy.-. £•_': 2nd .las* boys. £ 1 10. Overtime for A.B.'-*. ordinary seamen, trimmers, firemen, and greasers, to be I, per hour, with 1 :J when trimming r-oal at loading ports. I,'ti in boating cargo. and I, i) in boating cargo during May. .June. .Hilv. August. Overtime of other praployees to be computed on the basis of the average overtime earned by A.B.s driving win-lies in their respective vessels. Boys nut tj be worked overtime. Deck hour? to lie watch and watch of four hours, or by day work as circumstances require. Stokehold' watches to be four hours on and eight hours oft. Hours in port to be from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.. with two hours for meals, overtime to be paid afterwards e-xrept for work nevessary for the safety of the ship. A number of clauses in the award provide for the method of computing overtime under various circumstances. Seven holidays to be allowed during the year if the vessel is in port, and 24 hours' notice to be given on both sides, men discharged to be given a free passage to the port of signing on. When time is lont by fireuicn through illness, the officer in charge may deduct from the wages upon giving written notice to the man concerned, who has The right of appeal to the chairman of ihe Board of Conciliation in the port tir>»t reached. In regard to the extended river limit vessels, no overtime is to be paid excepting for excursions run on Sundays and holidays Firemen and trimmers in steamers under 200 indicated horse-power running within HinlCs are to be rated as second-class, and paid £i> per month. The award is to remain in force until April Ist. 1008. Mr Slater dissented from the award in regard to the special clauses relating to extended river trade upon the ground that in the evidence of the captains, the majority said that 54 hours per week would be a fair and equitable arrangement, while Mr Rans-on, ot the Northern Steamship Company, said thai their men did not average over eight hours per day. Tn the face of this evidence he thought the hours should havp been fixed at per week, and overtime allowed for all time beyond I he hours fixed. Fl!<H (TBERS- DISPUTE. Mr. A. Robber appeared for the Auckland Fish Lnion. which had cited . live employers. The Union asked for a week of .30 hours, starting at six a.m., jand ceasing at live p.m., ior day workiers; and 4r> hours, commencing a.t five ■ p.m.. tor night workers, shifts to change J about. Overtime to be paid for at the rate of time and α-quarter for tie &r*t throe hour-, time tuv.V a-YiaU tor the ■ next rhrep hours, and double tinip atterwards. Sunday work was sought to Vie prohibit r-d, and it was asked that 'employers should not allow oft'al to remain on he r>vf>niises iot longer than 2.4 i hours. Some clauses had been included in the citation referring to country can- ; neries and Thames employers, but these were deleted upon Mr. Rosser's application. ! It was stated by Mr. Rosser. in open--1 ing the case for the men. that under . the old award the nisht men worked ■five hours longer for the same wages: ; but undei- the conditions now prevailing ; the work at uighr, was much harder 'than in the day time. The enforcement I of sanitary conditions in the curing: fa.c----i tories was aa important matter for the '.men. I Mr. A. Sanford. the only employers {representative present, stated that when .the city dust destructor took the offaJ j there would be no difficulty.; but at prej sent the contractor, to keep up th« j maximum efficiency, would not takt I offal. Owing to the difficulty of getting I offal away he had actually been unable ;to enter his own premises- He contended i that a reasonable number of hours ! should be fixed at a fixed rate, and tht j employers aliowred to engage casual laI bout., His proposal in regajd to Trages j was £-2 .2/6 ior day wprJcers; and JE2 1/i for:., iiglil men*, the. 2&eSL, to oomptiae ot pu?BZg* a£<L ro svejome Iα -be paid'- Hi-

'jrless 't'his-was exceeded: Mr. Sanf atdr stfg i gested that the -wages of a man dis ' missed for drankeTiness fo be fOl feited to 1& employer for !his serves. 1 ' ', I j Inspector Ferguson stateS that nearl, jail the fish curing factories had bee: I deficient in sanitary arrangements, an he thought he had power to secure efS Ictfent sanitatio n> without a. in th iawiirrf; ' - ' * • ■■■ - 2 ■ Evidence of fish curers was the; ! taken.