ARBITRATION COURT.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CV, Issue 12540, 29 June 1901, Page 4

ARBITRATION COURT.

SITTING IN CHRISTCHURCHSKINNERS, TANNERS, ANJI FELLMONGERS. The Arbitration Court continued its sittings yesterday, before Mr Justice Cooper (President) and Messrs S. Brown and R. Slater, arbitrators for the employers and the workers respectively, i The hearing of the dispute in connection With the skinning, tanning, fellracngering, and. allied trades was continued. Messrs G. Rowmi/W. H. Clark, W. Nicholls, W. •Hill' and F. Way-mouth appeared lor the employers, and Messrs J. 'Milne, E. J. Cpoksley and J. Carlyle for the workers. George Arthur Ellis, foreman of the fel.mpngary department at Inc Belfast Freezing Works, examined by Mr Wayinouth, said that the witness Morgan, who had given his evidcupe the previous day, had evidently been misunderstood. What the other witness had intended to say, he thought, was that the men ccujd not earn SO' much under the Union demands as under the present arrangements at the works. , Continuing, the witness said that the only skilled labourers he had were the pullers, ‘the wool-sortera and the overseer.?. A puller would pull, on the average, about 375 skins in eight hours. Except in pne cr two departments, the work at 'the freezing works wqs not laborious. The skin washes did the hardest work, and received the best wages. ’ He had seen fieshers put on the work straight away, without their haying had previous experience, and the reports on the work of “ greenhorns '> were favourable. Skill was hpfc required. He had beep rorpnan about eight year?, and bo had always understood ■ that Hip feilmongering had -always been more a ipajiter of convenience than of profit to; the company. In recent yean? there had fipep a considerable fa|j in" the prices of afi kipd? of wool except merino.’ If the derpancls of the Union were' granted, and thp expenses increased fly oyer ppr pent, he thought that ip, would fie impossible fqjc the company tq qqyry on tfie' fefimqpgering. 1;1 1 '*■ . In reply tp Mr Clark, he said that no §kill was 'required to be a wool prefer. Practically an ordinary working pi|P cqpld do tfie work as soon a? he becaipe acquainted with the machine. Alfred Tyree, a member' of the firm of Tyree and Co., leather importers, said that Ms firm wa? a large importer of leathers. He bought leather in large quantities in other places besides Canterbury'. The Canterbury dressed leathers were better than those from other districts, but on the ryli’ole hp rvent orjtside on account of tpe greater cheapness in other places. He thought that if all the New Zealand tanneries had to face greater expense on account of highpr wages, apd had to raise the pUce‘ iff leathers from 2d to 3d a pound, hp wqpld have to obtain” supplies from' ’ Australia and other countries. ' ‘ ‘ Charles Herbert Rocke, a leather and sheepskin factor, and a member of the ton of Rocke and Son, stated that tfip Wellington pelts were appreciably largep thap those of Canterbury. Tfie difference between Wellington 'and panterfinry crqssbred pelts would be about 2Q per cent. His opinion wqs that the wqrpprs generally in New Zealand were considerably bejffer off than those ip ©rtfier England or Australia. Hepry _ Qspygp Manning stated phat fip was cashier of the Ohristphurph Mead pPUI: pany. Tfie statepxept made' tifp previous clay'that the men at thp Islington Works had to wait four hours sometimes for their wages was not correct,- Jf any of' the men caught tide train, and did npp' yait fqr their wages, tfie witness was qt- thp office at J p.in. to gjye them tippr wages." Tfipre was absolutely pq ‘ rpason fpr qpy of tfip men fo wait ' about at the work? fpr two, or three hours for tjieir wqges. Andrew Hitcaithley, secretary of the Ohylstchurch Meat Company, sßiped. that dnripg the qbs epee of the general ffiapagpr, fie was'in charge. Tfie dpippany cpulq not work by giving thp Saturday qjterpfiqpi hqliday in the busy season. It wppld fid impossible. The demands qf thp Upfpp fpr an increase ip the wages pf ’ geperql labourers would, if graptpfi, njeap felbpongeripg. cqpLd not bp' cpir-Hd' P.p by the company. There pad been losses in the ‘fellmongering department. It would he impossible for the freezing companies to work under several dlfferept awards in connection' with different Unions. If there waste be a Union at afi ? it should be one embracing all workers at freezing w'c-rks. v

Walter Bayley, a member f>f the firm of Messrs Bayfey arid '£[<s& '' ‘ edin,'stated that lie &d b ( een aequaintofi with tlie trade nearly all iis life! ' 'when in charge of the pelt department at the Islington Works, .he had. taken men ip from the street and had put them on to the work immediately.' He W 9? sure tha|> skilled labour was not required. If the demands of the ' Union were granted throughout the colony, his firm would either have to close down or to transfer its works to New South Wales. If the latter course were adopted, the firm would have advantages in re-gayd to tariff apd otlier things. If there y - as a in a department, the machines cppld be attended to by youths. He had known a great many fellmongers and wool-scourers who had gone bankrupt. He thought that the two trades indicated were in a chronic state of bankruptcy.

Alfred John Burke; foreman of the Islington pelt department, stated that skilled .labour was required in' only classing, and for general labour in connection with pelts an ordinary worker could do it under a competent foreman. In a busy season, it would be impossible to stpp work in the department for a half-holiday on Saturday. By the Monday following, the pelts would be useless, as they, could not be kept that time. The men were paid accbrding to their ability. With reasonable care, the men could keep themselves dry at their work. •

Frederick Webster, a member of the firm of Messrs Webster and Co., tanners .and felbnongers, of Woolston, stated that in'the tanning work the only skilled men wepe the head man in the pile department, the foreman in the green house, the foreman tanner, foreman of the finishing department, the hide-flesher and fhe curriers, and dn the fellmongcring and wool departments, the woolsorters and the skin-pullers. If the demands of the Union were/ conceded, the Canterbury tanneries would have to close, as they could nc.t stand the handicap as against tanneries in other parts of the colony. If the Union’s demands were made applicable to the whole of the colony, the trade would be captured by Australia. He obtained about three-fourths of his hides from outside this district. He corroborated the statements made previously with regard to the greater cost of materials in New Zealand than in other countries. Many of the machines could be used safely and satisfactorily by youths. The witness also corroborated the statement that the Wellington pelts were larger than those in Canterbury, and men could therefore, in a given time, deal with more of the latter than of the former.

Charles David Ligbtband stated that he had an experience of twenty-eight or twenty-nine years in the leather trade, being intimately acquainted with the values of different classes of leather. About two years agio, he visited a number of Australian tanneries. If the cost of production was increased by 3d or 3d a pound, the Australian tanners would secure the whole of the trade. Fyep with thft present prices, and in spite of the present ’duties, the Australians, if they liked; could exploit the New Zealand markets to a much greater extent than is now the case. His remarks were applicable to all kinds of leather.

Frederick Waymaufch, secretary and manager of the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company, madia a statement in the witness box" He said that first of all he had applied that the two freezing companies should bo excluded from tbs operation of the award. It would be impossible to work under a number of different awards. From the time that thy sheep was slaughtered until the whole product was dealt with, it was perishable The slaughter-

man’s ordinary day was from 8 a.nr. to 5 p_.ro., and there mp§t bfs P certqfn time during wlfiph thp mep employed in qtfier fleparfmeifis must work ip order to put away the perishable products. fn the sarpe ryay, tjl®. fit?*! whp. yrerfiod in the freezing rooms must begin before eight m tire morning. If the depiqnd? of the men in regard "to hours apd wages ip thaf department were grunted; the company’would bpve to pay Ptpalty totes. Jf there were no rlsughlenirg on Fridays, mqst'cf the men in'’’ «-fi € T departments would Ipto tlpfi Saturday’s work. His .company’s pay ?be?t tor thp ipflpiongcry department dakf financial ypqr represpntpd £5990, apd the dpnrapd; of too Union would uieap qn iucrenbp of pr 30 pey PIP-j irrespeefivp fif extra Upde pppenres. The cripipetitiop from the put.doc p°Gd vpyy keen. Although psutsyfipry mptfon yrps gepffqjly quoted blgfiff. if cq.sf more ip preclucs', owing fo aytiiioial fqcdpig. Anything pdiicjr ipereased the cost of pto'ductiop wquifi dipiiinsri tfic afiMVifty RfoducedU The slightfsf rite ip •cpre:)’.? fended to diipinifh ihf (jrrur.trty P £ U Eat F o ' ciucpd, as tpc fayipsr wqu.d £tqw PtU'' fet-UTped tbewpst profit* He whs cpr-ficßnt that, in vipw Pi’ the competition frenr the Arggpifire, his pqmpapy ? s feilpjpagcry ■yyquid be plossd -if thg ocmauds of thp mpn were'gyanieci. Thpy had ' wqykcd fcy seven years withepk a 'fejlmongery, iipfi could «o it figgip. ’” r fh’p pyincipal tyouble ip Canterbury,' eepqciqT.y ip regavd to lamb, wfi.ch forpred a‘large ppylF? °f lli s fiRFPMIy’ B busfuess, ryas that tfie Austyaliap huphs were fit for shipment sooner than the New Zpqlapd opes. Tfie Apsfraliqp lap# were ready about two nrontbs topper tlppr pprs, and they fpresfailed fliq New Zepiand arffilq pn the rnarket. The P°prt ppp}d yoadily ppfierslapd that pp ipprease :n pharge? nrpst lead tq far|per? turping fheir ptfeptinp to qthey tpipgs. As a prattev of fqpfc, tfisy were d : pipg so ppw. All over Gqnipi’buvy fia-ry fi' t cfpr.i£r. ryei'P beipg.gycctcd where the land was suitable for cwyipg qp the dairying industry. The cbmpafitiop frqpr thp Apgevtipp. ip regard to priittop wa? grorying, beequse the merino >yas givipg why tq the crpes-hrfid, and the breed” fif ’§llp?B' was cppiipg ‘nearer'fo that which predqrajpated liqre. Joint Mprgatroyd, a felirpqnger andwoolscp.prpr of Avqpside, spid it was necessjry fpr h.f p?ta:bliEhrpepf tft wwrk overtime. He would hot be able to pay. overtime rate? qp Rytoydays., qs d«ifrapded. Felliirpngery Mid was not a the plapsp givipg preference pf employ.nrent to Unionist’s cpiild bp •applied tp-the freezing tycrlvS, will# were 'sttuqtqd at distances from the centres. fast >. p ve to show thpt it dvquld be impractical# fqy |hp ffflprppgers to* close at 11.20 on Satprday'd’Hppqld, p wbflHcpurer, of lYalkujvp, said fip >yas pp|tg sure he could not conduct his ip accpEdqhco with Hie depiPirds pf tire' tlpipp. ‘ |f hp attempted tp ramp % ephf fif ’ ?C,fiPUPg WPpj, the article Wfifild gff tff Hhgldpd pnsepured. Ip reply to Air Mjlpgh he’ said' #* persdpaiiy lip hafi pp, pbiept-iP II tp 'tinipuß, but thought that thgy were very gupd, if parried off prppprly.' Rjrpipas Turnbull Rphspp, a, feljmiopger, of Avonside, qndofsefl S.Wtdlhc'hts prafie by other exnp}pyer§. 'AMalter pb 'tpwer .apd fellpxapgiep, pf Wqdlstpp, safd ffiiab ap inchpaise pf f per cent ip the cost. p| spqurrpg wqpf wplln prevent hipr doing'ppy pf that kfnd of work in fhe oplphy. Hq nqw ppid in wage? for • scouring alonq in the cplqpy frppr i5400Q to £SQOQ q year. ‘ ■ fYillipm ||exrey RHrh? a IfOolscpurer, •of Wooffton and'Washdyke, thqt, b«. had been connected with the trade in Canterbury for many years, and lie concurred in the statements made by other employers. .This qqpcluded tfre pvi(|eiipp op behalf of •thp efaplpyers. Mr Bowron, ip summing up, said) that the number of Unionists was only about one-third of the total number of workers employed by the masters cited, and he thought that tha* «hprii4 be tahui; Unto copsidleratipn ip regard fo Hfq cfause pyovidihig for preference to Unionisis. , Mr MffPd Ptd therq wuys fiflp- members on the books pf the Unions.

Mr Bowron stated that the workers who would bia afpecfed by'the'demands of thp Union numbered 880. He "asked that the Ppupfc fhould declare the tanking trade to bp' related to, the boptmakjtg trade. I&g Hpnor asked why that should be done. ' Mr Bouton claimed that thq skilled workers in the tanning trodp should not be paid any more thah khe skilled workers in ’ IW S 0?l higher standard. Hys HoaP? saj-d that he did, not t%ipk that the two trades ifere related .in. the sense intended by the Act, just as the nail-making trade was not related to carpentering, and tamping pertad'niy rya? related to b«Mmaking (pa hofitS! were made of ifatherf, but 'pot in the sense set forth in -t-lio Act. The section was intended to deal Hyith related trades'where one was a branch of the other.' ' Mr Bow-rpn might as well ask that the biri'ton-maki'ng trade should be related to boot-picking, because buttons were used on some boots. Mr Bpwrou said the eprployers had: shown that the workers here were receiving as good wages as in any other part of the colony, and the workers pf the chippy received better wages thgu thpse ip pther parts of the world. The cpnditipps pf trade here did not warrant higher rates of pay tpan existed in other parts of the colony. The Court ’should pot’ handicap Canterbury against Auckland, whence the keenest competition came. It seemed to him that 'he Legislature.never intended that the Unions, by means of a distortion of the Act, should handicap the industry put of existence. The men- had beep paid a Hying wage, and there had been no sweating." T’herp was reason to belipve that the Union had made heavy demands, without the expectation of obtaining pH they demanded, but in the hope that the'pourt would go half-way. He thanked the Court for the ipanner in which it bad listened to the evidence and argument. % Mr Waymouth re-iterated his request that the freezing qompq-pire* oafgs could not be taken in detail. It had been shown that if the companies were to, be hampered by the varying deniands of several Unions, with different times of stopping WP.rk, the industry/ would be. killed. Jbe preference clause would bp specially ipcpnvenient to the companies. Messrs Hill and Nioholls also. addressed the Court. Mr "j. MUpp- sqi4as there were 880 workers concerned with the trades involved hi the dispute, aud a? there were 400 members in the Christchurch Unions, and sixty in the Tim.aru one, the Unions represented a- good proportion of the total. As to overtime, the demands of the Union were reasonable and just. Tire U n m n hoped that the Coprt would agree with it that youths should not be placed l in charge, of machine’s. With regard to. preference to unionists, they thought that pH IVOrkers should'be unionists. With regard to conferences, it- was felt -that if they were held before, the cp-se was taken 'to the Cpucillatiohi Board there wo.uld h® Up result, and that hqd been the effect. The Unipn held that $P- ' freezing ‘ cpiirpanics did couipe'te l'n tl«s fellmongery trade,' and should ’'be brought' under the OmtH’s award!. He thought it WiV? • pity that the. State did'not compete In' some Of the industries 'involved!, in the dispute. In "co-n.-clusioh, he said that it was'-an excellent thing to bring the employers aud' ‘the workers together, in the ‘Court tq settle their difference's there. Messrs Cooksley and Carlyle endorsed Mr Milne's remarks, and joined with him in thanking the Court for the patient manner in which it hqdi heard: the case. The pourt adjourned till Iff a.m. next day, when thu cullers-' qjiso W-HI he taken-