DRIVERS’ DISPUTE

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22371, 7 April 1938, Page 9

DRIVERS’ DISPUTE

EVIDENCE GIVEN FOR EMPLOYERS FORTY-HOUR WEEK SAID TO BE IMPRACTICABLE (PBBSS ASSOCIATION TELBGBAM.) WELLINGTON, April 6. The passenger transport drivers’ dispute was resumed in the Second Court of Arbitration to-day, when lengthy evidence supporting the employers case was heard, the witnesses being representatives of both omnibus and service car services, as well as mail cars and school buses from Auckland to Invercargill. The evidence supported the contentions of the employers that the 40-hour week of five eighthour days sought by the workers was impracticable because of the particular demands of services which had to run to rigid timetables. . ~ It was also emphasised that the genera! 'application of the 40-hour week in most industries, shops, and offlces, had intensified the peak periods for bus services in towns and cities, and that broken shifts were indispensable and could not be eliminated in favour of eight-hour dally shifts. The particular circumstances applying to services_ in country centres were also outlined. . . It was argued that any_ se costs would be detrimental to the serVl Completing his address for the employers, Mr H. J. Bishop drew attention to the operation of feeder services in which hours had to be ad] us ted to suit circumstances. Obviously there could be no question of an eight-hour d3 Speaking of the claim for retrospective wages, he said that last July at the Conciliation Council hearing, the employers had made an offer to increase wages in line with the Court policy, provided that the conditions ox the old award were agreed to. He submitted that the claim could be justified only if it were shown that the conditions in the award required altering. Already the workers had agreed to drop their claim for a 40-hour week. In these circumstances the claim for retrospective wages could not be upEvidence was given by, Norman Berridge Spencer, managing-director ot the Auckland Passenger Transport Company, Kenneth Goodwin Ball, manager of' the bus services for the Gisborne Borough Council, Harold Coxhead, assistant managing-director of the Mount Cook Transport Company, Francis Edward Boulton, secretary and accountant to Newman Bros., Ltd., Gilbert Eckroyd, of the Rural Mail Contractors’ Association, Hawarden, John Joseph Nimon, of Nimon Bros., Ltd., Havelock North, and Joseph Hewton, of H. and H. Motors, Invercargill. ; The hearing will be concluded tomorrow.

GASWORKERS’ CLAIMS COURT RESERVES DECISION (»«asa 4«sooijlTio» TBLfa»*«.) WELLINGTON, April 6. The hearing of evidence in the gasworkers’ dispute xn_ the Court of Arbitration before Mr Justice O Regan has concluded. Decision was reserved.