PREFERENCE TO UNIONISTS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 12215, 3 August 1910, Page 7

PREFERENCE TO UNIONISTS.

(Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. Before Mr W. Haselden, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court, the Wellington Coach Workers Industrial Union of Workers sued tlie Rouse and Hurrel Carriage Uiilding Co.j 'Ltd., of Courtenny Place. Wellington, for £5 penalty for an alleged breach of the Wellington coachworkers' award, m that defendants, on or about the 20th April last, employed as a coachbuilder one Walter Cummings. who was not a member of the plaintiff union, ' when a member, Henry Moir. of the union, who was equally qualified with Cummings to do the particular work required, was available. For the defence it ..was contended that Moir'* work was only .of a second-class order, and was not to be compared with that done by Cummings. The latter was a far more efficient workman- His Worship said that, if employers could distinguish between tradesmen to 4he extent contended for m this case, it seemed tc 1 nim that the preference cluase m the award would be rendered entirely nugatory. If the employers preferred Cum- . mings to Moir they could have told the > former to join the union, and then he could lawfully' have been preferred. The Magistrate was of opinion that a breach of the award had been committed, and he imposed a penalty of £2. Leave to appeal was* granted.