ARBITRATION COURT.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2003, 10 March 1914, Page 3

ARBITRATION COURT.

METAL WOBKEBS.

EMPLOYERS ON THE STATE OF TRADE

"NEVER, BEEN V/QRSE,"

Tho Court of Arbitration continued its sessions here yesterday. Mr, Justice Stringer presided, awl tho assessors were: Mr. W. Scott (employers) and Mr. J. A.M'Cullough (employees),

Tho first' dispute taken was tlint in which tho newly-foi'meU Wellington Motal Workers' Industrial Union mad© application for an award. Mr. E. Kennetly appeared for tho employees and Mr. F. Allen for the employers.

The Meri's Demands. The men asked'for a- 44 hours wecltj overtime to bo pakl for at the rate of time and a cfuartcr for the first two hours, time and a half thereafter 1*1? to 10 p.m., and double time between 10 p.m. and the ordinary time for comicencing work next moWing. Double rates were asked i'sr work dojio on Sundays, and ether {femands were as follow:—Six hp-Bdays during tlio year, 2s. iwr shift extra for night shifts, and Is. per day extra for nwn and 6d. for boys engaged at dirty work. The minimum rates of wages demanded were; Machinists, Is. 4§d. por hour: feitters, Is. -IJd. per hem*; range fitters, Is. 4,{d. per hour; grustters (easting),'ls. 4-id. per hour; strikers, Is. 4jd. putt hour; yardmen, Is. per oaur; lahouTsrs, Is. 4Jd. per hour; men etoplofed as Jiolders-up on any class uf iuraaeing, flanging, or boiler work, Is. 4|d. per hour; when this work is rtono oa ships or steamers, Is. sd. per lioar; furnaeemen, Is. Gd. per hour. Youths' wages were asked for as follows:—Tip to V years of age, SI puj- week; up to 21 years of age, ls< p.e* hour. It was asked that tho proportion of youths should not be mwo than eire i«r every h'vo or fraction of five fully-effiplqyed men. "Suburban work" was described as work performed at a distance of ovsr one milo from the- employer's placa'nf business, but not coming within the definition of "country work," SpfiCfel demands were made in regard to this work, and also in regard to country work. It.was further -asked that «niployers should be at liberty to employ any worker provided that, within one week from the dats of ljis engagement, lie becomes a member of the union. The proposed period of tise award was one year. . . Caso for the Workers. Mr. Kennedy, speaking for tlie workers, regretted the dispute had not lieea settled. That, .however, had noi been the fault of tho union, who had' endeavoured in every way to assist the court. His Honour: The employers say the same thing.

Mr. Kennedy went o-n to say tlint the first point which he vrished to bring before, the notice- of the Court was the claim for a week of 44 hours. "I iiud,". he said, "that some of the city firms work 47 hours, and others 46$ hours, whilo tho Patent Slip Conipa-ny works 45 hours. To-morrow the boiler* makers will .bo before the Court with tho same claim .for a week of 4-4 hours-."

Mr. Kennedy then callod a numfeer of men to gi/c eviitoaee as to tie dissimilarity of tho iiours under different firms. His Honour remarked that there was nonnecessity to call evidence on that point as the employcTS admitted it. 'Mr. Kennedy then -went <>u to say that -in tho Governmant Workshops the loivest lvago paid per.day. In Auckland, Christdjuroli. Wolliiigt-on, and Djmedin, the wage for ujisljiikti ialseur was fixed at Is. M. per luMir, n'ii(J lio contended that if tiie unskilled wage wore fixed at Is. 2d., skilled workmoß saould be paid more. Tiie clause in regard to suburban . «;ork was tlie only bright spot in the --sfeim, inasmuch ns the employers were favoii'fgUo to it. It was different, however, in regard to tho question of preference to unionists for; the employers had state! at- the G'oneiliatioii Council that tliey weidcl not «»ree to it. Ho quoted, the remarks of iJir. Justice Higgins in regai-dto i?o«-!tni«i----ists. Tbnt authority, lie said, had stated that it was plainly unfair fer a MD.unionists to bo able to benefit- by the inu proved conditions afit hy a union—a 'union to whoso fu-ntls such a worker did not contribute.

Mr. Justice Striitgei* remarked that he had always understood that Mr. Justice Higgins was opposed to preference being given to tho unionists.

Mr. Allen stated , that the <n«plftyere wero content with claißims the conditions of t'he Christelmreh. "award. The Christchnrch. award and tio Duweilin award, he said, ivere very similar. The Bad Sfato of Trads, In tlie Court for the employers, Mr. Allon stated thai the union had absolutely no caso with respect.to the present claim. Ti-i.e iren meiai workers and boilerrnakers tracks were nerer in a worse condition than employers and employees found them at the present ti,rao. Some time ago represeatatiyes of bath employers and cntttloj'ecs had waited on the then Prime SthustCT and liad voiced the opinion that tho -only way to savo the engineering uidustf.y of the Dominion was an alteration in t'he Customs tariff. He did not ffaftt the Court to co into tliat qwst-taft, however. Tiw trade, continuetl the speaker, was nerer in surh ,-v shocking conditJan, find Jie q.uqlc<l a newspaper article sTiowi'it" that a'similnr state if affsirs esisted in Diinedin. In regard to thrs hours dofflamlcd. it seemed to hir» tiia't tho nsen wanted to work fewer ordinary lirrtirs durblg the week so that they Kiiwht have more opportunity of working overtitw. 'J'llis claim for 44 hours a week wonki oamse considerable contention ntnongst many trades, and it rrnuld. he tl»ti<riit, I«; better if this matter Wore deeidwl by lotrialation. It was claimed by iho eniplnvora tliat p 48-howrs 5 week was ve>;;t reasonaljle. If ftinmewnfin *ere paid is. Gd. per iipur, he (Una sneakflr) hesftatrd to think what wnuld have to j>o. P.i'd to i-'ie bifiher skilkrt nutw. Quit-? recently the Government bad for cheap; ncr.s ■ sake imported snmo Uwttssnde of nounds worth cf metal for. the Waiswa ■Bridge. Even the uston work on tlie imported metal, sucli as dri'lfing and r;vfttinn, linfi beon-dottfl at Hnree. Tiio local establishments li-nd not a cliaiirt;. At- such a time as this tl>p?o iniport: , - tions of nmchin'en- wero ciUMtjcli <>> niiike the local firms close down, and become importers tVmse'.ves. "t am mil? sure," said A!r. Aft-.u. "ihat tl-:, f!o,,H will not d" which will further harass the i'.idnfctsy and v.-bioh will linsteu o?j a n*ere srrions state of things than that vAvch at present. I dn not know of anv more important'indrstry in any conn try tiwn eii(iineorir.(». V> : e are tal.-ni" bo)i*o !s#■■•<•, in mi'nrrl to roniissicm flf t-!ji> Customs tariff. .111(1. wlien this is rrnntcd. it -'-''H he c|uite tiino for tlie onion to ooivo nhw". with reasonable claims for betterment."

Somo Einniovcrs' Experionecs. Mr. Allen thori gsH«l a lmmlier of witnesses for tho emplrayefs. Wm. Cable, of thu linn of Cable and Co., gave figures showing how tho number of metal-workers oriiptovoJ by hifli had fallen off. In 1ff1.2, he said, to had employed 1G men, in 1913 18, and at tho present time only 9. ICvosi the. nine men at present employed had to be engaged intermittently at store lyarts to lifOp them on the" job. At thft present time >there was a complete dearth of new work in tho general enginesriiig trade. Ho had been engagfid in bu'sSrirss in Wolliugt-on for 36 years, and lie had uo

hesitation m deckling that trade during the last iis ntsntng was tho worst ever txperieiicwl. Wm, Crah'troe, ironfeuader. of tho firm of Messrs. Cwibtres and Sun. «n----ilwsrul what Ut. Cable had said. " 'IV n-oit trade was shi-inisiug every mount. A left yeru'S ago he liati cinjjhavcd .15 Jijumldens, but, last weuk, no only h\i ttjreoj aiui this three included the foieman.

t Uoerge MacGwgor, representing J. J. -Niven iunl Co., Ltd.', agreed with tho statements of the previous witnesses. Fourteen, years ago his firm liad been Giuployiiig 175 men. At the present time there vreio only 75 men <i» tho pay-sheets. Every day men «a»o along to their works who were willing to work aj; Bs. a day. Tho workers 'here were claiming over 100 per cent, higher wages than the rates paid m tho Old Country, while the eiapJoycrs had to pay .50 por cent, higher- for material here. It was only when material could »ot ]jo got in the Old Country that Jocal finsis had a chance-.

Murdoch Miilikm, of the • firm of Jl'Arthur and Slillitiu, irontounicrs, of Ivaiwatra, stated that his firm had. employed SO metal workers some time ago. A year ago they employed 10 men, while, at present, they employed only four. In regard:-to'the large- anioanfc of iron work which was being imported, witness-stated that a -qeairtity of bridge wort was being brought out here. The whole of the iren used in the Miwsmar Gasivorlcs was also imported. John Mwpiiy, senior partner in the firm of Messrs. John. Murphy and Son, endorsed the statements made by previous witnesses. Ho had bcefi in the trade for eleven or twelve years. This concluded the evidence, and do* cision was reserved, Tlie Court will resume at }0.3Q this morning.