ARBITRATION COURT.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4512, 13 November 1901, Page 3

ARBITRATION COURT.

'CL- Court yeAcrduy resumed tin* bearing of Ihe Drivers’ Industrial Fiiiou esses against a large number ol employers «! tin; city and s ul)Urbs. A c Olll promi-c. was arrived at with Mr Ki’llow, repre a-nt mg dir .Master Bakers’ Union, under whlfh the weekly wage of drivers is to h'.’ £2 os lor a • hours period. Mr Chalmers—-who competes as a carrier agahiM, the Government railway between VVellingl on and Ngahauranga—objected to any rise of wages m-mg granted to Ids t wo drivers, who received 30s and ISs respectively. If an increase was given he would he unable to carry on. The latmdrymen wore next heard. Mr Wills objected to £2 ■',* a; being tar too big a wage ; hut Mr 'iy s on, another 'UPployor, told the Court lli.it £2 os pet week was not a penny too mucii. Mr Intiiss. a rarcels delivery employer, entered an eu gloho objection to the demands of the union. ,M r (Irr objected to any concession being made to Mr Imiis-. He competed against oilier branches ol carrying, and he paid only 15b;, per week. An employer paying proper wages should not be asked to compete against ,-uch condt t ions. Mr Isaac, a, baker outside tho Employers* ..ssoem I,t on. appeared to ooject to the preference clause as a matter of conscience. Mr Lyons, ’bus owner, pointed out that, he only worked ids men lit) Hours a week, lor which he paid them dt)s weekly, and boarded and lodged tnem. For extra labour they were paid extra wages. His men had no stable work to do." Other ’bus owners paid only ill per week for the same labour. Mr Orr objected to the method. His union thought that every man snould get his full money and board wherever ho wished- When a man lived on the premises he usually had to work at all sorts of hours. Mr T- 0. Macarthy objected to oemg brought, under the award. Special training was required to lit man for brewery work such as delivering. The preference clause would prevent him from putting on ouo of his properlytrained men to fill any vacancy. As to wages, he paid a greater wage than that stipulated by the union. His Honor intimated that ho would give consideration to Air Macarthy’s objections, but ho pointed but that tho preference clause would become inoperative if the men of the union were not as competent as s omo outside it. Mr orr pointed out that men employed by Messrs Curtis and Co. got a first-class training for such work. Ho admitted that ordinary carters would not do for the work, and added that Mr Macarthy need have no fear that the union would put him to inconvenience. Air Orr asked the Court to reserve power to the onion to later on move to attach the milk-vendors of the city to the award if it should bo considered that they were not fairly treating their employees. Tho president intimated that that course would be taken, as was previously agreed to by the parties interested. This closed the caseTho award will be brought down in a. few days’ time. It will for tho present apply only to AVcllington. and suburbs.