ARBITRATION COURT.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 17997, 14 February 1924, Page 15

ARBITRATION COURT.

YESTERDAY'S SITTINGS.

Tho Christchurch sittings of the ArbUr*.ion Court -were continued yesterday in tho.

old Provincial Council Chambers, his Honour Mr Jußtice Fmcr presiding. "Witi

him on the bench were Mr W. Scott, employers' representative, and Mr Hiram Hunter, workers' representative.

BUTCHERS' AWARD. . Two applications for exemption from tlx Butchers' award were made.

J. T. Cook applied for exemption on th« ground that he sold only dairy and snjall goods, and did not employ any labour. H«. sa;d that since tho .ward canio into opera-

tion he had found it extremely difficult to make his business pay. Formerly, however, he had mndo a. fair living. Most of the business had been done during Saturday afternoon and evening. Since the aw»rd had been in vogue, ho had lost his Sal'ur* i day afternoon and evening custom. I Tho application was opposed by the employers and the union. Mr B. L. Hammond contended, on behalf of tie employers, thut the exemption, if granted, would be at the expenso of the other 'jnen engaged in tie trade, and would only neutralise the award, William Sharman applied for exemption from closing on Saturday, provided that hj» i did not sell fresh ineat. The week-end trade | was tho principal resource of the suburban butchers, and that since Saturday closing 'had been in force his takings bid boon greatly lessened.. Mr B. L. Hammond stated thst auoh ex- . eruption would be unfair to other employers, and would lead only to the annulling of tho award. ■.

Decision was reserved in both caws. TYPOGRAPHERS' AWARD.

Application was made by the union ,f«r an interpretation, of tjbe. Clmstdwrch Tyj»grspbers' award. The union was repleaofltod by Mr C. Kenrx, Mr E. C. Huie represented the Canto-bury Publishing Company, and Mr A. Ci. Henderson; appeared on behalf <it theLyttelton Times Company, Jitd.: The clause requiring interpretation aUted, that an apprentice to .the machine weUw. must serve the first six. months of «. total o£ two years at compositor's ■w»jk, and tie employer ahull keep a book in which, shall , bo entered the period spent on machine and ''. case, fiuch book to bo cpen to tboinapector of factories or tho union's representative.

Mr Renn said that the question centred round tho compositor's work, and tribal the parties meant by paying- the apprentice should Imvo two years doing composito*** • work. The man who had had experience at

"case" made ii better linotype operator. Th* mutter hinged, on the meaning' of ti» ftozd: "case." -

Mr Huio said tho matter ohouid have been brought up in Auckland, where there'vert many apprentices employed. Tho question was of little consequence itt Chris tchurcb. Tho linotypo operator, he contended, did not need to bo ob!o to work at the case.

Nowadays they did not cncfuire of now men whether thoy had served on apprenticeship ; they merely considered their speed and efficiency. Mr Henderson said this point was becoming increasingly important in newspaper and jobbing 'work. There were soma places where there was not a single , hand ooajpGsitor. Apprenticeship training would hot be in vogue in tho future. That had been anticipated by the union. It' was impossible to train anprentioos in a, central newspaper office. F.vcn in the hand section, there was no provision that the apprentice should b* given wcrk at the case. ' Decision wa3 reserved. J 0 UIIN A LISTS' AWAHD.

The Court resumed at 2.15 p.m., wJioa _ an application for an interpretation Of » clause in the Journalists' award waa made, Mr C. Hcmi represented tho union, and Mir K. C. Huic and Mr A. G. Henderson ap- 1 peared on behalf of tho Canterbury Pub- _ lishing Company and tho Lyttelton Times Company respectively. , , Tho clause in question read as. follows (Clause lid): "All journalists regulajly *:m» ployed who are subject to ibis award shall bo. allowed the following holidays in each year on. full pay: (1) Sub-editors and chief reporters, three successive weeks; (2) all others, two successive! weeks, such holiday in every third year of aerrico increased to three successive weeks." Mr Itenn said that the union claimed that under the Holiday Clause both the chief sub-editor and the assistant «ttb*edito«l should receive three "veeks* holiday# H® contended that tho word "sub-editors" included assistant sub-editors. Tho clause, he said, was interpreted in the Dunedia and Wellington awards to refer to both the subeditors and assistant sub-editors, The •wording of the Dunedin award was exactly the same »3 that of Christchurch. Mr H uto said that only one man in a new*, paper office hifld tho responsibility and received the full pay of a sub-editor. Thf others were his assistants, and were no? really aub-cditora in the technical eenae, wf more (ban the sporting editor wae tbp editor. Tho sub-editor's assistants ,we?e, therefore, entitled only to two weeks' ioli-

uay. Mr Henderson remarked that the euls-edi-torial staff w»a graded, so that only one nun was in tho position-of sub-editor. As tho sub-editor was exempted from tb»

"hour/j" ci»u&c # ho "was .given &A ■v-'eeii's hiliday. This 'interpretation had,; been made clear in the Conciliation Council and in the Court. Decision was reserved.