A RECENT APPEAL CASE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 493, 28 April 1909, Page 7

A RECENT APPEAL CASE.

ITS .GENESIS AND EFFECT. '[Bl TEr,iOßiPß.—srxclAL cnp.tiraroNDFjtt )

Palmerßton, April 27. The decision of tho Appeal Court in tin ease of the Palmerston Hospital Board v the - Hawera "Board, in which plaintiffs suet the defendant board for,£69 los. 6d. for th< maintenance of ,tiie. Merry .family! and whio! was in favour of the Hawera Boardj will h road with interest by all .who are oonnectet in any way with hospital anj choritablo aic institutions. The appeal was virtually mad< against a decision given a number of yean agOj by Mr. Justice Williams, on a eomewhai similar case. ' A man who had been receiving treatment in an institution in South Canter bury went to Otago legitimately in search * of work,'which"he got, and in em ployment for about six weeks, , Ho waa ther taken ill again, Tand became a charge on ai Otago hospital board, and a claim was mad( i for", his, maintenance against the Soutt Canterbury institution. It was v held, however, iby 'tho judge that, on account of-the interval of sis weeks, he could not bo considered, as having resided in the first district for the "sis months next" before he entered tho latter district. < \ In the Palmerston case," the circumstances were slightly different, as the Morry family had been receiving aid from the /Hawera board, and wero still in need of treatment when they came to this district. Merry did not como down to work, and, , three days aftei 1 arrival, applied for, and rccoived ticatment at, tho Palmerston. Hospital. Aeting upon legal advice, an apppal against tho decisioE already in forco was decided, on. Tho mattet was first taken to the Magistrate's Couit, and from there' , - by 'arrangement, direct ,tc tho Appeal Court, where 'the - former decision was , , uphold/ and , 'thef case given against tae Palinerston ba6rd.' '' ' • It will make , very little difference to the local'institution except in-the'individual case mentioned, 'as it cuts' bbfch ways. ' ■' '• :,",-'.THE BOOT iNDIisTRY. ' ' CLAIMS OF THE WORKERS. Many "of the chums 1 of the , workers in connection with the dispute as "to wages and conditions cf labour in industry ' are similar tc the provisions contained in the old award. The dispute iiill be lieard at Wellington next month. It is proposed thet the nevvv award should relate to the 'industry throughout the whole of New Zealand. Among,tho suggestions of the workers is one to the eiteot that the week's work shall consist of U hours', /or one hour less than is at, present worked. Provision with respect to the wages to be paid to female workers is now only made in. tho Otago and Canterbury avoids. It, is proposed that, under the new award, female workers wjio nave revved four years and upwards, shall bo paid not less?that 32s Gd per week—an ■< exception 'to bo rnnde x of girls working wax thread machines, who shall receive 50s. per week.. For mnle workers the minimum wage claimed is Is , . Id. per hour, as against Is. at present paid.' »)Vith regard to apprentice , ;, their employment in the benching and finishing departments at present is optional, whereas the workers claim that it should be compulsory. . Then, again,' tho matter; of the wages to be paid to male apprentices is not provided for in the old award. It is now suggested that the period of appienticeshi'p'for males shall be years, and that they shall be paid as under:-First year, 10s. per week; second year, 15s. per week; third year, 22=. Gd. per week; fourth year, 30s. 6d. per week; fifth year, 375. 6d. Four years shall be the period of apprenticeship in regard to females, who6e wages shall commence nt 7s. per week, and incrense by lises at , tho end of -each six mouths to 2js. per week. Another Important proposal is that no ; employer shnll bo allowed to introduce piecework or any bonus system during tho currency the award. Pieferenco employment 11 sought for all members of the New Zealand Federated Boot Trndo Union, and, on the part Dl the workors; , preference of service shall be given to members of tho Employers' Federation. .•■ J .