FORTY-HOUR WEEK

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 12904, 3 July 1936, Page 5

FORTY-HOUR WEEK

FIRST JUDGMENT.

EXEMPTION REFUSED FOOTWEAR INDUSTRY.

BUSINESS NEVER BETTER IN LAST SEVEN YEARS. H’ress Association). : VV: WELLINGTON, July <2. - ■ “Upon careful consideration of the whole: of Athe .evidence tendered and of tho submission made on behalf, of the respective ••• parties, >' woare of the opinipn that;it. has,.not been- established , that, jt,tvpuld be impraptjcable to carry on efficiently this industry, or tho Tyorlc'of any. of the factories, in question,' on a 40-hour week basis.*’ ■ ■’ I his vas'the effect of the judgment .hy the/Arbitration ,Cfourt this morning in the ease dealing with the footnear ; industry,, in which/ exemption was sought from the provisions,, of tho Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Act fixing the 10hour week; ° t" Mr ■ Justice Pago, in liis judgment, reviewed tho provisions of; the,.Act and tho submissions put forward by the employers, who sought an extendi 011 !. of hours on the grounds that the Increased costs.: would■ ..i bot 0..- the detriment of the industry as a whole; nnd a-sbortage of skilled and machine operatives. V Tho,-evidence, said his-. Honor; showed that the former prejudice against New Zealand-made footwear had been largely overcome, and New Zealand factories had captaured against overseas competition, the- bulk -of tho New Zealand trade. All factories re-garding-which evidence had been given were at present working on.the maximum * capacity, and were finding difficulty in coping with the orders (lowing in. .„ : :Thje judgment, said that ;in an* industry/ of that, typo, where no lengthy, technically .process necessitatangg,.the . attendance, of- individual workers for longer- periods than 40 hours a week, was involved, the question ,of the 40-hour .week resolved itself, substantially into the problem of finance. Whether .i t would be impraciicable for .aiir.industry of/that type in carry on. efficiently on a 40-hour week depended, the court;, thought, on. whether..the industry -would be able,- .successfully: and .profitably, to operate under the altered conditions. Though no balance-sheets, or oilier information. , showing the : financial operations'-or trading; returns of- the various manufacturers were made available to the court, the court thought it clear, from the eviden ;e that-; the industry was - 'in >a very buoyant and - favourable position. Business was;- tho court ■?. had* \ bee.’j told, .better than it had been at any time during the last seven years. The court, therefore, made an order +<;'take effect on September 1, amending the awards- involved hy fixing at 40 the hours (exclusive of overtime) to .1)0 worked in any week by pity worker .hound by such awards, and the-rates of pay to .be adjusted so that the ordinary rates of the weekly wages of any worker would not he reduced by reason of the reduction inado in the number of working hours. On the question of Saturday work, which the Act sought to avoid, the judgment stated it would be dealt with in a subsequent memorandum. EFFECT OF FIRST DECISION. WILL BALANCE OF APPLICATIONS BE WITHDRAWN? COST FACTOR PARAMOUNT. • tPress Association^,. WELLINGTON, July 2.K1 The likelihood of Ya move ‘bill the employers in view ; of the Arbitration Court’s fdecision fixing tho forty hour week.: for the footwear industry to withdraw applications for an extension, of ' hours beyond the forty hour week was mentioned to Mr Bishop, secretary to the New Zealand Employers’ Federation to-day. Mr. Bishop said the effect of the judgment on other branches of the industry had not yet been fully considered, as many employers were still busy preparing cases to place before the Court. The judgment dealt only with the footwear manufacturing industry and, in his opinion, could affect only such other industries as were on all fours wjth:; it.^ “One principle has been-estab-lished however,” Mr ."Bishop said, “and that is that the cost factor is paramount in the minds of tho Court.”