ENGINEERS’ AWARD.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 16 December 1924, Page 5

ENGINEERS’ AWARD.

POSITION OF IMMIGRANTS. (BY TELEGRAPH - 'PRESS ASSOCIATION. AUCKLAND, Dec. 15. At the sitting of tlie Arbitration Court this morning Mr F. Barter isec. rotary of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers’ Union at Auckland) said chat as the result of the publication oi a statement in the newspapers, in which Mr. Justice Frazer was credited with saying that many of .the immigrant engineers arriving from England were specialists and not all-round men, and therefore should be granted underrate workers’ permits, he (Mr. Barter) had received several applications lor such permits. Mr. Justice Frazer said that so far as he knew the papers had reported him correctly, but in Wellington there had apparently been some misunderstanding. What he said at the West Coast was that many of the engineers coming out from England were specialists, and did not have the all-round general knowledge required of engineers m the Dominion. Unfortunately .New Zealand had not reached a high standard when specialists were required for every branch of the trade, but so far as he could see there should be no objection to a man, who was a specialist in one particular line, being granted an under-rate workers* permit until such time as he extended his knowledge. *‘Nobody for a moment suggests that it is because trade might be slack,” ldded His Honour, “or that they should be allowed to work at cheap rates, but simply that these specialists should be paid what they are worth until they here.” When making an application to have the firm of Armstrong, Whitworth and Co. made a party to an award this morning, Mr. Sutherland (secretary of the Ironworkers’ Union) said: “I can’t see for the life of me why Armstrong and Whitworth want exemption. If they are granted exemption every emboyor in New Zealand could appi.s There are any amount of men in New Zealand able to carry out the work and comply with the existing awards too.” Messrs Armstrong, Whitworth and Co. are contractors for the Arapuni dam, and have entered into an agreement with the New Zealand Workers* Union, an unregistered body, in wJii'h t has been agreed that overtime rates are not to be paid until a week’s work of 48 hours has been put in, whereas the various Arbitration Court awards provide for the payment of overtime rates after 44 hours have been worked in anv one week.