TWO AWARDS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIV, Issue 18, 20 July 1907, Page 6

TWO AWARDS.

rLUMBERS. The award -^n tho dispute between the Wellington Plumbers' Union and tho employers has just been received by Mr. W. A. Hawkins, Clerk of Awards. ' < ■ • - • ■ ■ Tho schedule sets out the definition of plumbing work, and fixes tho ordinary week's work at not exceeding 45 hours. Tho minimum rates of wages to be paid to competent plumbers are as follows : — If the worker has worked as an assistant for six years and thereafter as an improver for one year, Is 4d per hour; ifthe- worker has obtained a certificate of the ordinary br honours grade granted by the City and Guilds of London Institute or some other certificate, of oqual value," 1r 5d per -hour. A worker 'who! is able to do all the work described in thj clause of interpretation is deemed a competent plumber. Overtime shall be paid i>s follows : — For tho first two . hours, timo .and a quarter; .and thereafter time and a half. For woik on j Boxing Day. Ne»v Year's Day. Easter Monday. Lahbur !" y. the biithiby of j the Sovereign, nn.! nifter 1 p.m. on tho j day of the weekly half-holiday, time and a "half ; for woik on Christmas Day. Good Friday; and son Sundays, doublo time. Tho u^uil provisions me made as to country -and suburban work. The proportion of assist -.nt* is fixed at ono to every journeyman, and the tuip 1 ycr .shall be reckoned iv computing tl»- journeymen, provided that if the employer is ii/firm- comprising not lee* than two practical working- pr.rtnero. two a-Eist.mts may bo employed in respect of the firm. and any employer nyvy engage vn additional assistant for every improver in his service. E\o.'y u*.> ; ,ist..ni should errve not ler.s than, six, years, at the cud of which be shall ba^ deemed to be ;ui improve/, and be paid' not less thaiv Is 5.1 per hour. At the ettd of that period the assist *'nt shoulcl receive a' certificate show- ' ing that he has (-.erved his. time. The employer must undertake the duty of teacuiiig the trade to 1 a~,*islants engaged. . Following are the minimum vratjes for assist'.uits or apprentices : — First year, ' 1&< per week; f-ecjnd year, 10s; third year, 15s; fourth, yeir. £0s; fifth year • 255 ; sixth year, 3S= 6d. Tho wual clauses concerning uuderrato workers, and preference to unionists aie inserted, and piecework is prohibited* The award does not apply to contracts entered into prior to the i'e.-.ving of the dispute. Under existing «ur.iugeir.er.ls. the Wellington and iWiwatu Uaihrsv Company, - and the Union Meam Ship Com.pany aro oxempted fiom the a*,v«ird. Wellington Harbour Board Gear Meat Company, Wellington Gas Company, and Napier Gas Company are exempted ,go long as they do not t>jv less" than the rate of •wages fixed- . T>e attiTil will come inio : force, on Ist August. 1907. and will continue until 31st- July. 1010. ' ■ FLAXMILLERS. The flaxmiHers' award, which came to hand at the- same time, sets out that the week's work shall riot exceed 48 hours. • Each employer shall; subject to the Fac1 -torias Act, 1901, be entitled to arrange such hours of work' according to the exigencies of his particular business, and . such hours may be worked in shifts. ■ cither by day or night. The provisions , <d this clause shall not apply to tho " wdrK of cooks'.or their assistants. > „ .Any time worked in any one week in " extension 'of tEe .'liburs prescribed., shall bo. paid for ,at the rate of time and a quarter for' tho first three hours, and time and a* half feu' all further time until the usual hour for commencing ■work. When overtime work is rendered j necessary by -reason of breakdown of the machinery causing. the stoppage of work or by any oth,er special emergency involving ■ damage- to property,", only ordinary rates shall be p;ud< , - The following shall be the minimum *ateß of ■ pay :— (a) -Feeders, Is 3d per hour ; bench loaders and catchers. Is Id per hour; washers (finding their own boots and aprons). Is per hour; head paddockers," Is* l£cT per hour; assistant paddockers, sorters, and shakers, Is per honrr roustabout, lOid per hour, (b) •' Drivers, for driving and attending to one or more horses, £2 6s per week. No deduction shall be made from this weekly wage for bad weather or for holidays or for oilier cause than for timo lost through the worker's default, and this wage shall include attendance to horses on Sundays, week days, and holidays. T^LThe vtorksr who shall- act as stripper-kesper-shall rsceive not less- than 2s 6d 'per iJay'in addition to* the wages paid to KinTioVhl?, ill'ipcipal \ capacity, whether aa fesder, engine-driver, "or manager. (iViEhLe-.-minTmum' fates, for piece work .pajddocking {which means and includes all work from taking the fibre off the polea and stacking the same in the scutching shed,,, shall be- From Ist April to 30th September (inclusive), 26s per ton; from the Ist October to 31st 'March' (inclusive), 21s per ton. When 'carting, is done 5s per ton shall be added to the forgoing rates, (c) The minimum rate of pay for scutching, shall bo 283 per ton, scales shall be provided by the employer, (f and g) The rate for cutting llax land wages ofcooks and -tlicir assistants shall be settled by agreement between the em-^ plover and the worker, (h) Labour not' otherwise specified shall be paid for at" the rate of Is per hour. Employers may employ youths in or about the work of flaxmilling at from 15s to 363 per week, according to ages be--tween 16 year 3 and 21. Thfe couit has exempted tho natives employed at Mr.' Rutherford's mill at ,-Wa-verley* aud at Mi;. Bourkc's mjll at 1 -Wairoa.r Jlom . the operation of tho i award, and has ' reserved power to • make a similar exemption with regard to other mills subject to the award.

It is understood that a meeting o£ the Chamber of Commerce will be held at an early dato i to (Consider thu new tariff. Acedrding to a Press Association telegram fiom Dunedin the Otago Trades and» Labour Council considers -that the position taken up by the Gov- . ernment on the land question is such that it has forfeited all "laim to suji port flow ' the workers, and in the «vent of the Bill passing into law with a provision to allow of the further sale of Ciown land, and to enable Crown tenfints^to acquire the freehold, " it urges the Labour Party in New Zealand to seriously consider the advisability of withdrawing its support from the present administration. Tho N many attractions of "Bcllavue," Lower Hutt, have been increased by the ■addition to tho house pf what is practic- ' ally a now pi-blic diriing-hall of v/ido dimensions and tasleful I modern decoration. It may be added that Ihe heavy winter ■work in the spacious public garden is now' completed, and «o groat and varied havo been tho new plantings for spring blooms as to give certain assurance of a more attractive display of brauty and colour than in afty season during recent year.?. A remarkable- case of eelf-hypnotism is puzzling tho doctors at Worcester, Mas- ■ Bachusctts. Some time ago a well-known resident, Mr. A. H. Stinuon, brought himself under a hypnotic spell, and tLe physicians have, been unable to re- ' restore him to consciousness.. Mr. Stjmson read of a man ,who stated that he had hypnotised himself and in spirit had toured round Europe. Ho diHcimined to imitate the writer, and 'fell "into a „ state of. catalepsy ail the result. „ The doctors fear lie will die without their" being able to rouxo him, ■ A nicotine of property owners al Kilbirnio will be held iv the Kilbirjne State School on Monday ,eveniiig.