ARBITRATION COURT.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCIX, Issue 11556, 18 April 1898, Page 3

ARBITRATION COURT.

The Arbitration Court, presided over by his Honor Mr Justice Edwards, sat again at ten o’clock on Saturday morning in the engineering dispute. Examined by Mr Booth, J. L. Scott continued his evidence. He handed in statistics showing the number of youths in the colony from fifteen to twenty-one years of age, and of, men from twenty-one to sixty. Assuming that all occupations maintained a fixed ratio, a proportion of one apprentice to four men wodld not be sufficient to provide work for the youth of the colony. If the Union demands were gxanteddt would mean an increase in wages of £026 a year in his shop. The engineering trade in Hew Zealand could easily be trebled, and it ought to he in the interests of the youth of the colony. There was an insatiable demand by youths to enter the trade; it was impossible to fairly limit their number, and that fact had been recognised in England where the trade was thrown open. Witness carried on a repairing business, and had to embark in manufacture for the purpose of keeping his men together. Competition was only local in the matter of repairs, but was world-wide as regarded manufacture. To Mr G. Anderson: Had to give up making pumps for the Christchurch Meat Company on account of the cost of production. Had been requested by the Government to build some locomotives, hut had declined chiefly owing to the uncertain conditions of labour and partly owing to trade disputes. If the award was carried witness thought the freezing companies would probably discharge their engineers and take on labourers. He did not think the Union demands were applicable to freezing companies. To Mr Waymouth: The factories could nob carry on without tools for minor repairs. Witness frequently did work for both factories. Ho thought it advisable, considering the quantity of machinery, that a spare man and tools should always be in readiness. To Mr Fraser: Previously to establishing business in 1871 witness was a working engineer, and came to the colony as a working man, beginning as a carpenter. Machinery had since done away with about 50 per cent of the labour in engineering as in other trades. Hid not consider it would be detrimental to a boy to work at machinery during the day, and attend the College classes in the evening. Witness considered the daily machinery work would rather improve the hoy’s eveningstudies than otherwise. He thought the ago of sixteen was preferable to fourteen as the age' at which an apprentice started work. He considered the Union demand for 2s extra pay for night shift was not unreasonable. Three fitters were employed in bis shop who earned respectively 12s, 9s and 8s a day. There were also two turners, one machinist, and five or six apprentices. One brass finisher got 10s a day. The apprentices served a period of five years. In five years, if it was necessary to keep the apprentices in employment, which it was not, witness supposed the men would have to be discharged. As a matter of fact, the refrigerating companies had absorbed their apprentices. Witness undertook to furnish a list showing what had become of his apprentices. Witness would not ascribe the loss on the Kaiapoi engine to bad calculation, nor did he blame anyone for the loss. The conditions of labour and prices of material did (not change during the time the work was being, carried out. Witness kept one blacksmith at 6s a day, who was not a first-class hand, but they made shift with him and put some work out. The previous blacksmith got 13s a day and was a cheaper man to the firm. Witness kept a striker for the present blacksmith. The striker was paid one shilling a day more than the blacksmith. Witness was looking out for a first-class blacksmith, but was unable to find one. Mr Fraser offered to find witness a good man, at 10s a day, and ~the offer was accepted. Mr Fraser said that such a workman as Mr Scott was at present* employing ought not to be entrusted with the training of apprentices, and should not count as one of the four men to whom the training of an apprentice should be assigned. The witness replied that there was no cadet in that department. In cross-examination with reference to apprentices, the witness admitted that these were often a nuisance in the shop. To Mr Orton: The Union Company sent to England for boilers and engines. To Mr Waymouth; Did not consider that the Freezing Companies should pay extra for night shift. Mr Fraser said he was willing that the Freezing Companies should be excluded from the award altogether if they paid their engineers at marine rates. Mr Waymouth said the freezing companies paid higher wages than marine rates to their engineers. Witness continued : There were twentyone freezing factories in New Zealand which employed 100 engineers, many of whom were locally trained. Engineers who had had experience at Belfast were eagerly sought after by the other New Zealand freezing works. Mr P. Duncan, implement maker, said that he had about one hundred and twenty hoys and men in Lis employ. Eight and three-quarter hours was the length of their working day. None of the men had objected to the hours. If the demands of the Union were granted it would mean an increase in his yearly wages sheet of £1977 6s. This would mean an increase of 20 per cent in Christchurch wages, and the other branches would demand a proportionate increase. The amount .mentioned could not be paid out of profits if they could not charge it to customers. There was considerable competition in Dunedin and Invercargill, and some in other districts. They had competition from Britain, America and especially Canada. In the last three years two thousand Canadian cultivators had been sold in New Zealand, ana Canadian ploughs were being very largely sold. Within the last three weeks 900 of these had been imported into New Zealand. If witness had to raise his wages he could not face this competition. He could manage to hold his own now. Higher wages would mean the employment of fewer men, and a lesser output. He agreed with previous witnesses as to the value of apprentices. To Mr Waymouth : Would prefer working at freezing machinery to marine work.

Cross-examined by Mr Fraser; Witness was a blacksmith by trade, and started business at Christchurch in 1866, previously to which ho was a journeyman blacksmith. About half his orders came from Canterbury, and the other half from various New Zealand districts. He knew of no reduction of wages on account of local competition. He did general engineering work in which 10s a day was paid to good men, and more than that to some of them. Others were paid considerably less, according to ability. He employed thirteen blacksmiths in all—four at 10s, one at 9s 6d, two at 9s, fire at Bs, and one at 7s. There was no real economy in employing an indifferent smith. Witness would rather pay 10s to a good man than 6s to a bad one. He thought 2s for occasional nightwork fair, but not on a regular night shift. He had for many years paid overtime at the rate of time and a quarter. Witness did not agree with an opinion given by his late brother before the Tariff Commission that it would bo disastrous for the colour to put a prohibitive tax on imported implements. He had one fitter at 13s 4d, one at 10s, four at 9s,

one at 8s and one at 6s a day. The man who earned 13s 4d was a working foreman. There were three journeymen turners, one at 9s and one at Ss, and live apprentices. The period of apprenticeship was five years. He would prefer the apprenticeship to start at seventeen years, as those who began older generally turned out better men. Mr Booth said that with the interests he represented at stake he did not feel justified in crowding the work. Ho did not think the case could be finished that day, and would like an expression of opinion from his Honor on the subject. He had three more witnesses to call, and the addresses would take some time. After deliberation, His Honor said the Court was prepared to continue the case during the afternoon and evening, if there was any reasonable probability of a conclusion. Mr Booth said that tho employers were going to make this their first and last stand, as they had no intention of being brought before the Court by the men on trifling questions several times a year. Ho did not feel that ho could do tho matter justice in the time. Ho had an afternoon's work that day to make up for the loss of tho time ho had spent in the Court, but he was quite prepared to continue on Sunday. The Court was adjourned until Wednesday, May 25, at 11 a.m.