ARBITRATION COURT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21019, 7 May 1930, Page 4

ARBITRATION COURT.

—■«> JUBILEE COAL MINES DISPUTE. The Arbitration Court (Mr Justic Frazer, Mr W. C, Prime, employers* re presentative, and Mr A. L. Monteitl workers representative) was engaged yee terday morning in the rehearing of ,th portion of the Jubilee (Green Island Coal mines dispute, dealing with rate Of pay. The union asked for an increase of Is a ton, the offering th former rates. Mr A. S. Cookson appeared for the em ployers and Mr G. Johnson for the union Mr Johnson, in outlining the union’ claim, stated that it was based on work ing conditions and on the increased cost o living,-coupled with the fact that thi present rate of Is 2Jd per box paid b’ the employers embodied an increase o only 25 per cent, over the 1914 price leve as set down by the Government Statis tician and used hy the court as a faasii when making or amending awards. H. claimed that the changed conditions a the mine were sufficient in themselves t< warrant the increase sought by the union After enlarging upon these points he bub posted that it was the duty of the cour in view of .its own pronouncements ti grant the union its share of the inoreasec prices so as to enable its members t( m mP taln tlleir standard of living fo l“° mas e ark - w3l ,f> had attended a con terence of the employers and the union’ representatives in 1919, stated that it ha. i! en u a! \ re€^ l1 th . afc on, y one class of coa should be filled and, that a flat rate o t j i shoudl be accepted, I had been agreed that this was 25 pe cent, above the 1914 rate. F George Scott stated that owing to th. nature of the coal more explosive had nov to be used than formerly. Explosives nor c °st os a week more than 10 years ago. Mr Cookson, in reply, stated that th. reason given by the court for not makim an, award was that members of the cour were unable to arrive at any conclusidi on account of the lack Rf informatioi contained in the material submitted. H. respectfullly contended that the materia on which the court could have arrived a a decision. had been fully submitted, am he drew the attention of the court to i portion of his argumeflt, which read:--We contend that it is unnecessary to g< further back than 1921 to find a basis upon which to justify the maintenance ol the present rates. In that year a series of awards, including one covering tin Green Island mines, was made by the court. It had also been contended that the s cost of living had remained pi actically the same level for several years, and it was claimed, that nothing had occurred to. justify an increase in wages since the 1025 agreement. Mr Cookson submitted a summary of hewing rates, which, he claimed, supported his statements. John Hadcroft, the manager of the mine, .gave particulars of the earnings of the miners. The conditions, he said, were quite as good as in other mines. Mr Johnson, in reply, stated that the average wage at the mine was £4 4s, which was equal to £2 12s 6d at pre-war rates. The court reserved its decision. 13RICK AND TILE WORKERS. The brick and tile workers’ dispute, which was to have been hoard in the afternoon, was adjourned on the application of Mr J. Robinson, the union’s representative, until the next sitting of the court, Mr Robinson stating that the union’s representatives had not had time to peruse a judgment of the Appeal Court dealing with the jurisdiction of the Arbitration Court in the matter.