WATERSIDE WORKERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18843, 18 October 1924, Page 12

WATERSIDE WORKERS.

COURT HEAR NG DISPUTE. AIMS OF THE EMPLOYERS. REDUCTION SOUGHT IN WAGES. V»'• ; r; 'V'':' 4 [BT TELEGRAPH. —PB.ESS ASSOCIATION. , , DUNEDIN. Friday. The Arbitration Court was occupied all to-day, and will hie occupied for several more days, with the hearing of the waterside workers' dispute. Owing to the fact that the dispute is largely concerned with repairing work, it has been agreed to take the Dominion hearing in Dunedin, in proximity to the Port Chalmers docks. Mr. J. Roberts is appearing for the Waterside Workers' Federation, and the case for the employers is in the hands of Mr. W. G. Smith, of the Union Steam Ship Com-; pany. A sitting has already been held in Napier, and sittings will be held in other centres after the main evidence has been heard here. The employers are seeking a reduction in wages, and the men are asking for an increase. Mr. Smith opened hi* case to-day, and called the evidence of Captain Munro. of Wellington, and Captain White, of Auckland. "Mr. Roberts afterwards, "developed his side at considerable length. When the Court sat Mr. Justice Frazer referred to the Wellington v Harbour Board taking exception to the hearing of the case in Dunedin, and said thut by agreement of all concerned it wtw arranged that there should be a North Island and South Island sitting. The former was held at Napier, and the latter was . being; held at Dunedin, because of : special ship-repairing work at Port Chalmers. It was unfortunate that public bodies should rush into print without knowledge of facts. The Wellington Board was going to send a protest to the proper quarter, which was Ihe Court, over which no body had jurisdiction. ■ In "the course of his remarks Mr. Smith stated that the employers strongly, opposed calculating overtime on special cargoes. . The federation claimed to have 50 per cent, added. The employers asked a reduction of 2d an' hour on the basic rate, on the grounds (1) that the Court's allowance of 25 per cent, above the basic rate for unskilled labour, to compensate for casualness of employment, was 400 great; (2) that waterside workers had not had actual earnings reduced to the same -ixtent as other workers; (3) that the reduction, while giving a fair living wage, would assist shipowners to meet competition and further" assist primary producers. Referring to the engagement of labour, Mr. Smith stated, that the employ had arranged with the federation to give a trial to a nomination system. This experiment would be tried at* Lyttelton. The employers would have preferred Wellington, but he understood that ■ the waterside workers thfftre objected to being used for an experiment. The employers asked that the award expire on March 31, 1827. If made for two years only it would expire at the busiest time of the year, when neither side could afford time for conciliation proceedings.