AWARD CLAIMS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 25029, 20 October 1944, Page 7

AWARD CLAIMS

MILK ROUNDSMEN RATES FOR SUNDAY WORK Award claims which remained unsettled after conciliation proceedings were presented to the Arbitration Court, before Mr Justice Tyndall, yesterday by the Auckland Milk Roundsmen's Union (Mr Purtell). Mr W. E. Anderson represented the employers. Mr Purtell said the matters in dispute were claims for double-tiine rates for Sunday work, at present included in the ten ordinary working days of the fortnight; 80 hours of work on ten consecutive days, instead of the 88 hours provided in the present award; overtime rates for work done before 4 a.m.; and an extra os a week for relieving roundsmen. At Ministerial direction, roundsmen at present started work at 2 a.m. in the summer and 3 a.m. in winter, said Mr Purtell. They had to he off the road at 7.30 a.m. at present and at 8.30 in winter. He contended that they were in an anomalous position, as other workers received double-time rates for Sundays and penal rates for work before 4 a.m. He said the finishing hours were fixed by the Auckland Metropolitan Milk Council. "Of all the economies brought about, by zoning and front-gate delivery, not , one penny has been passed back to the , public or the union men," added Mr Purtoll. Mr Anderson said that in 1943 the union's claim was for a 3 a.m. start 1 The question of extra pay for Sunday . work was argued in 1943. Sunday was one of the ordinary working days of , roundsmen and they had other days I off in the fortnight. This was taken . into account when the wages were fixed. ' By limiting the starting time to 4 a.m., the union would whittle the actual weekly working hours to 26i in the summer and 31J in the winter. In 1931, a roundsman received £4 0s a week and bonus for loose milk and - £4 18s for bottled milk, working a 48hour week, spread over seven days. He had 21 days' holiday. Now ho had the

equivalent of a 40-hour, five-day week, 14 days' holiday and nine statutory holidays. He received £5 10s a week. He submitted that the Court had no power to fix the starting time. The compensation for the early start was to be found in the wages. "The prices of milk are fixed rigidly, after the costs of production and distribution have been taken into account," continued Mr Anderson. "It is fair to assume that the present wages and conditions leave no more than a fair margin of profit for the vendors." He said zoning and front-gate delivery had made the roundsman's work much easier. It would not be possible to alter the hours or wages without disregarding stabilisation. Decision was reserved. VALUE OF DWELLING APPEAL BEFORE COURT An appeal against the decision of the Auckland Urban Land Sales Committee, fixing the basic value of a twostorey dwelling on lr 2.6p of land at the corner of St. Stephen's Avenue and Judge Street, Parnell, at £5449, was heard before the Land Sales Court .yesterday. Mr Justice Fin lay presided and with him were Mr W. Stewart and Mr W. E. Scott, The appellant was Albert Ronald Brown, of Hamilton, from whom the property was purchased at auction for £6OOO by Violet Lelion Williamson. Consent to the sale at this price had been sought from the committee. A private valuer, F. A. Jarrett. assessed the value of the land at £I9OO, buildings £3900, improvements £llO. and chattels £124, a total of £6094. An architect's valuation of the buildings only was £4261. A Crown valuer, C. W. Chilcott. valued the land at £1770, the buildings at £2860 and improvements at £l5O. a total of £4780. He did not value the chattels. In fixing the basic value at £5449 the committee had accepted £I9OO as the value of the section and £3294 for the buildings. Most of the evidence before the Court related to the value of the buildings.' Decision was reserved.