THE ARBITRATION COURT

Evening Star, Issue 11894, 23 May 1903, Page 4

THE ARBITRATION COURT

CHRISTCHCTRCH, May 23. The Arbitration" Court concluded their sittings to-day, when a number of awaids were given. In the fellmongers* award the wages were fixed at from 12s 6d per week for youths of fifteen and sixteen years old to 30s for youths from twenty to twenty-one. Unskilled workers over fifty-five can be employed at paddocking -work or pulling pieces at a minimum rate of 7£d an hour. The award comes into force on May 25. In the Waimatc threshing-machine hands' dispute the wages are fixed at lOd an hour with food, or Is without; piecework and ordinary workers, 12s 1,000 bushels of wheat or barley, and 10s 1,000 bushels of oats; bagmen, Is 1,000 bushels. In addition to these rates nothing in the award is to apply to the driver or feeder. The award is limited to the district between the Waitaki and R&ngitata Rivers. In the gardeners' dispute forty-eight hours ia fixed as a week's work; from May 1 to October 31 the day is to be of eight hours, and for the rest of the year eight and a-half. Competent nurserymen, wages by time, Is an hour; weekly, £2 ss; gardeners' laborers, IOJd an hour, or £2 a week. Apprentices to receive 5s a week for the first six months, ,and increases of 5s a year till the end of five years. Competent practical gardeners and gardeners' laborers to be paid the same rates as the same classes of nurserymen. The award comes into force on November 1, 1903, as regards nurserymen, and May 25 as regards gardeners. The country printers' award provides that a week's work be forty-eight hours, regulated according to the requirements and circumv stances of the employers, the men not to work for a longer period than thirteen hours in twenty-four. On Sundays, Christmas Day, and Good Friday work to be paid double, and on holidays time and a-half extra. Sunday pay not to apply to morning newspapers. Wages in tho town of Ashburton: Jobbing hands exclusively, £2 ]os: for both jobbing and newspaper work, £2 ss. In all other towns except Timaru not in the award, £2 2s a week. For journeyman machine and other machine hands, £2 2s for the first six months after the award, and for the second si<c months, £2 10s; after that, £2 15s. Piecework to be paid at the rate of Is per 1,000. The number of girli and youths that can bs employed is not limited, whether apprenticed or not; the waees to be filed when they are not, apprenticed— "iris, from 5s to 30s; youths, from 5s to 40s. Apprentices can be taken on probation; wages to be from 5s to 30s. The whole of the cases in this district are now disposed of.