METAL WORKERS AWARD.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2109, 28 March 1914, Page 14

METAL WORKERS AWARD.

ironmasters complaint. STIFLING THE INDUSTRY. Tba Ironmasters' Association lias held a meeting to discuss tho award recently granted by tho Court of Arbitration in the 'metal workers' assistants' dispute. Jti terms of that award tho minimum wage for these workers is raised from Is. to Is. 2d. per hour, and the hoars of work are reduced from «18 to 47 per week. Tho ironmasters at their meeting were all unanimously of opinion that the award was mado by the Court totally against the weight of evidence. The secretary of the association (Alt. H. F. Allen), in conversation with a Dominion reporter yesterday) s&0 thai the evidence given must havo satisfied the Court that the state of tlia iron t-nifie was worse than ever before, and unmistakably worse than it had been in the last' thirty years. Yet in spite of this tlie Court granted ail increase is wages of 2d. per hour to metal workers'_ assistants, who wefo classed as -unskilled labourers. If the Court gave- 2d. per hour to unskilled men," what would it give to tho skilled worker? About this tho ironmasters- were filled with apprehension. They claimed that the. labour era were, wsll enough paid at Is. per hour, and tho minimum had: jiovef been tlie- maximum wage. It was proved in evidence that sortie'of the men were- re-

ceiving wages far above'the award rate. It was stated at the meeting also that tho increased wages. would not be for the good of tho workers, ss.it ntti-st lead to the reduction of the number of hands employed. One ironmaster had said that- he proposed to put men. off at once; They liad kept' ms» they could do J without, but they did not intend to keep men at Is. 2d. an kottr unless these men conld bo fulty employed. 'These labourers in foundries had no broken, time, and therefore received a higher average rate of pay than labourers on the wharves or elsewhere, although these -latter were paid at a higher rati) per -hour. Also tljo metal workers' assistants worked under better conditions. As one of the members of the association had put. it at the meeting: "We dffn't want many more of these straws put ■ upon- us. If we are harassed any .more we must all •Shut down and start imparting. , And wo can make more money fch-k-t. way." Mr. Allen remarked - that many ironmasters had already taken up importing. some of them operating extensively^ From inquiry made it appears that tho number of labourers employed by ironmasters varies according to tho class of work undertaken ordinarily in the different. 'shops, but that nowhe.ro Is tho number of labourers very large.