WORK AND WAGES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CVIII, Issue 12911, 3 September 1902, Page 2

WORK AND WAGES.

[Per Press Association.] DUNEDIN, Sept. 2. In the Arbitration Court, in the dispute between the tramway employees and the City Corporation, Mr T. B. Fairbairn, the town clerk, raised a preliminary objection that, under certain clauses of the Municipal Corporations Act, the corporation’s servants are not employed in the ordinary sense, hut are appointed to an office, and, therefore, the corporation should be discharged from the proceedings. No notice had been given to the employees of this objection, which, Mr Justice Cooper held, should have been done. He did not think there was much in the objection, and would go on with the case, the Court giving, a decision on the paint later. The case was then opened on behalf of the men. THE FURNITURE TRADE. AWARD OF THeTaRBITRATION COURT. The award of the Arbitration Court in tho dispute between the Canterbury Furni-ture-makers’ Union and employers in tha province has been placed in the hands of the Clerk of Awards at Christchurch. The chief point submitted to the Court was the minimum rate of wages. For fully competent cabinetmakers, upholsterers, turners, frame-makers, polishers and machinists, the Court bas fixed the wage at 10s a day of eight hours, or at the rate of Is 5d an hour. It is deemed, however, that there is an intermediate class to be considered, namely, that class of workers who have served their apprenticeship, but who, from lack cf experience, can scarcely be classed as fully competent journeymen. The Court has therefore prescribed a .wage of 8s a day, or Is an hour, for those who have completed their term of apprenticeship, this rate to bo paid to them for tba first twelve months after coming out of their time, and it has prescribed a rate of 9s aj day, or Is l.jd an hour, for the second twelve months,'thus practically permitting a term of two years’ improvership at the rates just set forth. At the conclusion of the two years, those men ought to have gained sufficient experience to be worth tha full journeymen’s wage. If any individual has not. then he can apply for a certificate under the incompetent workers’ clause. Tho Court is of opinion that the planning and laying of new carpets, linoleum, and so on,, is upholsterers’ work, but ncti the taking up and re-laying of old carpets;; linoleum and smu.ar articles. .Mattressmakers were dealt with in the former award, and also in the Board's recommendations. The Court has fixed their wages at 8s 6d a day.

The Coiirt has considered the application of employers in Timaru and the surrounding districts, and the evidence adduced at Timaru. No evidence, it states, has been placed before it by the Union in reference to those country employers, and it considers that the circumstances are such as to fully warrant it in restricting the area of the' award to those employers . within a radius of twenty-five miles of tho Chief Post Office at Christchurch. The Court is satisfied that as conditions are at present, it cannot, -without doing injustice to tho employers in Timaru, and the adjacent towns, make, the present award applicable to them, and the evidence taken by the Court at Timaru established that there is, in fact, no dispute existing between workers and employers in those districts. The award is therefore limited to an area of twentyfive miles from the Christchurch Post Office.

If, liter on, the circumstances which have been brought to the Court’s notice by the Timaru employers are changed, and competition between the two places can be placed on a more equal footing, it will be open to any party to the award to apply to the Court to bring those country employers under its conditions. Overtime work will be between 5 p.m. and 7.30 a.m.' Time and a quarter will be paid up to 9 p.m. ; time and a half from 9 p.m. to 7.50 a.m. ; double time on Sundays, Good Friday and Christmas Day ; time and a half on Easter Monday, the sovereign’s birthday. New Year’s Day, Anniversary Day, Boxing Day and Labour Day. Subject to previous provisions, apprentices and journeymen alone shall be recognised. Apprentices shall serve an apprenticeship of live years, and shall be indentured, throe months’ trial to be allowed before indenturing. Apprentices shall he paid for. each and every year of their apprenticeship as follows;—First year, Ss a week ; second, 10s ; third, 15s ; fourth, ill ; lifth, £1 sa. The proportion of apprentices shall be one to every three journeymen or fraction of three. For the purpose of determining the number of apprentices, the number of journeymen taken into account must have been employed by the employer in the establishment for at least two-thirds full time for the preceding six months.

Piecework is prohibited. All travelling- expenses and time when travelling shall bo paid by the employer, who shall also provide and keep a suitable number of benches, era-nips, handscrews and gluepots for the men employed, as well as a suitable grindstone. Xo man shall make goods for sale on his own account while in the full time employment of any employer. Employers are allowed to employ boy* at such wages as they think fit to stack timber, to clean up workshops, and so on. If any employer shall, from any unforeseen cause, be unable -to fulfil his obligation to an apprentice, the latter may complete his term with another employer, and such employer may take the apprentice, notwithstanding that he has already the full numher of apprentices allowed by the award. Arrangements legally existing'between employers and apprentices at the date of the award shall not be prejudiced by it. Preference of employment is’ given to Unionists. The award will coma into force on Sept. 15, 1802, and will continue until Sept. 15, 1904. ians. Townendls Tasteless Soothing Powders, for children teething, etc., will relievo swollen or tender gums, interrupted sleep, diarrhoea, sickness, constipation, etc., and prevent convulsions. Sold everywhere, Is. W. P. Town etui, 183, Colombo Street, Christchurch. Y 2521 Don’t fail to try Bycroft’s Otc-am Crackers, 6d per 3b, at Wardeli’s* 10