ARBITRATION COURT.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 155, 25 March 1908, Page 4

ARBITRATION COURT.

YESTERDAY'S BUSINESS. CONDITIONS IN THE BAKEIIY TRADE. Tho sittings of tho Arbitration Court at Wellington were resumed yesterday morning, Judge Sim and Messrs.. S. Brown (employers' representative) and J. A. M'Cullough (workers' representative) : taking their seats at 10.30 o'clock. FEDERATED SEAMEN'S DISPUTE. When the dispute between the Wellington branch of ' the "Federated, Seamen's Union and tho Wellington Harbour Ferries, Limited, was called on, tho representatives of the parties—Mr. W. L. Jones, secretary of the Union, and Mr. W. Pryor, for the Wellington Harbour Ferries, Limited—announced that, a settlement had been arrived, at. It had been agreed, they stated, that, instead of, tho working week comprising 70 hours' (as fixed by the present award) a day's work '(Sundays included) should not be more than'lo hours, and that each day should stand by itself in regard to the question of' overtime. It had also been decided to make general tho clauso providing that workers shall bo allowed two opportunities, during each day for meals. Tho term of tho award was fixed for thrco years, commencing from April 1 next. THE BAKERS' DISPUTE. HEARING AT ' WELLINGTON CONCLUDED. The hearing of the dispute between the Wellington Operative Bakers' Industrial Union "of Workers and tho employers was 'th'eri commenced. . '. Mr. W. H. Westbrooke appeared on behalf of the Unionj and Mr. W. A. Kellow, president of tho Master Bakers' Association of Now Zealand, for the .employers. .

RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CONCILIATION BOYRD

Tho recommendations of tho Conciliation Board" were, inter alia, as follow: —Subject to tho provisions relating to overtime a ; week's work shall consist of 48 hours, and not more than 8} hours- shall 'be worked on each of five .working days ; of ' tho week, and si : ;hours on.'tho day■ of-■"the weekly halfholiday. .Work shall commence not earlier than 4 a.m.; save on the; days'following olio or two, holidays; when' -tho hour shall bci 3 a.m. arid 2 a.m.. respectively. • Not less, than ono - half hour shall bo allowed for breakfast. The minimum rates .of wagfcs throughout tho district shall bo as follow: —Foreman, £3 ss. per week; any man except tho foreman, working an oven, £3, others, £2 10s.; jobbers, lis... per, day, : and not loan than half a, day's wages shall bo paid -a jobber for work done on any one day, an dall employees shall: rcfccivo ."'dry pay." A second lmnd must bo competent to /take tho foreman's place when required so to "do. When the employer himself is substantially engaged in tho bakehouse he' shall not commence work earlier than tho hour fined, and-shall attend, to his own oven, sot ferments, and take an equal share in sponging, and if ho engages another man to sponge, ho.shall pay such other mail .for his time. Overtime rates shall bo paid as follow: —Timo and a quarter from 1 p.m. to i p.m. and, thereafter time and a half until 10 p.m. , No work shall be done between tho hours of 10 p.m. and midnight. In thoi case of apprentices overtime snailbe paid at tho rate of 9d. per"hour for tho first year, and thereafter at the rate of Is. per hour. 'Work done between midnight and the regular time for commencing work must be paid for at double time, and work performed on any of the holidays shall be paid for in addition to the -s-a-ges prescribed at the rate of time and a fisji, provided that for work on Cteistents Div, GomFriday, and Sundays, d»nl)3s time eMI be paid in addition to i&e rarcJu KTifffs. The following shall be tie icli'lajs: JCot Year's Day. Anniversary Day. GtoJ Friday, Easter Mondav, Prince of Tfoilfes* BiriMsT,- Labour Day, the Sovereigns -Birfcisy.. Ckristaas Day, Boxing Day, end Kcrr-c Day. The period of apprerjK-x-fiip shall be four years, and the wages of apprentices shall be: First, six months, 12s. 6d.; secsnd, los.; third,'l7s. 6:1.; fourth, 205.: Snh, 225. .63.; sixthj 255:; seventh, 275. G;l.; and eighth, 30s. Whori an apprentice has to bosrd with his employer, not more than ss. per week shall, bo allowed during the first, year, and thereafter not more than 10s. per week. With certain stipulations, 'preference to Unionists shall bo granted. Among tho general provisions wero tho following:—No carter shall be employed in any bakehouse in connection with tho manufacture of goods in tho baking trade, bub :»:baker may ; deliver broad if, and'so long as ho does not work in fcxeoss of tho hours and within tho limits 'prescribed. Boarding, shall not- bo allowed within a radius of 2o miles from tho "General Post Offices 'at • Wellington, Waugaiiui, Palmerston North, Napier, and Mastoi'tou. Beyond these radii it may bo arranged- that' workers may. be boarded aiid lodged on the employers' promises at, a rat'o not exceeding ,15s. per week* Wages shall in. every.'case* bo paid weakly. No bread shall: bo manufactured-at other; than weekly: wages. Tho award shall remain in forco until October, 1909.

: : WHO SHOULD .BEGIN ? - , ' Mr. Westbrooke submitted that tho employers should commence. ; The Union had accepted the recommendations of tho Conciliation Board. At Wellington, the ■ employers bbjected, to .appear before the Boni'd.; .Mr.. Kellow, -who was president of the Association, had attended and spoken at' length. In tho country centres the employers wero fully represented beforo tho Board,'and at each place a conference had been' held. Mr. : Kellow: I did not appear before tho Board in my official capacity. Tho chairman of tho Board "a'sked mo cortain questions, which I -answered.. 1 am appearing to-day on behalf of' the employers in Wellington and suburbs only. : Mr. Westbrooke: In the course of his remarks beforo. the Board, Mr. Kollow; dealt fully with-tho ease for tho employers. Ho affirmed that if the demands of the Union 1 wero accepted, half tho bakehouses would have to bo closed, and the price of broad would have to bo raised.. Mr. Kellow appeared in his' official capacity. Sir. Kellow: That is not so." The chairman told mo that he could subpeena mo to give bvitlence. , ' • -

: Judge Sim.: Will it matter very much if you begin ?'■ 1 u

v, CASE FOR THE EMPLOYERS.. Mr. fcelloiv, who replied in the negative, then opened tho case lor tho employers. At present the minimum rates. were, ho utated, practically the maximum rates, -, and there was no inducement to employers to give moro. In their opinion, the wages in respect of regular hands should b'o reduced by 2s. 6d. per week, and those in respect of jobbers by Is. per day.' ;

Judge Sim: Does any foreman in Wellington receivo moro than £3 per weokp : / Mr. Kellow: Yes. Judge .Sim: Then the minimum has not become tho maxinium.

Continuing, Mr. Kellow stated that, the employers did not wish to bo restricted in the matter of the . work which they might personally desire to perforin in their bakehouses.

Judgo Sim: Tho Conciliation Board state in a memorandum to their recommendation that nearly all tho foremen aro being paid £3 ss.

Mr, Kellow: It is hardly correct. Only, some of them receivo that amount. Resuming, Mr. Kellow stated that tho employers objected strongly to tho proposal that a holiday should bo given for an annual picnic. It was their opinion 'Mint there were sufficient holidays already. Then, again, the employers held that 3 o'clock, instead of 4 o'clook, should, bo the hour for tho commencement of work. In support of their contention he might point out that at present the work of delivering bread' did not as a rule conclude in winter until an .hour after dark.

Judge oim: Tho bakers in ■ Dunedin commence work at 4 a.m. Why do you ask that tho wageß be reduced?

Mr. Kellow: Because tho "minimum is too high. ;

Judge Simf'But until the Union asked for an increase'you did not ask for a reduction. Continuing, Mr. Kellow stated that tho employers' also asked that time; and a half,' instead, of doublo-time, sliould.be fixed in respect of work performed before/the regular hour. Turning again to tho .question of wages,' Mr. Kellow stated that.'the present rate's were found to be too high, more especial}' in cases where the number of workers was'very small:' He (Mr. Kellow) paid his foroman £3 6s. per week, and all his other hands £2 10s. Ho did not employ tablo hands, andhts~ rccogniscd that all employers could not- afford to givo those rates. Jobbers: wore, lie continued, not. always efficient men. In conclusion, Mr. Kellow "stated that it had been ,agreed that manufacturers of bermalino should not come under the award, nor manufacturers of milk bread, unless tho bread wore mado with fermentation. It was not tho intention of tho employers to call evidence, " .

THE CASE FOR THE UNION. ; Mr, Westbrooke, on behalf of tho Union, stated that tho question of hours; had .been a standing grievance among, tho ..workers'for a considerable period./. It fwas. considered unfair that bakers should::bo cothpelled.;to work longer hours - than''workers?in;"'.other trades, _ and not receive r.;'riio work of a baker was exhausting'aiid trying) the hours were inconyemeht;.'arid .as it was necossary for employees to live" close to tho bakehouses, it meant that in the city they had to. pay much higher rents than employees ill other industries. would not to work such long hours if there wero.no award, and they camo under the Factories Act.

Judge Sim: What v.'duld your wages bo in that ovent? Would {hey bo lower? Mr. Westbrooke: I don't think,so. I feel certain the workers could demand and would bo paid as much, if not more, than they r& ceivo at'present. Mr. Brown .(the employers'-, representative): Why don't you get Parliament to pass an Act providing that work in bakehouses shall not commenco before 8 a.m.? Mr. AVestbrooko:'We arc not dealing'with Parliament just now; we aro aoplyina to the Court. . . : .

Continuing,. Mr. Westbrooko stated that in nearly all tho best shops tho lowest'rato paid to tablo hands was £2 10s., aud tho foremc-n icebived £3 ss. per week. It was not his intention _to call cvidenco showing that . tho cost -of living iii Wellington had during tho past few, years, seeing'that tho Court must bo fully aware of the jreal position of affairs.. It- would; be sufficient for him to remind the;' Cour- that;£2 10s. for a man who'had a wife, and family, and required to live in tho city£•'meant only, a bare existence. He would not dispute Mr.fiollow's statement that if the were increased : tho price 6f.'broad.fmight,: > have'',to be raised,' but the difference, if anything, would be very slight. If tho peoplo knew the present rates of wage 3 meant that a section of the workers was being sweated, they would willingly pay a little extra 1 , for tlib bread, to enable higher! wage 3 to bo_ paid. •' ' . ?-. EVIDENCE ON BEHALF OF THE UNION.'

Jesso Harlem, second hand at Touts and Sons, stated that ho was receiving £2 15s. per week. ' The foreman ,in\tho bakery.' received £3 per week. Theit output was from 2500,t0 2700 loaves per day, exception Saturdays,: when tho total ,was 3300: The workers commenced at -1 a.m. on ordinary days, and 3 a.m. on Saturdays. In. hie opinion tho work could bo performed iti 48 ■hours per; week; extra men might ho required in some shops. . ! ; Frederick Froderico, a v second hand at W. A.' Ivellow's, deposed that ho was in receipt of £2 10s. per week. Their output for the week was 11,200 loaves* Witness was of opinion that it was not necossary for. the men to work 51 hours per week.. All the work on Wednesdays could be performed in between four, and five hours.-

Alex. A.' E. Godfrey, now a small.goods man, gave evidence that formerly ho received £3 per week as a .foreman, arid also bread worth ss. per week. Ho did not: think the working week for bakers should exceed 45 hours. ' .

Joseph Harrison, foreman baker'at'W.?A. Kellow's. stated that ho. received £3 sis.\pei . week. Overtime was worked principally'oil Saturdays. He-had seen, tho delivery carts retnrn as early as 5 p.m., and as late? as 7 p.m. It was probable that the cartors .dici not need to bo quite so . late. If 'the total hours per week were reduccd to 48 it. wbuld prove a boon. As a result the extra assistance of a jobber once or twice a week: might be required. . —" ; : '

A NOVEL PROPOSAL. . ' Subsequently Mr. AYestbrooko. stated that ike workers in Wellington l and some of the country centres were in favour of working .m. tho daytime, say from ; S a.m. until 5 p.m. Although the Union had accepted .tho hours fixed by the Conciliation Board, still it desired tlio Board to take "into consideration the proposer that'".ill work should uo . done' in the daytime, which" would' be convenient to everybody. Perhaps a majority of tho peoplo required fresh bread, but, in his' opinion, not 10 per cent, wanted new bread, it lind been .'Sta.tod. that if. the. hours were fixed as suggested,' a worker would leave his employer, and start I 'in so that he might'.'bo-,able to deliver taw broad to customers" fearly in the morning, but lie (Mr. Wcstbrooko) Aid not. think that argument was worth." taking'into consideration. . V Mr. M'Parland pointed out that in the early day's-tlio-bread was baked-;in the daytime. Nowadays, . however, n'ono of the bakers would havo room to store overnight, bread baked in the daytime. If tho workers' proposal were adopted it would; mean ; . that nine-tqnths. of tho proniisos would have tc bo rebuilt. ■ : Mr. AVestbroqke: The. bread baked in the morning. iro'uld bo delivered; in tho after- . noon go-'that there would bo only tho bread niado in the. afternoon to> store. ■

FIXTURES FOR COUNTRY CENTRES. Tho hearing-: of ..tho disputo was then adjourned to'tuc. country districts. It was stated to he ■ tho intention of ,-,th« Union to call evidence at AYangariui,. Palmerston North, and. Masterton. Employers who desired to give evidenco would require to at-, tend the sittings, 1 which: will be . held as follow:— /, ' Tuesday, March 31.—Wanganui. ' 1 Thursday, April 2.—Palmerston. North, v Monday, '■ April 6.—Napier. Thursday, April 9.—Masterton. In view of tho agrooment which bad beoi arrived at between tho parties to. tho bakers 1 dispute, whereby beniialine and .milk-bread do within "the • definition;, of bread unices they aro mado with fermentation, a charge alleging a breach of the award by J, and E.- Towersey and Co. was, -on the application of Mr. Lb Cren, who appeared for thb Department, withdrawn yesterday. .