PREPARATION OF TIMBER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21975, 9 June 1933, Page 10

PREPARATION OF TIMBER

ALLEGED BREACH OF 1 AWARD TEST CASE DECIDED. •(Per United Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, June 8. A case with a possible bearing on the cost to the public, of prepared timber was heard in the Arbitration Court, when the inspector of awards appealed against the decision of Mr. H. P. La wry, S.M., who recently dismissed an information against the firm of Hardie and Thomson, Ltd., for an alleged breach of the award. The question was whether an employee of Hardie and Thomson, Ltd., should be paid under the North Canterbury Timber Yards, Sawmills, and Coal Yards Employees’ Award, or whether he was entitled to payment at a higher rate under the Carpenters and Joiners’ Award. It was stated that the case is of considerable importance to timber merchants throughout the Dominion. . Mr Bailev, for the Labour 'Department, submitted that when making provision for payment of this class of worker the court made no distinction between carpenters and joiners and joiners’ machinists.. He therefore claimed that joiners’ machinists should be paid under the carpenters and joiners’. award. Mr Young, for the respondent, said the case was important to firms in all parts of New Zealand, for it would be a considerable financial loss to the firms concerned if machinists were classed under the carpenters and joiners’ award. His Honor held that a joiners’ machinist was only a particular class of woodworking machinist, and so was covered by the timber yards and sawmill employees’ award. His Honor disallowed the appeal.