COOKS AND STEWARDS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 230, 29 September 1931, Page 5

COOKS AND STEWARDS.

EXEMPTION APPLICATION.

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.)

WELLINGTON, Monday.

After the hearing of evidence in the Arbitration Court to-day decision was reserved in the case in which the Federation of the Cooks and Stewards' Association of Workers applied to be excluded from the general order of the Court empowering a 10 per cent reduction in wages. The special grounds upon which the application was based were as follows: —

(1) That the wages as fixed by the Cooks and Stewards' Awards never came within the ambits of the pronouncements of the Court relating to fixed basic wages. (2) When the Court of Arbitration was issuing general orders for the payment of bonuses on the cost of living, such bonuses were not granted to the cooks and stewards. (3) In fixing the wages of cooks and stewards consideration was given to the fact that, in addition to cash wages, they also were in receipt of food and lodging, and a fixed sum for these, at £4 a month, was taken into consideration.

(4) That the whole of the reduction now applied only to cash wages, and ignored the fact that consideration for reduction should, also be taken from the allowances mentioned in paragraph 3.

(5) That the reduced wages in accordance with the general order would place the cooks and stewards in an infinitely worse position and far below the Court's standard.