SITTINGS AT INVERCARGILL. ARBITRATION COURT. SITTINGS AT INVERCARGILL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2686, 6 September 1905, Page 40

SITTINGS AT INVERCARGILL.

ARBITRATION COURT.

(Bt Oub Speciai. REPOSTEa.> ' INVERCARGILL, "September 1. The Arbitration Court met this morning. Otago Agricultural and General Labourers' Union of Workers v. the Lime Merchants of Otago and Southland. — Messrs Mason (Middlemarch) and Walsh (Milton) appeared for the workers, and Mr W. Scott for the employers.— E. Donaldson, lime-burner, said he received 10s a day at Limehills. He had seen the union wages claim, and thought it reasonable. Ten shillings a day for drawing lime was not too much. The conditions of the work were not detrimental to he-alth. At Limehills quarrymen got 8s a day. — John Hamlyn, inspector of works for the Southland County Council, said he had had 20 years' experience of road and quarry work. He regarded the work of men being out over the lime faces as that, of -skilled quarrymen, and not as ordinary labourers' ' work. In Southland the county had to pay 7s 6d, a day for surface work, and 8s to" 9s in the quarry.- An intelligent surfaceman took" six weeks to learn quarrying. The - men who worjied the crusher got 8s. — Robert ' M'Donald, Limehills, employer, said he had ; five menjin his service. He had had 16 -years' at Milburn. At Limehills the . quarrying- was much easier, the stone being softer. , The type' of crusher ufed at Milburn was very bad, because of the dust it caused. The same kind was in "use at Messrs "Wright, Stephenson, and Co.'s, and he had seen the men there bleeding from the nose and mouth. •The Milburn "Company competed in this district down to within 32 miles of witness' 3 works, and also sent lime to Tapanui and Kelso. He sent none further than Pukerau. The wages he paid were Bs, 9s, and 10s per day. A man required practical experience to be a quarryman.— To Mr Scott: He was contracting for the J. G. Ward Company. He produced the lime at so> much per ton. He was paying the wages asked by the union The Milburn Company could afford to pay more, as they we're making £80 a month profit He could take the contract they had, pay 8s a day, and make £38 a month profit —Mr Scott: Nonsense! They are losing money. How was it that the Government and Oamaru kilns lhad to close down.— Witness: I do not know the conditions there. I do know the conditions at Milburn. The workers' demand if granted, would make a difference of £42 a month to the Milburn Company, and would make no difference to witness. At present, witness said, the competition was not on. fair ; lines. His lime-burners— the men he was nayI ™S 10s a day-worked on Sundays. He worked a night-shift, which was not done at Milbum His men got 9s and 10s for 12-hour days He objected to paying a shilling an hour for such work, because the men who did the drawine worked only half their time. He wa*r not prepared to p»y the overtime demanded. He observed no holidays, and could not agree to ' t?% we double time demanded for holidays If he had to pay double on Sundays ho should have to close down. He preferred monthly payments of wages. He could not avoid drawing hme while it was hot.— E. Donaldson (recalled) said he worked a 12-hour shift, but t waa sitting waiting a Qua-vta? **f Uua time.

Mr Ma-son s<aid the workers' demand was not drawn up to suit the circumstances of Southland only. It was drawn up for Milburn alone in the first instanoe, and now that Southland was included tho demand could be altered if necessary. The inclusion of Southland was a wise decision of tho court, and would tend to settle the conditions of the trade for a longer tims than would otherwise have been the case. Had they only had to deal with the Southland employers there would probably have been no demand at all. — George Stevens, representing Messrs J. E. Watson and Co., said the conditions of his ccynpany were entirely different from the others, and they should not have been cited at all. Their lime was carbonate of lime — altogether different from caustic liiae. The conditions of work •were also different with them. The dust was rot injurious or annoying. They had no quarrying or blasting, simply digging, and anyone could do it. The stuff was run through a drive into bags^Mr Mason said that the tinion was quite wming to exclude Messrs J. E. Watson and .Co.' They should not have been cited. It was an oversight. — His Honor said that matter could be considered later. — Mr Scott said ho should call no evidence at this singe- — His Honor said the court would fix a date for the further hearing at Oamaru, ■when it was seen how other businesses went. The court adjourned at 12.30 p.m.

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