WATERSIDERS' WAGES.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 73, 27 March 1922, Page 7

WATERSIDERS' WAGES.

BEFORE ARBITRATION COURT. UNION ASKS FOR INCREASE. EMPLOYERS SEEK A BIG REDACTION. (Br TdegrapU—Press Association.) WELLINGTON", this day. For the first time since IDOS the Arbitration Court is hearing a dispute dealing with work on the waterfront. The prr-cee.lings wore initiated by the employers, and the union tiled counterTie union a-=ks for an increase of a penny an hour in rates of pay (which are now 2/1 an hour ordinary time, 3/5 an hour overtime up to 10 p.m., and 4/ an ii.it!r overtime from 10 p.m. to 7 S.liO. Tin- employers ask that rates be 1/7 ordinary, and J. '4h overtime. They also i!r-ir= to abolish stopwurk meetings, and Kiissrtvt special provisions against "goslow"' tactics and slopwork for funerals. n ;>Piiing the case for the employers Mr. W. 15. Smith empiia<3te<?d its impor'.ance as a key industry. Apj proximately a total of .t1,200,000 per j annum was paid in wages for waterside I work. Tlie baoir wage had increased 04.7 per i-ent since 1014, but. owing to onerou.-i conditions forced on the employers, the men's actual earnings increased 71 per cent. As an instance of the efl'ect of high labour cost-. unemployment and detrimentally affect-

ing industry, he quoted the position in Australia, also the case of thp Tnioii S. S. Company, which for the first time in :>() years hail not paid a dividend. Most shipping companies were now running at a locs, hik! unless expenditure was reduced. t!'.--n still mure ships must, lie laid up. Mr. Sm.th asked foi deletion of tho .vet weather clause, which he said had h.-en flagrantly nbv.-sed by workers. In one case alnne £145 had b-H-n paid in wage*, although not a stroke of work was dene for it. The employers also asked, the Court to insert a "no discrimination" clause for the preference clause, which had been greatly abused. Further, the union had not shown that it relied on coili.l itutional methods for settlement of disputes. Its control had passed into the hands of men of advanced views, who ran the union tor tho purpose of advancing revolutionary theories and made illegal levies!. If these were not paid the union t-ied to debar the men from getting work. During the proceedings the Court's attention was drawn to letters and articles in the Press bearing on the dispute as likely to prejudee the hearing. Mr. .fustice Krazer said the Court would not express an opinion on what had been published, as it might have

beeu done innocently, but the case was | now before the Court. The law on matters that were sub judice was applicable ill the Arbitration Court ill any dispute just as it applied to any action n any other Court. Mr. .Smith, continuing his address, said the high wages now paid were forced on the employers by force majeure owing to war conditions. The actual cast of handling cargo at Wellington had increased on nn average by 107.05 per cent for general cargo and 1:i:i.35 per cent on coal, partly due to go-slow tactics. I _____ I