ARBITRATION COURT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11840, 18 December 1901, Page 6

ARBITRATION COURT.

BUILDING TRADE DISPUTE. The Arbitration Court opened its Auckland sittings yesterday at the Supreme Court. The president, Mr. Justice Cooper, presided, having with him Mr. S. Brown and Mr. R. Slator.

The first case on the list was the dispute between the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners and the Master Builders' Association and the Sa <-millers' Union. The following parties were present:—Mr. A. Rosser, Mr. S. Tyson and Mr. J. Thompson. representing the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners; Mr. A. Pollard, Mr. S. J. Clarke and Mr. Jno. Davie, representing the Master Builders' Association: .Mr. T. H- White, Mr. Thomas Herbert and Mr. H. W. Smith, representing the Sawmillers' Union. Several builders were present on their own behalf. The employees filed a long statement of their demands, but it is expected that the majority of the clauses will pass without serious " objection. The sawmiflers confine their objections to the rates of pay asked and the apprenticeship clause, while the master builders are with the employees iu their endeavour to get the same conditions imposed on factories as on builders employing carpenters and joiners outside. Following are the clauses on which tne dispute will mostly turn: — Except as mentioned in next clause, the recognised hours of work of journeymen carpenters and joiners shall be from eight a.m. to five p.m. on every week day except Saturday (ono hour to be allowed each day for dinner), and on Saturday from eight a.m. to noon. In factories in which the whole of the work performed by the journeymen carpenters and joiners employed is performed in the factory of the employer, the recognised hours of work shall he from half-past seven a.m. to five p.m. on every week day, except Saturday (ono hour each day to be allowed for dinner) and on Saturday from half-past seven a.m. to noon. All journeymen carpenters, joiners or journeymen carpenters and joiners shall be paid not less than Is 'Id per hour for ordinary working time. All wages shall be paid weekly either on the job or at the employer's place of business, but wherever paid they shall be paid to the workmen not latter than 15 minutes after leaving off work. Every employer shall provide and keep a suitable grindstone for the use of his journeymen, and every journeyman shall at all times keep his tools in proper order.

When men who have been employed for not less- than four weeks are discharged, one hour shall be allowed them to put their tools in order.

All boys shall bo apprenticed by deed of apprenticeship either to learn a particular branch or particular branches of the trade, or to learn the trade generally. If to learn one branch only, the period of apprenticeship shall be four years. If to learn more than one branch, the period shall be five years. Any employer shall, before taking a boy as apprentice, be entitled to take him for three months on probation, and if at tho end of such probation the boy becomes a bound apprentice such period of -hreo months shall bo reckoned as part of the period of apprenticeship which, under this paragraph, the boy has to serve. Apprentices Who, on June 27, 1900, were serving an apprenticeship without a deed of apprenticeship, may complete such apprenticeship, but it shall be incumbent on the employer with whom such apprentice was serving to give notice in writing to the secretary or president of the union within one calendar mouth from the date of this award of the name of such apprentice and of the period when his services began and when it is to end. The wages to be paid to apprentices shall be during the first year of their apprenticeship not less than 5s during each week: during the sccond year, not less than 10s per week: during the third year, not less than 15s per week; during the fourth year, not less than £1 per week: and during tho fifth year, not less than £1 5s per week.

Employers shall, in tho engagement of workmen, employ members of the union in preference to non-members. The union shall keep a book to be known as the unemployed book, in a convenient place not more than one mile from the post office in Queenstreet. It shall be open for the inspection of employers or their foremen without fee or charge from eight a.m. to five p.m. oil five working days of the week and-on Saturdays from eight a.m. to noon. Each member out of employment shall sign his name and address in such book, also state by whom he was last employed, and oil obtaining employment he shall give notice in such book. Mr. Clarke said the Builders' Association objected to this clause on the ground that the same hours should rule in factories as in building. Mr. Rosser said in the wages clause the employees asked for an advance of 2d per hour. The employees wore of opinion that as nearly as possible a uniform rate of wage should bo given in the four centres of New Zealand, and the Is 4d per hour asked for was the generally accepted rate in the South. Up to the present, however, lower wages had ruled in the factories than given bv builders, the rates under the old award being 8s per day .1 the factories and 9s 4d in building. The employees asked for the same rate all through and would lead evidence to show thai, factory work came m competition with the work done outside and that the same wage should lie pa;' J.hey also asked for weekly payment of wages.

His Honor pointed out that the distinction made in Mr. Justice Edwards' award between factory toon and outside joiners was that the former had continuous employment, and therefore did not need so high a scale of wages. , , . ~ Mr. Rosser said he would bring evidence to show that work in the factories was not continuous. Mr Rosser opened the case for the employees. Ho said there were three parties to the case, and points in dispute between each of them. The first clause was iroio the old award. The second clause was agreed to by the Sawmillers' Association bu„■ not by the Builders' Association. , 'Dealing next with the apprenticeship clause, Mr. Rosser said the union considered this the crux of the whole question. I hey wished boys to have an opportunity o thoroughly learning the trade. inis naci Hot been the case in the past. His Honor: You do not ask for any limitation of the number of apprentices. Mr. Rosser: No; we hold tnat no emplover in his right senses would undertake obligations to teach the trade to a greater number of boys than he bud work for. His Honor: You think the limitation oi number will be sufficiently conserved: by the obligation to teach. Mr. Rosser: Yes. His Honor: In many oases the unions have insisted on apprenticeship, and also limitation of the number, and 1 am glad to fin you think the apprenticeship the more important of the two. Mr. Rosser spoke in support of the preference to unionists clause, stating that in some quarters unionists had been discriminated against, though not all round. Evidence was then heard in support of the union case. Harry Burrage said he was a joiner, employed in Mr. W. E. Hutchison's shop, whore the hours were 44 a week, and the pay 9s 4d per day. t':e work being similar to mill work. He. thought men working in the factories should have the same pay as outside joiners. His employer was handicapped in having to compete with the factories. He thought the Is 4d per hour asked for was reasonable, being the same as is paid in Wellington. Dunedin, and Christchurch. He did not think there was much difference in the cost of living in the various cities. He approved of the apprenticeship clause. ]5y Mr. White: Nearly all the time he bad been with Mr. Hutchison lie had been employed inside. He was employed outside some months, but not during the past two years. Mr. Hutchison had the right to send him outside. By Mr. Davis : He was aware that 15 out of every 20 carpenters in Auckland had no workshop, and under such conditions a boy could not learn the joinery department, which was the must important part of the trade. . By Mr. Rosser: If the factories had to nay the same wages as builders there would then be an inducement to trie builders to start workshops.

George Heap, carpenter and joiner, said he had experience of both inside and outside work. Hp had never known of inside men being paid less than outside men. In Australia joiners as a rule were paid rather mure. He considered his employer was handicapped by having to pay more wages to his men than is paid in the factories, and he believed that deterred his employer from doing joinery work.

By Mi'. White: He was at one time employed in the Kauri Timber Company's factory at 9s fid a day, the standard rate for outside work at that time being K)s. The union at that time approved of the rale in factories being 6d a day less than the rate for outside work. A number of the men were at that time kept working on stock by the Kauri Timber Company, in order to keep the staff going. To make good kauri joinery it was an advantage that good stocks should be carried and the timber well seasoned. It had not been customary for factory men to be sent, to outside work, but lie had known of rare cases. By Mr. Davis: lie admitted that there would be better opportunity for boys to learn their trade if every builder had a joiner's shop.

By Mr. Rosser: Ho believed it would pay his employer (Mr. Ellingham) to make stock doors it the wages of factory men were brought up to the- same rate as the wages of outside men. , By Mr. Brown: He did not think the majority of the builders of Auckland would go in for machinery to make joinery; the bigger contractors would.

Thomas Brown, a non-unionist carpenter, said he was al>out six years in the Waiternata Sawmills' factory, at 8s 6d a day, fx! more than in tho award. He was not continuously employed, having to take six or eisiht weeks off every winter, except one. When he left the mill in. June host only the foreman, one youth, and a number of boys were left on. It was acknowledged that outside work was better for a man's health than far airy work. He approved of the apprenticeship clause: in fact, if he had a boy learning the trade he would like to have him indentured.

By .Ma - . White: During the time he was in the Wiritemata Sawmills' factory he had 110 desire for out.-i'le work. Since he left ho had asked Mr. Sims to let hirn know when trade was brisker. The extra sixpence over the rate in the award was given to factory hands voluntarily by the millowners when trado got brisk. The factory work was very comfortable for the employee, and there was ■not so much wear and tear on tools and on a man's clothing as at outside work. By Mr. Davis: A boy indentured to a builder who had no shop would only learti to be a builder. Witness would certainly prefer that his boy should go to a builder who had a shop, so that he would learn to be both a carpenter and a ioiner. By His Honor: He would prefer outside work to inside work at the same rate of pay. The Court at this stage adjourned till halfpast ten to-day.