ARBITRATION COURT.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 173, 23 June 1936, Page 10

ARBITRATION COURT.

HOURS OF AVORK

Per Press Association

WELLINGTON, June 22. The task of making fixtures for the several hundred applications relating to hours of work in many industries, made by both employers and employees all over New Zealand, pursuant to the recent industrial legislation, faced the Arbitration Court when it sat to-day, Mr Justice Page presiding.. The sitting was a special one, and the applications were filed under Section 3 of tno f actories Amendment Act, 1936, and Section 20 of the industrial. Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Act, 1936, representatives of the workers and employers being fully taxed with applications for early fixtures. Suggestions by the advocates drew from tap Judge the procedure the Court intended adopting alter these early applications are disposed of. The Court proceeded to deal with the list of applications in alphabetical order. Fixtures, said the Judge, would be made for approximately three weeks. A little later it is the intention of the Court to see how this allotment of time works out and then make some further appointments. The first case called was the \Vanganui Aerated Water and Ice Cream Company, which sought an extension of hours under the Factories Act. Mr 0. A. Watts, of tin;' federated Boot Trade Industrial Association of Workers, immediately raised ttie question of whether preference should liegiven to applications under the f actories Amendment Act. He contended that the Court was required by legislation to give priority to I.C. and A. Act applications. Mr Justice Page: What do you mean, “required?” , , Mr Watts : I suggest that the legislation makes it imperative for the Court to hear applications under the I.C. and A. Act first. The Judge said that Section 21 of that Act stated that applications were to he dealt with as soon as possible. “] might say,” added Mr Justice Pago, “that prior to making these fixtures for to-day the Court held an informal discussion with certain representatives of the employers and of the workers with a view -to formulating some plan to get through this fairly substantial amount of work that faces us, and we decided then to deal with the Factories' Act applications and the I.C. and A. Act applications concerning factories conjointly, and, having disposed of that hit, then we propose to go on with the other applications under the I.C. and A. Act that do not deal with factories. Mr Watts: I was not aware that the Court had already considered the matter.

A later message says that the Arbitration Court lias now dealt with approximately 300 applications and mack fixtures up to, and including, August

THE FREEZING INDUSTRY’

Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, June 22.

Wtili regard to the freezing workers’ dispute, it is officially explained that the agreement which was reached on Saturday night provides for a reversion to the wages as in the 1931 awards and agreements, subject to the adjustments necessitated by the chain system of slaughtering, which was not followed in 1931. It is hoped that Court will only have to adjust matters and clauses which may be still in dispute. The Court will be asked, and the parties reserve the right to argue, whether the industry will be worked oil 40 or a 44-hour week and whether, in arriving at the wages payable, the employers have the right to take into calcution the new legislative provision regarding holidays and so forth. The wages clauses operate from July 1, hut the other conditions from the date when the Court makes the a w*ard. ORDER OF REFERENCE. EXPLAINEd’bY MINISTER. Per Press Association. • CHRISTCHURCH, June 22. The order of reference given to the Arbitration Court for its guidance in

declaring the basic wage rates to be fixed under tbe Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Act indicated that tbe Government wanted higher rates than those that existed in Australia, said the Minister of Labour (Hon. H. T. Armstrong) in an interview to-day. Thq Court, said the Minister, was required to take into consideration the condition of industry—not the condition of any particular industry but industry as a whole —and the basic wage

for the male worker must be sufficient to provide a reasonable standard ot living for a man with a. wife and three children. There must be thousands of workers not at present members ot unions who could benefit by the basic wage provisions, said the Minister, and it was to tlifeir advantage to get into the unions. . . The question of apprentices over ttie age of 21 years being entitled to receive a basic wage was mentioned to the Minister, who said lie was at present investigating the position so fa.r as it affected apprentices. All apprentices v not affected in the same wav, us many of them were not properlv indentured. One case which liad come under his notice was that ot a man 21 years of age who had been apprenticed for only two years although he had been with the same firm for five years. He was at present receiving a wage of £2 a week, and the question arose as to whether lie was entitled to be paid the basic wage .Such cases sa d the Minister, would be provided ioi in the new Apprentices Bill, "hudiJie intended to bring down alter obtaining tlie views of the representatives ol the employers and workers. Questioned regarding the position of young people over tbe age of 21 years who were employed under awards but were not apprentices, the Munster said they definitely would be entitled to it ceive the basic wage.