THE TAILORESSES' AWARD.

North Otago Times, 25 January 1906, Page 2

THE TAILORESSES' AWARD.

. By Telegraph. : Duiicdin, January 24. The Arbitration Court gave -its decision this afternoon on the application of 1 the Inspector of Factories foi uu inter--1 prctation" of clauses 0, 10 and I.J of the award made in the tailorcsscs ui'puteiv latin? to the minimum wage. Il»<uurl was'asked; Docs the section o'i H) govern the fixing of the 1 il workers, or only those, who i ay age earnings exceed 25s .per week if it [' governs all workers is it nee •. > mi the worker, whose average >v:y .s lis, than-25s per week and who is n.i lu'l with her employer's 'adjustm it to ol tain a permit trom the chairman ( in ■ Conciliation Hoard? The Court unlit d The general scheme bf the award i> to i retain the existing rate of wigc vhili ■ commuting piece workers' wages ,nto weekly wages. Clause 9 should pne use to no difficulty where the employ's , books stow that a piece worker lutein ' cafnijig al'ibvp 25s per week. ■ TV nn<. ' lion asked'arises in a case ueii, on ' examination a piece worker.is found to have been earning, less than 2os as ha t " full time earnings," The figures would ■ then show presumably that she was not • capable of earning 25s when, work ng lull . time. We think that in such case she musti bo treated cither as an undur <• ite worker under clause 8 n« as an impiovci and that'it is competent, for the ihuir nip so to decide without a fiesh a,ipli patjon.' It was. not intended that a \m\ cr'B' wage shou)d b'p permanently l \u\ below'2ss under clauses 9 and 10, ut this might he the effect of acting widr-i these clauses alone without refi rence to clause 8. Clause Bis the appropriate clause for so fixing a lower wage than Plat prescribed by clause .-?;■ and the only one. In this connection we would point out for the guidance of the chairman, first- thaj clause "8 applies to all classes of workers wittiout exception, and, sc coiulh, that clauseh relating to improves refer to " her first (qr secqnd) year pf service" As in the case of apprui (ices tins ycai may be computed by making if. up ouf of the time actuall) worked