ARBITRATION COURT

Evening Star, Issue 18394, 1 October 1923, Page 3

ARBITRATION COURT

PRINTING TRADE AWARD

“ STATUS' OF JUNIOR.”

(Feb Unhid Press Association.]

AUCKLAND, September 29. A dominion award governing printers’ machinists, lithographers, bookbinders, etc., provides the following minimum wages for juniors:—£2 first year, £2 5s second, £2 15f third. The Arbitration Court was asked to interpret a mattir, tho question being: ” Is a junior within the meaning of the clause a person under tweffty-one, or a person of any age who has not served three years at a trade ?”

Air Justice Frazer, giving the court’s Interpretation, said that a junior was not an apprentico, and after three years’ service did not necessarily become a stereotyper or assistant stereotyper. Ordinarily provision was made whereby workers of similar grade performing work that was largely unskilled should he-paid according to age. In (his case the rates suggested that juniors began at about eighteen; hut (ho parties had agreed that the basis of payment should be years_ of service, and not age. A junior according to tho award might therefore ho of any age.

APPRENTICESHIP.

BEHAVIOUR DURING INDENTURE,

AUCKLAND. September 29.

In the Arbitration Court Mr Justice | Frazer, in reply to a question in regard to the covenant in the apprenticeship agree- j nients as to whether the court did not think the following was unreasonable ' “ An apprentice shall not during the said form play at unlawful games or frequent hotels ’’—said it was in the interest of both master and apprentice that the latter should not indulge in habits that might militate against his becoming an efficient tradesman, and cause him to become financially embarrassed, or to come into conflict with the police. Hia Honor also expressed the opinion that certain provisions in the deed under the typographical award providing for deductions from wages exceeded the provisions of the award, and said that the same remark appliedto the provision whereby an employer might in certain cirenmstanecs discharge an apprentice on payment of a bonus equal to thirteen weeks’ wages. It was the employer’s duty to teach an apprentice the trade, or transfer him to another employer who would undertake to do so. j