TAXI-DRIVERS’ AWARD

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 748, 22 August 1929, Page 11

TAXI-DRIVERS’ AWARD

EMPLOYER CHARGED WITH BREACH SHARE-BASIS SYSTEM Press Association CHRISTCHURCH, Wednesday. A case of importance to all industrial unions was lieard this morning, when C. ,-S. Triilo, proprietor of the Gold Band Taxis, was charged by the .Labour Department with two breaches of the taxi-drivers’ award, by failing to pay his employees the minimum wage, and by entering into an arrangement with the same employees and all taxi-drivers to defeat the operation of the award. The defence was that there was no employment in the terms of the Act, and that the men all worked on a share basis. For the defendant, counsel said, “If defendant had not had such a very great success there would have been no prosecution. Defendant had a similar business in the South and there can be no question of master and servant. There was an agreement in each case and defendant has no control over his drivers. They are not workers and don’t come under the Act and the award. “There has been a suggestion that defendant has formed a scheme by which an unfair advantage is taken of competition. That is not so. This share scheme has been carried on here and recognised in England as well as in New Zealand for years. The old horse cabs were in many instances run on the share system. It has been found by English High Courts that the relationship is between bailor arid bailee, not master and servant. The reason this defendant has been picked on is that his scheme has been so successful. It has lowed fares and brings such a lot of cars into competition.” Decision was reserved.