BREACH OF AWARD

Grey River Argus, 16 April 1925, Page 8

BREACH OF AWARD

HOTELKEEPER FINED £2O. FALSE ENTRIES IN BOOKS. A carrying company which owed employees £219 overtime, and a hotelkeeper, who paid a porter £l. a week, although the wages book showed £2 7s 6d a- week, wore fined £.lO and £2O respectively in the Magistrate's Court at Christchurch. Both cases were heard before Mr G . Crui ckshank. S. M. The first case taken was that in which the Akaroa Express Company was charged with committing a breach of the Drivers' Award, in that there was a failure to enter overtime in the wages book. Albert. E. Waite, Inspector of Factories, said he interviewed Mr W. H. Went, manager of the Akaroa. Express Company, and had found that overtime for one man had not been entered up. There was £3O owing. Overtime for other workers was entered, but had not been paid, and a total of £219 was owing. The company was lined £lORemarkahlc evidence was given in the second case, in which. J. T. Bourne, licensee of the Crown Hotel, was charged with a. breach of the award governing hotel employees, in that he made false entries in a wages book. Mr F. D. Sargent entered a plea of not guilty for the defendant. The evidence showed that Bourne had in his employ a porter, named McDonald, and. according to the ‘wages book, was paying the porter £2 7s 6d a week. For sonic reason not stated, the porter was discharged, and ho then informed the union that, nlthougli ho had signed for the ro -o’-t ■ f €2 7« (id n work, ho lind received only £1 a week. all the hotels iu Fhristvburch are working this swindle, this man was paving a, man £1 a week while his brother-hotelkeepers were paying men £ 2 7s 6d a weok,’’ observed the Magistrate. ‘‘Tt is a fraud on the community. ” Defendant was fined £2O, and security to appeal was fixed at a bond of £45.