TRADE AND LABOUR NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 211, 5 September 1924, Page 13

TRADE AND LABOUR NOTES.

(HY INDCSI-UAL TRAMI*.) . ; ONION MEETINGS FOR THE WEEK. I sfonday, September S. —Gnmworkers. Painters, Drivers. [Engineering Trades. fvesdas. September o.—Tramway Officers' Ei-ecuUre. Storemen, Saddlers, Local I BoJies' Labourers. I TVedn.sdav. September 10.—Auckland Carpenters, Gas Employee-, Onehunga Carpenters, Bootmakers' Federation Executive. I Tlorsday. September 11. —Farriers, Plumbers' Educational. ARBITRATION COURT REFORM. At a meeting of trade union delegates I held in the Christchurch Trades Hall I last -week the suggestion which emaI nated from Wellington that the ArbiI tration Court should consist of a, judge I and two representatives, one from the I employees and one from the employees, I the representatives to be participants I in the industry with which the case I before the Court deals, was considered. I iVfter some discussion it was decided to I turn the proposal down. Speaking at the annual meeting of the I Canterbury Employers' Association, the I president's speech also referred to the s same matter. Such a proposal would, I it was held, be a retrograde step. The I present constitution ensured wide experiI ence to the members of the Court, and I resulted in a definite policy, and conI tinuity of effort in the carrying out of : that policy. CIRCUMSCRIBING ARBITRATION. At the" Federal Arbitration Court,' sitting at Sydney, _ilr. Justice Powers I (President of the Court), referred to I the limitation of the Court's powers in that while it has power to vary ' awards it has no power to give interpretations of awards. Mr. Justice Powers said that the I High Court had decided that ParliaI ment had passed a clause it had no 7 right to pass, and ihe Arbitration Court I had no power to make interpretations I that were binding upon other courts. The decision of the High Court was a very important one, and it would save the Arbitration Court a lot of trouble. ; although it might put people to a good I deal of expense. The High Court had I decided, in the waterside workers' case; that the Arbitration Court was not a judicial court, therefore it could not interpret awards. Unfortunately, Parliament had not power to do what it did. Continuing, his Honor said: "I had to give interpretations because I could. not say that Parliament Bad not the power to put such a clause in the Act. _vo single judge can say that; only ; three or four judges of the High Court. I have had .to give interpretations iri ■ accordance with my duty to carry out ; the will of Parliament. I am telling : you now. that another way. out of the difficulty-is to"apply for "a variation: the Court can : grant a variation in accordance with: the intention of the award." ENCOURAGING THRIFT. Over 686 millions of savings certificates have been purchased, in Britain since 1916, when the scheme was first introduced as. a wan mesaure. It has been continued as a means of encouraging thrift, .nnder-the-. -guidance'-. of Nt. movement of which Lord Islington "is the chairman. Addressing the annual meeting of .tlie .London committee,' Mr- . Chamberlain, a former Chancellor of the Exchequer, said the mpye-;. ment, which at its Uirth was a'war necessity, had developed, into something just as much a necessity of peace. Before the war many people would"have..said that the Trustee Savings Bank and-the Post Office Savings Bank offered a-suf-ficient variety.'pi attractive investment to anyqne who. was prepared to ; save, -and that there was little probability.of the success ; qf : any fresh entrant into so well-trodden;a field. But their effort had been in addition;to the.means of national savings, and not a robtfaction from the success of the organisations already in existence. There was truth in what the Chancellor of the Exchequer had said that "experience has' shown. that the accumulated small savings of the nation can be made an important factor in national finance." They might go even further, and say that small savings would contribute, not-merely-to the general recovery of. national finance, but to the promotion; and development of national trade. . If anyone asked him what were the greatest movements; judged by what had. been accomplished in his lifetime, that had taken hold of the national life, he was riot sure he would not answer that 1 they, were the boy scout movement, and its accompanying development of girl guides, and the war savings movement, developing into the national savings movement, who would say that the ultimate "solution of the housing problem might not be found in the-habit of thrift and investment which the society had encouraged? Who would say that th. ultimate solution of the difficult'questions which agitated the industrial world, to-day—which divided far too often employer and employed in hostile campsT-might not be solved through the habit of investment which grew out of the habit of saving? PAINTERS' APPRENTICES. A Dominion Order of the Court settling the working conditions for pa_nt er - apprentices came into operation on September 1, and from several interesting provisions it should have an influence for -good< in a trade that has never yet received a fair recognition as a. skilled trade in the Dominion. The minimum age at which a boy will start the trade is fourteen. The term of apprenticeship- for boys commencing before the age of 17 years is live years, for those starting after-the age of 17 the term is four years. The proportion of apprentices is one apprentice to fourjourneymen covering the whole industry, but any employer can take more than this proportion if he can satisfy the apprentices' committee that he can train them. Wages commence at £1 pciweek and increase in six monthly periods of 5/ per week until, in the last six months of his term, the apprentice reaches a weekly wage of £3 of. Boys starting the trade after 17 years of age commence at £1 5/ .per week, but their increase is annual of 12/6 until, in his last year he receives.£3 per week. Provision is made- in .this Order for technical instruction to be given to the apprentice, and if the committee is of opinion that the boy is. not _ receiving proper instruction, it has power, to order him to attend the Technical Collese in tbe day time. If he gets a certificate from the College that he has passed in a-grade equivalent to the second grade of the City and Guilds of of Irondon Institute) he is entitled to I receive as wages 5/ a -week extra in bis fourth year, and 7/6 extra in his Sth year. For work done as overtime an apprentice is to receive time and a-half for the first four hours,: and double time - thereafter- . An apprentice has to he supplied -with a - full, kit of tools once <iu_i_ur his :apprent-oe_-rijpj ,