ARBITRATION COURT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14280, 31 July 1908, Page 2

ARBITRATION COURT

The Arbitration Court sat again at 10 o'clock yesterday, bis Honor Mr Justice Sim presiding. LETTEKPRESS MACHINISTS' DISPUTE. The first matter brought under the notice of the court was the letterpress machinists' dispute, in which Mr E, Breen appeared tor the workers, .and Mr W. Scott for the employers. The proposals presented by both employers and employees were lengthy, and the following is a joint summary of tie salient points: The workers asked for a. week of 44 hours; the employers for a week of 48 hours. The men asked for £310s a week; the employers offered £2.105. The employers agreed to the men's proposal that an employer is not to bo limited as to the numbor of machines to bo worked by any journeyman. As to holidays in jobbing offices, tlio men asked for Nov Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Easter Monday, King's Birthday, Labour Day, Anniversary Day, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day; tho employers' list left out Easter Saturday and Boxing Day, bub included Show Day. As to apprentices, both parties agreed to a term of six years,' and tho proportion of apprentices to journeymen was t.he same in eaoh Get of proposals, cxccpt that the ompioyers claimed ono for the office. Tho workers put down apprentices' wages at 7s 6d, 12s 6d, 17s 6d, 22s 6il, 27s 6d, and 37s 6(1; the employere' soale was ss, 10s, 15s, 20a, 255, and 3(k The employers asked for a clause providing that should an employer wisdi to dispense with an apprentice lie shall procure him another employer, and also for a clauso for transferring an apprentice owing l to slackness of work. As to overtime, the men asked time and a-t.hird for four hours, then double; the employers' proposal was for simply time and fi-third. The employers agreed to the clause as to incompetent worlSmen, and left tho preference question to tho court. His Honor said he understood the parties' were prepared to hold a conference. Mr Breon replied that the position was that a conferenoc had been held previous to the dispute, and the points were narrowed down to a question of wages. The meeting had been adjourned, with the understanding that the employers would further consider the question of wages and forward a reply to the union, but the only reply that hail been received was to the effect that the employers could not agree to any of the union's claims; so that upset all tho arrangements made. Ho know tho /Wellington award was taken as a basis, and several clauses woro amended, and everything was agroed to so far as that conference was concerned except tho wages. Mr Soott remarked that all the awards were discussed. Mr Breen said he would like to draw tho court's attention to tho fact that on all previous occasions when the had submitted proposals those proposals had been based upon the most recent award. Mr Scott was making a departure to moot his own particular case, and was going back to an award made eight or nine years ago. Mr Scott: I had nothing whatever to do with the proposals, sj Mr Breen: Well, I am speaking of the employers. Ho went on to point out that the custom had been to take the most recent award as a guido, and urged that this should bo done over the present negotiations. Mr Seott said it was not worth while discussing the point- There was not much between tho parties, and he thought they were both prepared to look into the question with an open' mind, and that the matter would be settled. Mr Breen said if tho court recommended the parties to settle as many clauses as they could, and just argue or discuss* matters in dispute, he thought an adjournment till 2.30 would suffice. He was satisfied the dispute could be narrowed down to ono or two points. Mr Scott: It is only a question of wages. The employere don't object to the Welling, ton wages, but what is standing in their way is tho interpretation of tho court in connection with tho word " comiietont," and whether it groups the work instead of the men. It is a question of the 'wording of that clause. His Honor: The Wellington men wore responsible for that. Mr Pirani was responsible for the construction. In order that a coherence may bo hold we will adjourn to half-past 2. Tho court, having resumed at 2.30, Mr Scott, said ho regretted to state that tho parties had been unablo to come to ( a complete agreement. The differences, however, had been roduced to elausos 2 and 7. Clause 2 dealt with wages, and was not itself in dispute, but the wording of it was objected to. Clause 7 referred to relations between, employers and a.pprentioes. Tho employers' proposals in regard to elauso 2 had been: "The wages to bo paid to machinists engaged in the preparation of process work, threc-colour work, or general supervision of tho work of a machine room shall bo not leas than £3 per week, and to other letterpress machinists not less than £2 lOrf por week." Regarding clause 7 tho proposals were:—Employers: "Existing arrangements with or relating to apprentices now serving any employer may continue; provided that any employer wishing such arrangements to oontinuo shall forward tho names of his present apprentices to tho inspector of faotorics within one month after tho filing of this award." Workers: "Arrangements between employers and apprentices existing at the •t,imo of the hearing of this dispute in this oourt shall not be prejudiced, hut any employer now employing any such apprentice otherwise than under indentures shall procure such apprentice to he indentured within three calondar months after tho coming into operation of this award." His Honor asked what difference there was between tho employers' proposal a.ud the Wellington award. Mr Scott stated that t.he employers graded tho work," tho Wellington award tho men. Mr Breen said he was prepared to accept tho Wellington olause as regards wages, but suggested that tho,word "or" bo substituted for tho word " lind," so that tho clause should read: "A machinist to bo competent must have a general knowledge of machinery, and must bo able to do half-tono work, colour work, and mixing of colours, or general commercial work." As matters stood, many men wero quite capable of doing half-tono work, but berause they were not getting opportunities for doing'it were compelled to work for £2 10s a week. Adopting such a oloufe in Diuicdin would mean etsablishing a minimum wago of £2 10s. His Honor: Aro there not any competent machinists here according to tho Wellington definition? , Air Breen: Seventy-five ncr cent, of tho men could do the work. They get £2 10s now. He asked that the Word "or" be inserted. Mr Scott said this meant a minimum wage of £3, ami the employers would not agree to it. Mr Breen: Most of the work being dono in Dunedin is general commercial work. His Honor: How many men have you in the union, and how many liavo a general knowledge of machine and colour work? Mr Breen: Out of about 22 I should think there would bo albout seven or eight. There arc men in shops who are never called upon to do this land of work, though they are quite competent to do it. As to the other clause in question, the union had inserted something on bobalJ of tho present apprentices engaged under existing arrangements. They wanted t.he clause worded so as to effect an inorease in tho wages of tlie boy's now employed. Boys starting a month ago wodld tx) working at a lower wage than those starting a month hence. Tho employers had certainly made an offer, but after all it left nutters ill same position. They preferred the Wellington award, but, wished t,ho word "or" inHis Honor: That will ate tho Wellington clause altogether. Changing " ,W into " ors" make.? a lot of difference. Having conferred with his colleagues, his Honor asked if the men would not be better without the Wellington award, and Mr Breen explained x that they had'agreed for t.he awards to expire simultaneously on September 1, 1909, when t.he federation would be completed. Meanwhile they would prefer it on the lines of the Wellington awardHis Honor hinted that by that time things might have becomo worse. •Mt Breen said they wero prepared to chance that. William Thomas Sterivener was Ihcn called, and described himself as a, letterpress machinist employed .It the ofiicc of the Evening Star, where he got £3 a week. He was capable of doing all classes of machinist's work, which varied considerably. His work_ was every bit as, and sometimes more, important than that, of a comnositor. There was one other journeyman machinist cmproyed, and he received'a. higher wage than witness. Thoro was no difference in their work, but ho supervised, tie understood the wages clause in the Wellington award, and would bo better under it than if ho accepted a minimum wage of £2 15s. Mr Breen: There is no minimum wage now. Mr Brown: These things regulate t'nem"Mlww.. If a wood man can't pet his

prico at one place he'll go to another where he ca.il. lii reply to Mr Scolt, witness said he was competent in three-colour work. He liad dono one job of it, also handbills. If Mr Scott called this ordinary printing, ho would like to know how many firms did what Mr Scott would call three-colour work. John Russell, employed by Messrs Mills, Diok, and Co. at £3 ss. said ho was competent at all classes df machinist's work, including half-tone work. He agroed with the evidence of the previous witness. Another journeyman ,ivas. employed at. his "place," getting £2 10s. This man did tho samo class of work a 6 witness, but, not so much of it. Simon Ballantyne, letterpress printing machinist, employed by the Olago Daily Times Company, said ho was in receipt of £3 ss, and was capable of doing all classcs of machinist's work. There were four journeymen machinists there besides himself, getting £3, £2 ss, £2, and 30s or 35s respectively. The man getting £3 was capablo of doing half-tone work. Witness did not think more skill was required for this than for any other work. Tlio man getting £2 5s might get one or two blocks of half-tone work to do occasionally, but could ,not be said to be a half-tone worker. Ho did posters. The ono in receipt of £2 did almost tho same. The ono getting 35s did smaller work on smaller machines, not on the cylinders. This man had been 10 or 12 years at the trade, and the man getting £2 5s had been about the same, and tho ono with £2 about six or seven years. • Mr Breen: Can you give any reason for that? Witness: One has been kept on small work, and lias not had an opportunity to do anything else. He served his time outside tho office. The one getting 3Ss is just out of his apprenticeship. Witness agreed with all Mr Scrivener' had said. John Macintosh, Cornelius Rodgers (N.Z. Tablet), having given similar evidence, George Burt, printer's machinist, employod by Stone, Son, and Co., said he was in receipt of £2 15s a, week. He came from Edinburgh, where lie had served his time. He considered himself a competent journeyman, and was capable of doing the work in any of its branches. The condition of tho trade in tlio Old Country from a journeyman's point of view was quite as good as it was here. He had been in New Zealand for 18 months. His Honor: What wages did you reeeivo in Edinburgh? Witness: £2 a week. To Mr Breon: Tho wages for journeymen was about, tho samo in Edinburgh as in Nmv Zealand. To Mr Scott:, He woidd havo been in reoeipt of £2 a tfeck had he remained in Edinburgh. As it was, lie was only justout of his time before he left, so only received 28s a week. The usual , wages for a journeyman printers' machinist in Edinburgh was £2 a week, and ho worked 52£ hours. On arriving at Dunedin tho Star paid hiin £1 a. week, Then another firm offered him £2, and then ho got his present billet. Ho was practically in ehargo of tlie machine room. He believed a competent man should get £3 a week. He believed that only half tho men employed in this particular trade in Dunedin got this amount. When employed by the Star at £1 a week ho was jffst as good a man as ho was now. Mr Scott, said he believed that tlie men wero standing in their own light. On the principle advocated by them, a fourth officer on a steamer might, because ho happened to hold a master's certificate, claim a captain's salary. To suggest that all these men should' bo placed on tho same footing was monstrous. Tho idea of a man just out of hie timo being pln<!od on a level with an experienced workman could not bo entertained. The work should bo classified, not tho men. Ho felt cortain that if the workers realised tho.position they would accept the employers' offer without a murmur. Honry Harris, in ehargo of tho jobbing department in the Otaga Daily Times office, was called, and to Mr Scott said a man in ehargo of a machinc had just as onerous work as a compositor, though the latter required more " originality." A machinist s work was moro mechanical. There were five machinists in tho Otago Daily Times, not including apprentices. Mr Ballantyno's statement was correct, oxcopt that one man got 30s and not, 355. Under this new award ho would probably have to go. If wages were increased tho number of men would, have to be reduced. The clause, as far as the Otago Daily Times was concerned, would benefit neither the office nor the men. To Mr Bfccn: It was not ncccssary for a man to do colour or half-tono work to superviso machines Tho term of apprenticeship for compositors was.six years. A compositor's work was of more irnnorfcanco than a machinist's, though the latter, served six years as apprentice. A compositor must have tlie hotter education, required moro originality, and had to keep up to date. W. S. Somcrville, managing director of the firm of J. AYilkie and Co., said his firm camo into competition with tho Home and Australian markets. Tlio fixing of a higher minimum would mean that two men would have to go. Only one of his live employees could do three-colour work. His Honor said lie believed the man wero foolish not to accept a minimum of £2 15e. Mr Breen: Well, your Honor, here we havo the angel we know, and there the angel we do not know. Mr Seott gaid ho considered the employers oilers'.made that day showed that they had tried to meet tlie men in a very fair spirit. Mr Breen said the men were anxious for, and would always want, a minimum wage for a competent machinist: They were anxious that this amount should be fixed by the court. If the employers would keep their offer open for 43 hours longer ho would endeavour to gain an expression of opinion from the men by that t.ime. Mr Scott declined to keep the offer open any longer. Mr Breen then said he would leave the matter in tho hands of the court. RANGEWORKERS' DISPUTE. During tlie morning sitting his Honor said he would like to mention tho rangeworkers' dispute. Tho court thought some arrangement should be come to with Christchurch with regard to an increase in wages. The court would bo in Canterbury in December, and an. award could bo made then. Mr Scott said it would be better if Ihe workers brought it before tlie court in Canterbury. He should thiflk the ■ Canterbury Union would be only too, glad to bring the matter before, tlie court under such circumstances. His Honor said the oourt, thought there should bo an increase in the wages. Mr Breen: Tho only ehaneo of the Dunedin men getting any improvement in their condition i-s for the Canterbury men to' apply to the court for an increase? His Honor was understood to say: "It would be unfair for the court to increase i wages until Chvistchurch is increased." Mr Breen said he would do his best to got his union to look into tho matter. His Honor remarked that there were only three employers here, and thoro should lie no difficulty in coming to an arrangement. The parties would let. t lie court know tho position Inter on.