THE BOOT INDUSTRY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 539, 21 June 1909, Page 2

THE BOOT INDUSTRY.

FINDINC OF THE ARBITRATION COURT. The award.of the Court of Arbitration in connection with tho Federated Boot Trade dispute, filed at Christchurch on Saturday; -~'.' makes tho followiug alterations in tho existing award: l —. '•'•.. . Clauso 7 prescribes the following departments: (n) "Clicking''; (b) "Mailing" commences with tho operation of pulling over upper- for lastcr's, stiffeners and too pieces ~ being properly prepared; (c) "Finishing" commences with tlio operation of edge-trim-ming, and ends with rubbing off; bcels and cdgtß; (d) Hough stuff.- .' Clause 9 provides for the following grades of. workers,: (a) Tho first grade, includes ' dickers', makers, finishers, out-solo cutters, '.:■ and machine operators; (bj the Beoond grade includes rough stuff cutters, and all othor ; v workers not, included in first grade. ."'/..•'. Clauso 10 provides that, workers: in the -', first grade are,to.be paid ndti less than Is..':. . Old. per hour, and in tho second grado not -.'. less than Is. per hour. ...- ' Clauso 16 provides for apprentices in tho clicking,' tlio making' and, finishing, and in tho rough stuff departments, and prescribe* tho terms and wages to,bo paid to each.,- ' In other respects tho award .embodies: tho ' - terms of the previous award with slight alter, ations. The award comes into operation on ■.',■ Juno 21, 1909, and remains .in force till December 1, 1911. ■ '-- ' '-.'■ Following is a momorand-um attached to the award:— •.'-',-■ , -...-., This dispute was referred to tho Court ' , after an attempt had been made, but without • \ success, by tho Council of .Conciliation to ■' sottlo it. ■ After a hearing'hi Wellington,' ' ' which lasted three- days,'tho parties, by di- ' rcction of the Court, held a conference with a view of settling tho matter. They' settled '"■ a number of the points,in dispute, but left, the Court to settle (1) the grades or workers, ■'.' (2) wages, (3) oTOrthie,' (4) the term of tho award. A report of : the proceedings at tho 7 ■ conference and:the. latest' proposals of. tho. ", parties were put before tho Court. ■■ Tho cm- ':■/- '- ployers asked that there should be, three' , grades of workers as follow: First grade to ■ ; ' ihcludo outside clickers, ■ makers, finishers, ■;■. out-solo butters, and machine operators, with > a minimum of Is. OJd. per hour; second grade, ' to include- rough stuff cutters and all others'-.-.' not mentioned in first grado, not being lining!,. cutters with a minimum of Hid. per. hour;' ■' third' grado te inclide lining cutters with'.a > ■■' minimum of' IOJd. per hour: Tho union.on tho other hand, asked, for two grades only; tho first grado to bo 1 tho same as that pro- ,', posed ,by. the employers, with- a minimum of - Is. 2d, per hour, the second grado to" include '-'■ lining cutters with a rniuimuurof Is, Id. per.

hour. As will be seen, tho Court has maoV ' only two grades of worltcra, and ( has , . eluded the lining cuttors in the second grade. ; v ; -The minimum wage for tho first.grado hai'.:' l been fixed at Is. USd. per hour, and for the '.' second at Is. per hour. The principal ground on which tho union based its .claim for an - increase in' wages was ihat there; had booh; : '_; ■ an ■ increase sinco 1905 in the duty on.im- ■; ported boots. The parties wore not agreed,' . as to.tho amount of the increased, duly, ,'f Mr. Frostick, asserted that tho duty on tho ' importations in 1905 was 24.69 percent., and ,\ in 1907'25.52 per cent.,, giving a difference ' of only .83 per cent. A report made up by Mr. Leslie, an actuary; was submitted U Mr., . Frostick, and put. in'after-the.hearing had ; .-■'■ closed. Taking tho year 1908, and corapar-,. . ing the duty paid then:with tho old tariff, of 22J per cent, which, was in force before 1904, Mr.'Leslie found an increase of 8 por ''~ cent, on men's boots,' nearly 9 por cent, on,. ' women's boots,, and 8J per cent v on. boys' ; ,; and girls' - boots. ; . It' was ■ also. proved that. _ v there, had been a considerable . decrease ■in";,. the number ; of' boots 'imported '.since".the', ''■/ increased duty* had beon.'impbsod.j; .Takjng '. this into 'consideration, and :-assummg.. y. Mr. Leslie's figures to bo correct', it is diflk '.', cult to see, that those figures, of themselves, justify asked for. by.the union; v y It is reasonable" to conclude from them that ■'".; tlio boot.,mamrfectiirhig H ftrado.. js;in a hotter condition,,now..tbaii jt.lvas. before,.' but'.they.!'".'' are no guide as toi. the extent to;,which tho : .(, profits of mauufaoturors, have, by . ... reason of. tho chajigb.", Beforo the ,benefits.: .. derived from the increased duty can |be'ap-, '•.'" .portioned; between: I 'thi3 .' manufacturorsi'and,' ''' their workers—if. it bo the'function of the a Court to apportion them—it is necessary to '\' . .know what these, benefits are. ' The. Court :

cannot,',very well divide, a fund, before the amount' thereof is known, oven approxi- ■ '.'.- mately.- On that subject the Court was' '".'■ without information of any kind,: and the "0 increase granted \by.i the present; award isY'Y based principally', on .tho offer'made by., tho" Y. omployers. . -. ,',.'•;■'■ ;.■'.';■•'i' 1 .-;' ; ■ '-,'''; Y' Great reliance was placed by the. union on Y :' the reasons given for an award made by tho o. : Arbitration : Court in, New South ; Wales,:. inY-.-; - connection with ■ tho \ engineering trade, in ' 1908. ■ The wages of men were increased, and 'Y this ,was done, it.was l stated, oii.the basis,.-',/'.' of an increased duty of ,7}' per.cohtY'Four.'\ per cent, of, this was treated' ns belonging Y' to.-the employers, and about 2 2-8-per cent. •', " ' was given to the men.' If tho duty collected ■'' were paid to the employers, it would bo ■ easy-to: understand tho reason for .dealing, with tho matter in this way.. But tho duty Y , does .not go tho. pockets of. tho .em-';,' , : ployers, and the employers derive only an .'■. indirect benefit from an increased duty. That •;■'. benefit may-.bo largo or small, according,; .to.';'' circumstances, and- thoro is, certainly no- Y • thing in tho ' present . case,. to justify , the ' '"'■ - Court in/concluding, that,,this benefit bears,'■ '~ any , proportion : to tho amount of, th'o'increased duty; .'.. ;- ■ ,i- .' , '. : With rcprd ,to overtimo, tho Court has repeated the provision contained in, tho last ' award,: which was agreed on bv the parties Y> themselves. This, in,effect, make's 47 hours tho ; hours of work at ordinary rates in anyway.Tho Y union, asked to have : the hours, reduced to ' 45 per week, i It, seems, quite, incomprchen-- ■' siblothat workers' wh0..." arc" paid ; by the.."■■,: hour, and whocomplain-that'they are Hot . ' '• earning onougli, should desiro to-havo their'-,',- ; hours of work reduced; .with the, coTtaratyYY-'.-' -.'■ that, in ordinary circumstances, 1 their earn-, ' " ■ ings also will bo. reduced. Y. The .favourite.,-.■', demand of unions, whoso members, arowbrkY' ..'.'.■/ ing at a weokly waEo,,for increased wagci''.'•. f and reduced hpurs is, at airy rate,' intelli-Y'< ';'.'■] •gible—they want more money for less work; ~, • Y but the,demand in the present case- is quite "■'. ' - ; . incomprehensible. So far from 'the, hours of"'-'"-Y work;.being furthcr'Yreduced thev-should bo Y -restorcd to ,48, as fixed originally by this ' - ' Court,, so as to enable workers to)'increase ' their, earnings.. .<". ■ "' :,.,...... -: ■"■'■■ ' It may. bo desirable.to point out that tho ■'■: boot trade has been beforo tho Court.'on fivs :'<"<'■ previous occasions, Viu., in 1896, 1838; 1501. 1903, and 1905. On the last occasion nD t)>« ,Y----terms of the award, woro agreed on by'tlj' . '' parties ,themselves.., ■; .'■ ■. ;•' -'■', .'••'■■