ARBITRATION COURT.

Otago Witness, Issue 3031, 17 April 1912, Page 40

ARBITRATION COURT.

COMPENSATION CLAIM. WELLINGTON, April 11. Judgment in a compensation case heard :by the Arbitration Court at Napier has "keen filed by Mr Justice Sim. The plaintiff was Grace Holland, widow .of Sievert Holland, and the defendants were Messrs Richardson and Co. Sievert Holland, who was master of the lighter Moa, owned by Messrs Richardson and .Co., was accidentally drowned at Port 'A'huriri on July 27. The lighter was lying alongside the wharf at Port Ahuriri on July 26, and it was part of the duty of -iflie deceased to inspect the lighter moorings each night. This he usually did shortly before going to bed. The plain'tiff alleged that the deceased met his jdeath while doing his duty, and that the accident arose out of his employment. The evidence showed that the deceased ,left the eteamer Ruru between midnight and 1 o'clock on July 27, and went along in the direction of the Moa. He had said he was going home On July 31 his body was found within a few yards of the soot where the Moa was lying on July 26. I Mr Justice Sim said it was admitted >that the drowning was accidental, and if ijhe facts justified such an inference, the •ipeurt was entitled to conclude that the accident arose out of and in tlie course of the deceased's employment, although no human being was present who could give direct evidence as to how the accident happened. The deceased intended to visit the lighter on his way home, and the inferred that the deceased reached the scene of his duty and fell in while doing something in connection with the lighter. Judgment was given for the plaintiff for £SOO, with costs (£2 12s), disbursements, and witnesses' expenses, the widow to get £IOO for her own use and this balance to be paid into court, and await a further order of the court. WOOLI.EN MILLS AWARD. WELLINGTON, April 12.' The operatives at the Petone Woollen Milltf are not quite satisfied with the terms of the award. They complain that the maximum wage only affects eight or nine men, while the minimum of £2 5s )«r week covers the majority of the lands. Mr W. H. P. Barber (chairman of the Wellington Woollen Company) said lie" did not expect that the award would brave any serious effect on the industry. Nothing like the original demands of the urion' had been given. Had they been, tl would certainly have meant a gloomy outlook for the industry, which was landicopped by the foreign imports, nade, as they were, under totally different conditions both as to labour and jaw material. Mr Millar, when Minister if Customs, repeatedly promised that a 'Shoddy" Bill would be brought before Parliament, but nothing had been done n that direction. Such a bill would be at considerable assistance to the local nanufacturers. The effect of the award vould be a slight increase in the cost of production, but as it was similar to that >f Canterbury, arid would most likely be nade to apply to the Dominion, the mills rould all be competing under equal contritions as to wages, hours of labour, etc. This increase in cost of production would pve the Home and foreign manufacturers ome further advantage, but he thought he industrial upheaval at present taking dace throughout' the world would affect he imported goods in a similar degree. IRON AND BRASSMOULDERS' DISPUTE. WELLINGTON, April 15. Mr P. Hall/, Commissioner, presided >ver a sitting of the Conciliation Council o-day to hear the iron and brassmoulders* lispute. The union asked for an agreeaent to apply to all the Wellington disrict, including Palmerston North, Wan:anui, and Napier. The rates of pay set lown are Is 6d per hour, with time and r-half for overtime and double time for tolidays and Sundays. Mr H. F. Allen, representing the Ironoaster?' Association, said the members of hat association had met the representaivev of the Moulders' Union and the

clauses were considered, but no agreement could be arrived at, the sticking points being the wages and the hours. The members of the Moulders' Union were then invited to meet the ironmasters of NewZealand in Christchurch on March 20, and the secretary of the Wellington branch of the union wrote acknowledging receipt of the invitation and stating that it had been forwarded to Christchurch. _ They did not meet the Ironmasters' Association. The matter of the claims had been gone through and counter claims were formulated. The council went into committee to consider the claims and counter claims.