ARBITRATION COURT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 6622, 11 September 1908, Page 8

ARBITRATION COURT.

THE TAILORS' DISPUTE. EVIDENCE TAKEN. Tho Arbitration Court continued its sittings yesterday, further hearing m tho tailors’ dispute being taken, air Pryor appeared for tho employers ana Mr Muir for tho Tailors Union. AN EXPLANATION. Air Pryor said he wished to _ make an oxjilanation to the Court in regard to a statement he had previously made concerning payment for houdays. When he had said a considerable number of the employers were not paying for holidays he had made a mistake, and he did not wish to mislead the Court. Ho found that a large majority of tailors were paying their employees for holidays, but they wore paying under a misapprehension. They believed they were compelled under the Factories Act to do so. He also wished to state that there had been a considerable amount of ‘ give and take” in regard to overtime, holidays being given for overtime worked. In answer to his Honor Mr Pryor said tho employers would still persist in their claim that no pay he given for holidays. Mr Muir asked for certain parties to be added to tho dispute. He wished also to make clear a point concerning apprentices. An apprentice should bo allowed to press his own work. He then called evidence. A WEEKLY MAN.

William Stephen, said ho was a tailor working for Mr Milligan. He was a weekly man receiving £3 3s per week. There were three other weekly men employed. One of them got £3, one £3 3s, and one £3 ss. He was paid for holidays and all overtime. He bad been constantly employed and it was the custom for weekly men never to get “puf off.” Had he been told that ho would not bo paid for holidays and was liable to bo “put off’’ at various times he would not have taken weekly work. To his Honor: At piece-work he averaged about £3 3s per week. He was one of the fastest men employed. By Mr Muir: Witness considered £3 per -week a fair minimum wage. If a lot of apprentices were employed it tended to put weekly men out of work. By Mr Brown: Mr Milligan employed about twenty men 1 in all. ONE OF THE SLOWEST. In answer to Mr Pryor witness said one of the slowest men in the trade on piece-work would earn about £2 15s. The piece-worker was often compelled to wait for his job; but the weekly man had always something to do. He honestly thought £3 per week a fair weekly wage. He considered that any man, however slow, was w'orth £3 per week. He could not say whether piece-workers wanted to do pressing work. Witness liked to do his own pressing. A boy should not press until he was capable. By his Honor: There were four apprentices at Milligan’s. By Mr Muir; Milligan’s was one of the steadiest places a man could work at.

PRESSING. Percy Gunner said he v.t.s nn apprentice working for Mr Norton. Previously he had been with Mr Rogers. He had been pressing for six girls, and the work took about a day and a half. There were nine men employed at Norton’s. In answer to Mr Pryor witness said it was rather hard on a boy to do thirteen hours (a day and a half) pressing a week. VIOTDJ3SED. W. Waterworth, president of the Tailors’ Union said that upon tho i first award coming into operation pieco-work became general. Prior, to that, weakly wage men were kept going, piece-workers getting the scraps. He averaged then about £T 10s a week. 110 had feecn a victim of the “day wage’ 1 system. He had been employed at a weekly sum in a country town, but when business was slack he was only paid for actual work done. It was taking money out of his pocket. He had not known of an apprentice being taken on at any shop where no weekly man was employed. By Mr Pryor: Ho considered that what tho employers were asking for was a daily wag© and not a weekly w<ige system. preferred PIECE-WORK. In reply to his Honor witness said he objected to the weekly wage because it was in reality only a daily uage. The log had to bo made up and something ever and above what was paid for had to bo turned out. Ho preferred piece-work, because <a man was paid what he earned. Ho referred to masters down South who would not start neu working until they had a week’s work ahead, and sometimes the men had to do five and a half days’ work for five days’ pay. die admitted that this had come under his notice many years ago. He had boon working in AVellington for about eight years. By Air Pryor: Last year witness had averaged £2 8s per week. Air Pryor: And you want the employers to pay £3? By Air Aluir; It "was the practice for tho fastest men to be given the weekly w'ork. SYDNEY CONDITIONS.

George Taylor said he was employployed at Quinton’s. He was a weekly man and got £3 per week and was paid 'for all statutory holidays. In 1902 when he was in Sydney tho Court laid down optional conditions of era-' ploymont. I’rovious to that about 75 or 85 per cent of employees wore piece-worker!. Confusion in the trade was the result of tho award, and the majority of men ceased work. Subsequently the “task” system was adopted. That meant that a man was taken on as a weekly hand but he had- to work to a log. He had in reality to turn out £2 Ids worth of work and received £2 10s wages in return. WORKERS AS SLAVES.

John Hodges, employed at D. Milligan’s, said ho was a piece-worker. It did not pay any piece-worker to observe irregular hours, as he would not havo a chance of earning a wage at all. A “boss” would not keep a man if ho neglected his work. Ho believed in piece-work. It put every man on a level. The weekly system would practically make slaves of the workers. One man would he pitted against, another and tho slow man would, go to the.wall. In slack times tho piece-workers each got a ‘'turn” and this made a fair distribution of work. ■ Nearly every tradesman was, worth £3 a week. Tho fastest men generally got tho preference. THE EMPLOYERS’ SIDE. Thomas Shields, called by Air Pryor, said ho had been in business in Wellington for more than eighteen years., Ho had never paid for statutory holi-’ days. Ho had made enquiries and found that lioldiays were being paid, for by employers under a misappro- : honsion. Ho had also found that the ‘‘give and take” sj-stem was in vogue in regard to overtime. If he was compelled to pay for holidays and overtime lie would have to make it up by reducing tho weekly wage. Ho paid a weekly man £3 5s per week. His piece-workers averaged over £3 a week. He had an apprentice who assisted with pressing. Tho pressing would not tako more than a day and a half at most. It was necessary for boys to learn tho pressing. THE FASTEST MAN IN WELLINGTON. By Air Aluir: Witness ivas not aware that his weekly man was the; fastest man in tho town. He had al-: ways paid overtime rates. It came in handy to have a weekly man because he could look after tho shop when an employer was away. It was not a fact that an apprentice in his shop was used as a general factotum. No further evidence was called. Air Aluir stating that a log had been agreed-upon. "The hearing was adjourned to Napier and other country towns.