MAGISTRATE’S COURT

Evening Star, Issue 22627, 20 April 1937, Page 11

MAGISTRATE’S COURT

TUESDAY. APRIL 20. ' (Before Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M.) JUDGMENT BY DEFAULT. Judgment by default, with costs, was given for the plaintiffs in the following undefended cases: — D.T.C. Ltd. v. R. Barton (Coal Creek, Roxburgh), £6 10s, goods supplied; Royal Insurance Co. Ltd y. JJJ. Broden (Queenstown), £ll os oa, premium due. BREACHES OF^AWARD. William Donald Loan and Alexander James Watson were proceeded against by the Amalgamated Society or Carpenters and Joiners’ Industrial Union of Workers for an alleged breach ot the award in that they employed a carpenter who was not a member or an.v industrial union, and paid him a less wage than that set out by the award. A penalty of £2 was claimed. Mr J. C. Mowat appeared for plaintiff, and Mr R. A. King represented the defendant. Mr Mowat said that the proceedings had been brought by the union, and not the Labour Department. For four weeks the carpenter had been The penalty claimed was only a nominal one. but the union had considerable trouble through such breaches of the award, and it was very difficult to checu and trace them. 1 The union was not insisting on a high penalty, but it wished the position to be brought before the public and made clear that non-members of unions must not be employed and the full wages must bo paid. When the position was pointed out to the employers they at once paid the higher wages and had not employed the man since. The amount claimed had been paid into court Mr Kipg agreed with the statements made by Mr Mowat, and said that the Labour* Department had declined to press the matter owing to difficulty of proof. Mr Bartholomew explained that the 1 matter of the penalty was entirely jn the hands of the magistrate, irrespective of the amount claimed. In the present case the amount claimed had been paid into court, and an additional los del to cover solicitor’s fees would be adequate.