ARBITRATION COURT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 13048, 13 December 1905, Page 3

ARBITRATION COURT.

SEAMEN'S DISPUTE. The Arbitration Court, consisting of His Honor Mr. Justice Chapman (president), and Messrs. J. Slater and R. Brown, sat yesterday for the second day to hear a dispute between the Auckland section of the Australasian Federated Seamen's Industrial Union of Workers, and the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand, the Northern Steamship Company, the Northern Union Steamboat Company, Ltd., of Helens and other shipping companies, trading in the provincial district of Auckland. The statement of dispute comprised some 47 clauses. The wages demanded per month are:A.B.'s, £7; trimmers, £7; greasers, £9; firemen, £9; donkeymen. £10; lamp-trimmers, and boatswains, £8 boys, £2 10s and £2. The union demanded overtime between certain hours, on Sundays, and on holidays, and desired the Court to fix the hours of labour at sea.

Mr. W. Belcher appeared for the Seamen's Union, and Mr. J. R. Kneen for the local employees. Messrs. C. Ranson and W. Laird appeared for the Northern Steamship Company, Mr. J. F. Kirby for the Union Steam Ship Company, Mr. Grosvenor for the Employers' Association, and Mr. J. Harrison for the Settlers' Steamship Company.

John Stewart, fireman, said that he had wqrked on ' a tugboat that towed timber from Auckland to Kennedy's Bay and Mercury Bay. Ho was paid £9 10s per month and found. The watches were six hours while at sea, which meant working 14 or 16 hours. No overtime was paid in that vessel. To the Bench: His hours when towing would •bo somewhat irregular. Ho had been with the Union Company, but there were no six-hour watches, except in time of sickness. Ho averaged eight hours with that company. Frederick J. Walker said he had been employed as trimmer on the Ngapuhi, and had received £7 10s a month. He estimated the hours he worked per day in that trade at 12 hours; no overtime was paid. On the.West. Coast trade he worked six-hour watches. Edward Draper, a fireman with 14 years' experience, said that he had been engaged on the Australian coast and the New Zealand coast. He had been engaged in the Bob Roy and Kawau, trading ou't of Auckland. On the Rob Boy, running between Auckland and Waipu, he received £6 10s per month, and he used to work from 12 to 14 hours per day. . To Mr. Kirby: It was a much easier job with the Union Steam Ship Company than on the boats where they worked 14 hours a day. They knew what they had to do with the Union Company. This closed the case for the Seamen's Union.

Angus Campbell McMasters, acting chief > -engineer of the s.s. Manuka, said that after arriving in port there was in his department j. four hours' work that should bo don© by fire- ' men in connection with the engines and machinery. , T-r^ 0 * 111 'Sinclair, four years on the s.s. ; .Wanaka, as second engineer, produced returns signed by the firemen during the . months of January last year and May of this year. The witness said that the reason ; tho donkeyman received £1 more than other men on the boats was that he was supposed . to get up steam as well as his other duties. j At tho outside, if ho was paid overtime for that work, ho would only receive 15s a week ; extra. lie remembered the Union Company ( issuing a circular, pointing out that the donkeyman should receive an hour for lunch. ■ .._ -Thomas A. Douglas, chiei officer s.s. ; Wanaka, also produced times taken. Mr. Belcher examined the witness at length as to the accuracy of the times produced, but the witness adhered to his former statement, that tho time-sheets were signed every day. Mr. Eanson said he would call evidence, mainly with a view to seeing how the Northern ».!*. Company would suffer if tho wishes of the seamen were granted. The conditions under which the men now worked were the same as when the present award was made in 1902. They further objected to the applications on the ground that there was more opposition now than then. He pointed out the reduced railway freights to Waihi Thames, etc., which affected their trade with those districts. Touching on the question of overtime he pointed out the decision arrived at by the Arbitration Court in 1902 that no overtime should bo paid within river limits. He would call evidence to show that the jobs on the nver*boats without overtime were much sought after in preference to overtime in the sea-going boats. The men on these river boats had many privileges that men on the sea-going boats did no* enjoy. -the company had made provision in their counter proposals that boys might be employed in the stokeholds on the small boats In these provisions was also a .clause asking that ■ the firemen on the river steamers Should bo classified into two classes and paid accordingly. - The Court at this stage adjourned until halt-past ten this morning.