ARBITRATION COURT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13488, 15 May 1907, Page 5

ARBITRATION COURT.

The Arbitration Court,- consisting of Mr. Justice Sim (president) and Messrs. R. Slater and S. Brown, continued its Auckland sittings at / ten o'clock/ yesterday morning. ' j Mr. Jones, appearing on behalf of the | Auckland Cooks and Stewards' Union, j applied for the provisions of the cooks and stewards' award in Wellington j to be extended the Union Company 1 here. Mr. W. Scott, : appearing •on behalf J of the eonsented, and the appli- l cation was granted . accordingly." ■;■ i THE SLAUGHTERMEN'S DISPUTE. Referring to- the slaughtermen's dispute, Mr. Bust the union's representative; stated that the union and the employers had succeeded in coming to an. agreement as re- j gards the freezing portion of the demands, but there was positively no hope of arrivI ing at a settlement in 'connection with the j shop trade slaughtering. - He asked the Court to fix a date for the hearing of the \ case, which would occupy ;at least a .day I Xand.a-lialf. \ . ■ • __ ' His Honor: If takes a day and a-half' it will have' to stand over until the Court ' comes back in September. / . . Mr. Scott, .who appeared for the. employers, pointed out that an agreement existed in Canterbury in regard■-.to the 1 shop slaughtering . trade, but the ■ Court had ' , so.far never made any a ward in respect to this branch of the trade.. . . ;../It was ultimately decided that the terms agreed upon in regard to the; freezers, ; should be made into an award, Mr. Bust i withdrawing the rest of the demands relating to the local trade.'- Mr. Bust mado mention of getting a special Conciliation Board set. up to consider the withdrawn demands, and at Ids request the Court re- ! commended that if anything was done,. as suggested,. the parties : should'>■ abide '. by whatever decision was" arrived at" WESTFTELD MANURE WORKERS.', Mr. Arthur Rosser, appearing on T>ehalf. of the men in the Westtield manure 'workers' dispute, presented a signed agreement, • which had been arrived at with the em- ■ I':plovers', and ashed that it be converted into an award. "This was done. The new award provides for 48 hours' work j per week, . including an hour .for. dinner. The wages for adults to belled per hour, and to be paid oh Friday in each week. The agreement provides for ;' usual holidays and overtime at the: rate of time and a-quarter j lot the iim three hours, after which time ; and a-half will be paid. The carrying of : ] all material of 100 tons or over arriving by .-! 1 rail, is to be paid for at not less than Is i I per hour. There is to be no discrimination j l as- between- unionists' and non-unionists, the j company -to haVe a • free hand in engaging :men. / I'Jach employee shall, however, -with-, in 30 days' of 'engagement be required to, become a member of the union. The agreement is to be for three years..- , ' ./ .CLAIM FOR COMPENSATION. / i Judgment ' was"given in the compensation - i case in which -Ellen"Ann Summerfield was I' the claimant" and David Henderson,'?Lusk ;: and; Newell Wm. Butler Lusk' were the rejj spondents. The .claimant /was the j; widow j and; administratrix vof James Summerfield, j who died on August zo, 1905, through inj juries received, the previous day , while ■ engaged in bushfelling for/the respondents, at Mairoa Court found that the only I ';'points; in dispute 'i were /whether - deceased >j ! was. a, worker within . the meaning ~, of -the j j Workers' Compensation for Accidents Act, j 1900,. or a contractor. If a contractor,; ,claimant was not /entitled to .compensation.j The. Court , decided I that Summerfield; v with a! man .named MeKenßie,-had agreed to cut j v. specified area of .bush-at a specified'price,.! aftd jwere. contractors'.and not -pieceworkers, :' -was not entitled to compensation, and the application would ibe dismissed. ■ r - -v ■ . - ' Mr. Reed, appearing on behalf of the re- i spondents. said he would not apply for costs. •' Major Lusk, recognising that there was a • moral responsibility, . had paid £200 i to (the/widow. .".-.'•. .- - ■ / -./-:' "."*';. .'."■'•'.._.-■■., ■ ~,-'': ;'■ .■ '■- // ■'.."; WATERSIDE WORKERS'' DISPUTE. The hearing of the waterside workers'' dispute was continued. Mr. R. F. Way ! appeared in support of the men's case, arid I Messrs. W. Scott"' (of Dunedin). and W. G. ' , Smith (secretary- of the : r Auckland ' Shipmasters' Association") on "behalf of the employers ' : ; '-'-V'.'- . :/:- /v' ; '>' : -V ; ' ; -". : :- - : ; ; Mi'. 'D. McLaren, of Wellington, gave further evidence, I after which Mr. Way closed his case. > ' . . j. Mr. Smith, in opening the case for the employers,'stated; that the v relatious: be- j tween the . men .and the; .employers had j been of a most friendly character for some considerable time past.; Years ago a union was /formed, but it soon ceased to exist, simply because there was nothing for it to do. The union was reformed within the List three or four ' months, and the present dispute was the result. There did not appear to be a genuine ring about it, and it simply appeared* to have been brought for- j ward to justify the union's existence, and to induce the men o nthe wharf to join it. Now that the Court'had been appealed to, the -employers, who had : long ■;■, been dis satisfied and handicapped; by Wellington, being on better terms than themselves, had decided to apply to the Court for the Wellington award. The work in the two ports was : much about ■ the same. ,: Great stress had/ been laid ;on , tho fact . that / Lhe. j men were not asking for any serious increases in wages, but the demands were more serious than had been represented, as there were six instances in.which the union asked for increased overtime. .They :also asked for an ' extra 5s per night for' nightwatchmen, which would bring their total earnings up to £5 per week. -The men here were/ the best paid in the colony, and their work- j ing conditions [were superior because the I weather was better here than in the South. " | The cost of living in Auckland was also cheaper than ~ elsewhere. The employers i also strenuously-/ opposed such a .thing as preference to unionists. .;""' Evidence was then called in support of the" employers' counter-proposals, and the further hearing of the dispute was adjourned "until ten o'clock ; this ! morning.