ARBITRATION COURT.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17632, 8 December 1922, Page 6

ARBITRATION COURT.

ENGINEERS' DISPUTE. Further evidence was taken in the dispute between the Amalgamated Engineering Union and the employers. Mr F. Cooper appeared for the employers and'Mr K. F. Barter for the union. Alfred O. Wilkinson, secretary for Andersons, Ltd., gavo figures relative to the recent falling-off in business. In 1920-21, he said, tho number of hours worked was 399,752, and in 192122 250,357, a decrease of 119,395 hours, or 41.2 per cent. The output from July, 1920, to June, 1921, was £ 127,051, and for tho similar period in 1921-22 £85,035, a decrease of £42,016. Included in the figures for 1921-22 was an extraordinary contract of £25,000. The main output of his firm was oil engines. There were 24 and 3 h.p. oil engines included in the 3gures for 1920-21, valued at £70,376; in 1921-22 the output had gone down to a value equal to £22,593, a decrease of £47,783. Tho importation of such engines was falling off owing to the inability of the farmer to purchase such machines. The number of enquiries for them-was about normal, but the farmer could not afford to buy them at tho present prices. In 1920-21 the number of hands employed was 220, and in 1922 the number had dropped to 129, a decrease of 91. Mr Beardon: I should have liked to see a comparison with the pre-war period. Mr Cooper said that when the emplovers consented to pay 2s 3d per hour bus'iness looked as if it would continue at the rate at which it was then. A reduction was now necessary in order to allow the machinery to bo sold at a price that would place it within the reach of farmers.. Mr Wilkinson submitted letters from British engineering firms showing that wages in the trade had fallen. Mr Barter disputed the witness's figures regarding the reduction of wages at Home. Witness, answering.questions put by Mr Barter, stated that a representative of the firm had recently returned from Australia, where he had been endeavouring to extend the firm's operations. In reply to a question by his Honour, witness said that it was not anticipated that tho advent of electricity would very injuriously afi'oct the output of oil engines, which would always be wanted in such districts as were not in reach of the power. . He considered that every farmer with 18 cows or more would need to use milking machines. John T. Garside, works manager for Price and Sons, stated that in 1920 his firm employed 50 hands, and the number in 1922 was 38. The trade in milking machines had recently dropped to the extent of 200 per cent. G. T. Booth, of Booth, Macdonald, and Co., gave evidence on similar lines. There nad been a recent reduction in the firm's output of 34 per cent. In order to keep the factory busy the firm had bid for outside work down to as low as cost price, but without much success. In America the manufacturers of agricultural machinery had cut the prico of implements in some cases by 44 per cent, and in Canada he understood that wages had been cut by 25 per cent. He considered that duqtion of 25 per cent in the selling prices of implements was necessary to bring trade back, to normal. The cost of labour per hour had gone up from 13.90 d in 1913, to 23.88 d, an increase of 35 per cent. The present state of trade had the effect of causing the firm to instruct its salesmen to concentrate on the sale of imported line's, on which they were more sure of getting a profit. Witness considered that a great mistake had>been made in reducing the number of working hours from 47 to 44. The reduction had the effect of increasing the cost of implements reducring rates .aind increasing unemployment. If a 47-hour week was decided on again, the public would immediately get • the' benefit and it would not effect the health and happiness of the men. It would mean a saving of 6J per cent. Mr Cooper stated that the evidence given by the employers was worthy of the Court's deepest consideration. Evidence had been" adduced showing that the industry had been going backwards for the past few years. The indications were not that conditions would improve but that they unless the Court gave assistance they would get worse. Quit© a lot of general engineering work thai waß actually needed by the public was not being done because they could not pay the price asked for it. Manufacturing was in a bad way, some manufacturers being faced with the position of whether, it would not pay tnem better to abandon it altogether and go in for importation. If bucli a policy were adopted, it would be disastrous for the industry. Once manufacture was dropped it might be too hard ever to take it up again. The position, however, could be controlled if the industry was put on a proper basis. To-day the men were not producing anything that the public oo'uld afford to buy. The employers did not mind the men earning high wages, but had reluctantly to admit that such wages were not in the.industry at present, and the public were being deprived of articles they really needed, because of their inability to pay for them. As matters stood at present the men received as much employment as they should, and 'the manufacturers were not getting a fair return on their investments, with- the result that the country was losing revenue. The industry" was practically undergoing a 6low demise, and unless relief was forthcoming to prevent such being brought about, he was afraid that it could not -be resurrected. . Mr Barter said that he had to admit he did not share the same feeling of pessimism with regard to the industry that the employers seemed to have. Many of the firms engaged in the industry had made large additions to their plant, and built new premises in. different districts. The union wanted a 44-hour week,, and he submitted that it had not been proved that production of hours had affected other industries which had tried it. He submitted that it was not the question of wages which had made farmers unI able to buy the articles they needed. The trouble was that when money was plentiful the farmers did not prepare for the present position. They bought motor-oars and spent their money in other directions. Engineering was a highly skilled trade, yet the employers wanted the men to work for wages below those paid to an unskilled man. The employers had so frequently spoken of the industry ' being unable to exist under • the- conditions imposed on them ; that ho did not think the statement should be taken too seriously. MOTOE MECHANICS' ASSISTANTS. Mr Barter applied that provision should bo made in the award to enable youths employed in the motor mechanio trade as assistants to be classified as apprentices. Arthur James Bice, secretary of the Dnnedin Engineers' Union, 6tateci that at present employers were inclined to take advantage of the clause. It would be to the advantage of the youths if the change was made, in as much as it would ensure their being taught the trade. There was nothing to prevent

a boy leaving when he liked, or the employer, discharging him \vhen he liked.* A boy, aftei serving in a shop for a year or two,- could leave and, provided he could get a license, take a taxi on tho rank. It was due to such lads that there was such a large amount of Joy-riding, it having been proved that in most of the cases where cars liad been taken for joyriding purposes it was such youths that were the culprits. At present there were garages all over the Dominion lacking the necessary machinery by means of which to train a_ lad properly. Similar evidence \\-as given by other witnesses. Mr Cousins agreed: with the' Union that it was impossib'c in several garages to train a boy to become an efficient mechanic. It was the deiiro of tho employers that boys should be trained on* the proper lines, and about two years iigo a scheme to enable this to Ihj done had bean formulated. Tho trade- had raised a sum of money for such a purpose, but the slump came and ixi-Jly affected the motor trade. It was felt." therefore, that tho scheme could not be niocosded with because, in addition to the money raised, it imposed an annual liability on the trade. They were, therefore, reluctantly compelled to drop the tcheme. It was felt now, however, that the corner had been turned, and at the .annual conference in Diinedin Inst Saptemlier a committee was sat up to formulate the scheme again. Ho thought that the only way to deal with tho matter was to see that a. boy's education was comnkted at a technical school. The employers were prepared to give assistance in this connexion. They desired to have the status of the motor mechanics raked, and would like to see every mechanic qualified. He realised, however, that it would ho useless to ask for legislation to bo passed to this effect yet. Something like five years' notice of it would be necessary. TINSMITHS' AWARD. Mr It. C. Bishop applied on behalf of the Christchurnh Gas and Coke Company for exemption from the tinsmiths' and sheet metal workers' Award. In doing so, ho stated tlwt his company were no! tinsmiths or metal sheetworkers in the ordinary sense of the word. Mr Barter opposed tho application on the ground that the gasworks at Auckland, Wellington, and Dunedin wero covered by the same award. Decision was' reserved in each instance. . ■