“DEVOID OF ANY MERIT"

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXI, 13 January 1938, Page 8

“DEVOID OF ANY MERIT"

PROCEEDINGS AGAINST MOTOR COMPANY PAYMENT FOR CORONATION DAY COSTS GIVEN AGAINST UNION [By Telegraph—Press Association] WELLINGTON. This Day. "It is not usual to award costs in these cases but I propose to do so in this instance,” said Mr Luxford, S.M., in his judgment in a case in which the Wellington Coachmakers’ Union sued the Ford Motor Company of New Zealand for wages which the union considered should have been paid for Coronation Day. "The proceedings were commenced without rotice to the defendants nearly six months after the allied breach, and arc devoid not only of legal merit but of any merit at all.' In the course of his judgment the Magistrate said the award specifically differentiated between hourly workers and workers paid on a weekly basis. Workers employed at the hourly rate were entitled to be paid for each hour or part of hour they worked. The unit of working time was an hour. The words "shall be paid in full weekly” did no more than fix the interval of time between each pay out. "Industrialists and their workers forwent their right to earn profits and wages respectively on Coronation Day because it is a rare event of national importance and of special significance to every subject of the British Commonwealth. ’ Judgment for fees and witnesses’ expenses was given.