STRIKERS' FOLLY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15955, 24 December 1913, Page 8

STRIKERS' FOLLY.

AWARDS REFUSED BY ARBITRATION COURTPOSITION OF CHRISTCHURCH DRIVERS. The judgment of the Arbitration Court in the matter of a dispute between the Canterbury Motor Car, Iloreo Drivers, and Livery Stable Employees' Union and T, Armstrong and others, and in the matter of a dispute between the same union and J. Bosonworth and others, was delivered by Mr Justice Sim and read at Christchurch yesterday morning. It runs as follows;— These two disputes were heard by the court in Christchurch in November. The first-mentioned dispute relates to the hours of work, wages, and other conditions of the drivers of motor delivery vehicles. The other dispute relates to the hours of work, wages, and other conditions of livery stable hands. After tie hearing, and while the disputes were under consideration by tlio court, it was reported in the newspapers that the members of this union had decided to engage in a strike, and had carried this decision into effect. The court caused inquiries to be made on the subject through the clerk of awards in Christchurch, and a statement in writing was obtained Hiram Hunter, the secretary of the union. This statement was to the effect that the union resolved, at a meeting held on Friday, November 21, to request its members to cease work on the following Monday, and that, in pursuance of this request, a' majority of the members of the union residing within a radius of 10 miles of the City of Christchurch ceased work on Monday, but a majority of those who did so were ordered back three days later. Assuming those to be the facts, it is clear that, the union has been guilty of an offence under section 6 of '' The Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Act, 1908,'' by instigating a strike, and on being convicted of such an offence is liable to have its registration suspended for a period of two years under section 10 of the same Act. The court is of opinion that in these circumstances it should refuse to make any award in tho pending disputes, and the applications are dismissed. It may be the case that the workers immediately concerned in tho two parti'cular disputes were opposed to the proposed strike, and that they have to suffer, therefore, for the blunders of other people. So far as concerns the drivers of motor delivery vehicles, there is now in Christchurch a. new union to which they can belong, and which oould i obtain an award on their behalf. 'There is. however, no such union in the case of the livery stable employees, and the court recommends the employers of these ■workers to pay them the minimum wage fixed by the last Auckland award (Book of Awards, vol. 13, p. 316)— namely, £2 8s per week.