THE ARBITRATION COURT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11824, 29 November 1901, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE ARBITRATION COURT.

JUDGE COOPER ON PREFERENCE TO UNIONISTS.

At the sitting of the Arbitration Court at Wellington, the president, Mr. Justice Cooper, made some remarks with regard to the oft discussed question of preference of employment to unionists. One of the demands of the Painters' Union asked that when a nonunionist was engaged by an employer on account of the union not being able to supply a man of equal ability, within 12 months thereafter the union should have the right to supply a man provided the person first employed declined to join the union, and that this should apply to non-union men now employed. His Honor, referring to this, said, he would never be a party to the insertion of such a clause in any award. This would compel a, workman to join the union or else lose his employment, and would bo neitheri right nor just. Preference would be granted to members of a union which had an open door, but not to such an extent as this demand asked.

Wellington', November 27.

The Arbitration Court delivered its award in the drivers' dispute to-day. Two classes of labour are dealt with in the award, and an all round increase of wages and decrease of hours is" ordered. The secretary of the union estimates that the drivers of Wellington, Petoue, and Hutt, who number between 500 and 600. will benefit to the extent of some £13,000 per annum. About i6O employers were parties to the case. The Arbitration Court, in its award in the farriers and blacksmiths' dispute, fixes the week's work at 46 hours, the minimum rate of wages to be 10s a day for farriers and smiths, and 8s 6cl a day for floormen. All boys taken on after the 30th inst. are to be indentured for six years if retained at the expiry of three month-' probation. In the building trades' labourers' dispute, the week's work is fixed at 45 hours. All men assisting bricklayers, plasterers, and masons, shall be paid a minimum of Is Id an hour, general labourers, Is an hour, and scaffold-builders, Is 2d an hour. Boys shall only be employed in the proportion of one to every four labourers, but apprentices assisting journeymen are not affected by this clause.

The Conciliation Board's recommendations for the settlement of the dispute in the grocery trade proposes that the minimum weekly wage shall be: Shops, 'where there are more than three employees, £3 10s for the first counter-hand, £3 for the second counter-hand, and £2 5s for thirdclass hands, and those below them, where less than three men are employed, £2 10s for the first and £2 5s for the second hand. Where an employer is regularly employed in the shop at ordinary work, he shall be classed as first shopman. The indenturing of apprentices shall not be compulsory, but if indentured a buy must nt: be less than 15 years of age, and the term of apprentice ship shall be four or live years.

Dl-nedlv, November 27.

The Conciliation Board filed its recommendation in the dredgemen's disputeEight hours are recognised as shift time, beyond that to be overtime, except rime not exceeding one hour in washing mats. Minimum wage in. the Molyneaux and gorges above Roxburgh is to be 10s; below Roxburgh, 8s ; in the rest of the industrial district, 8s ; shifts to go round, except in the Molyneaux and Awarua, where the engineer will be on day shift. No cadet is to work in the dredge hands' shift unless paid full wages ; wages to be paid monthly ; four holidays are to be observed. For Sunday and holiday work double rates to bt paidin the iron and brass moulders' dispute the minimum wage, is fixed at Is 3d per hour. The apprentices are to be in the proportion of one to three men in iron moulding and one to one in brass moulding. Preference is given to unionists.