ARBITRATION COURT.

Evening Post, Volume LXVIII, Issue 107, 2 November 1904, Page 6

ARBITRATION COURT.

Before the Arbitration Court to-day Allender and Co. were charged with a breach of clause 4 of the Traction Engine Drivers' Union award, in that they employed George Parrant, a holder of a second-class certificate of competence, as an engineer at less than the minimum rate of wage laid down by the award — 9s per day. Mr. Shanaghan appeared for the Labour Department, and Mr. Field for Allender and Co. Pairant gave evidence that he was employed at 7s '6d per day, and Is per hour overtime. He attended to the boiler. No mention of payment at the rate of 9s per day was made to him. Mr. Davis, manager of Allender and Co., deposed that Paxrant was employed three days in the week getting up steam, for which he was paid 9s per day, and for the remaining three days he was paid 6s per day. He thought he was complying with the award when he paid the man for the days he was at work at the boiler. There was no entry in the books to show that the wages were paid in that manner, ' but Parrant received £2 5s per week, and that was how the amount was made up. The Court held that a breach of the award had been committed, through defendants paying the engineer at a, fixed sum per week and not at so much par day as laid down by the award. A penalty of £3 with expenses was imposed. Messrs. E. A. and C. Blundell, sons of the late Mr. Henry Blundell, and H. T. Richardson, son of the Hon. G. F. Richardson, Wellington, leave' for Philadelphia to-morrow morning. They catch the San Francisco mail steamer at Auckland. Mr. Richardson intends prosecuting his studies in dentistry in the American city. Mr. E. Blundell is to be entertained this evening by the Wellington Centre of the New Zealand Boxing Association, with which he has been associated since its inauguration. Mr. V. H. Baxter, Resident Secretary in New Zealand for the Australian Widows' Fund Life Assurance Society, is about to be transferred to Sydney, where he will occupy a similar position to that held by him in this colony. Messrs. George and Kersloy start tomorrow what they call a "Red Tag Sale." This is run in conjunction with their midseason sale. Tlie salo starts' at 9 o'clock.