ARBITRATION COURT.

Bush Advocate, Volume XXI, Issue 66, 16 September 1908, Page 5

ARBITRATION COURT.

A sitting of the Arbitration Court was opened in Napier yesterday before Mr Justice Sim (President), Mr Samuel Brown "(employers' representative) and J. A. McCullough (employees' representative). E. A. Ransom, saddler, Dannevirke, was charged with having failed to pay Emil Andersen, H. jSwan, and W. Roberts for overtime worked, and for having failed to pay three apprentices their wages every week. Mr Wright, on behalf of the respondent, admitted that there had been breaches but explained tho circumstances, and urged they were of a trifling nature. Fined £1.

A Johnson, saddler, Dannevirke, admitted having employed a boy in his shop on Saturday evenings, and was fined £2.

Eric E. Etz, tailor, Dannevirke, for employing one female apprentice more than the number allowed by the aTvard,- was fined £2. J. Blair and Son, tailors, Dannevirke, admitted having paid less than the award rate of wages to a female apprentice. Pined £2. T. Wysocki, tailor, Dannevirke, was fined £5 for having failed to pay a tailoress the minimum rate of wages.

G. Rankin, tailor, Dannevirke, charged with employing one female apprentice more than the number allowed by the award, admitted the breach and was fined £2.

x The Tiratu Sawmilling Company, Mangatera, near Dannevirke, were charged with employing a non-union-ist named Tunnicliffe while members of the Timber and Sawmill Workers Union were out of employment, and ready and willing to do the work required. Mr Wright, on behalf of the respondents, denied the breach, alleging that at the time Tunnicliffe was engaged the men on the list of unemployed submitted to the manager by the union were not equally competent to perform the work. His Honor said the court had held in a case heard at a previous sitting that an employer could not be held guilty of a breach of the preference clause unless it was shown that he did not act on good faith and on .the merits. In this case the court were not satis•fied that the manager had acted" otherwise than in good faith, and* on the merits in employing Tunnicliffe in preference to the three other men whose names were submitted to him, and therefore the case would be dismissed.