COMPLYING WITH AWARDS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15685, 12 August 1914, Page 4

COMPLYING WITH AWARDS

BOOT MANUFACTURERS.

COMPLAINT OF DIFFICULTIES.

; Owing to so many young men volunteering for active Fervico, some Auckland" employers . stato that they are finding great difficulty in complying with the terms of .'the Arbitration Court's awards under which they conduct their business. A member, of a boot manufacturing firm stated yesterday that in one department in the factory three journeymen and an apprentice, who was bound for six years, were employed. The apprentice, who had one year more to serve, left to join tho expeditionary force. Ho inquired all over tho city for a man to (ill the vacancy, but was unable to find one. Even tho union could not supply a man. In order to get over the difficulty lie then applied to tho union executive to bo allowed to take on a boy, whom ho undertook would bo taught the trade in a thorough manner.' Tho executive would not hear of this, ho stated, holding that the young man who had enlisted was still an apprentice until his time had expired, about a year hence. Therefore, another apprentico could not bo taken on as that would bo equal to two apprentices to the thrco journeymen, and would constitute a breach of tho award.

"If I am not allowed to put on this boy," said tho manufacturer, "it will moan that I will have to put off six or eight of tho other employees. One department is dependent on another, so that the department from which the apprentice left will be unablo to turn out sufficient material for the higher departments, and their staffs will have to bo reduced proportionately. A number of tho men aro married, and they have nothing beyond their weekly wage, so that it will come very hard upon them if their services are temporarily dispensed with." lite matter was mentioned at a meeting of Auckland boot manufacturers, and it was decided to urgo the Government to suspend the ojwration of awards during the present crisis.