COOK AT POLICE STATION

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27038, 13 May 1953, Page 3

COOK AT POLICE STATION

£283 CLAIMED AS WAGES (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, May 12. A cook employed in the Wellington Central Police Station mess from June 11 last year to January 8 this year, claimed £283 6s in the Magistrate's Court today from the mess committee. He is Arthur Robert Parker. The amount claimed was alleged to be the difference between the wages paid to Parker during his service with the mess and the wages legally payable to him. Mr J. Hessell, S.M., was on the bench.

Mr A. A Matthews apeared for Parker, and Mr W. V. Gazley represented the members of the mess committee, an unincorporated body, Detective P. R. Hood, Acting Detectives R. Butler and B. Dean, and Constables C. P. Williams and D.. Ingram.

The plaintiff in his statement of claim said the mess committee had employed him as first cook for the mess at a wage of £ll 6s lOd for a 40-hour, five-day week. The £283 6s claimed was the difference between the wages paid to him, £340 2s 6d, and the wages he was entitled to under the New Zealand Restaurant Workers’ Aivard. The plaintiff said he had worked about 10 hours a day, seven days a week, and had only three days off during his service at the mess. For working seven days a week he claimed he was entitled to substituted holiday pay at the end of service. To Mr Gazley, the plaintiff said he was employed by the members of the mess. Claiming that the plaintiff had been engaged on behalf of all the members of the mess and not solely by the committee, Mr Gazley submitted that the defendants were entitled to a non-suit. The Magistrate was hearing legal argument on this point when he adjourned the case till tomorrow "morning.