HAD DONE HIS BEST

Taranaki Daily News, 13 October 1934, Page 2

HAD DONE HIS BEST

LOW WAGES PAID IN TEA ROOMS.

INGLEWOOD COURT SITTING.

“You have been doing your best for this woman though you have broken the award so I will not make the penalty heavy,” remarked Mr. W. H. Woodward, S.M., at the monthly sitting of the Inglewood Court yesterday in fining R. Fraser £2 with costs 13s for a breach of the factory awaid, in paying a waitress less than the award rate, a breach that defendant admitted.

Mr. W, J. Berryman, inspector of factories, claimed a penalty of £lO. He stated that in August he visited defendant’s tea-rooms and found that the waitress was receiving 12s 6d per week wages. From June 1 to June 28, 1933, she had been paid 10s per week. Since then she had received 12s 6d per week. For an experienced waitress the minimum award was 31s 6d per week. Other tea-rooms in Inglewood were paying the award rate and it was only reasonable to see that all were brought into line. He had seen defendant’s tea-room takings and recognised that they would not warrant paying the award rate. Defendant said the business would not warrant paying the award rate. He was still paying probationer’s wage. The magistrate: “You can’t go on doing that.”

Mr. Berryman said there would be no claim for .back wages as the waitress was fairly satisfied. Defendant said the waitress was quite satisfied with the wage that she was getting. He had given her a week’s notice after the visit of the inspector and the waitress was upset about it, so he had kept her on until the case had been decided.

H. S. Drake, who did not appear, was fined £1 10s with costs 13s for a breach of the Shops and Offices Act by paying a shop assistant less than the prescribed rate of wages. Mr. Berryman said defendant had been paying a shop assistant 10s per week whereas for the second year the wages should have been increased to 15s. The arrears amounting to ffl.2 15s had since been paid.

Charged on the information of W. Hinch, county traffic mspector, R. H. Stevenson, who did not appear but forwarded a letter of explanation was con’victed and ordered to pay costs 20s 6d for driving a motor-car without a taillight. Gavin Burns for a similar offence was convicted and fined 5s with costs 22s 6d.

R. Rumball was convicted and ordered to pay 22s 6d costs on a charge of cycling without lights.

Herbert Edgar Bright was charged with driving an unregistered motor-car. After hearing the evidence of the inspector and defendant the magistrate adjourned the case for two months in order to give defendant an opportunity to get rid of the motor truck.

In the following civil cases judgment was given for plaintiff by default: Drs. W. McAllum and Paris v. G. R. Commerer, £5 (costs £1 14s 6d); same v. A. E. Graham, £7 17s (£1 12s 6d); Ivy Seabright v. J. A. Foote, £1 15s 3d (10s). In a judgment summons case M. A. Gillice was ordered to pay Ivy Seabright £27 3s 4d (£1 Us 6d), in default 14 days’ imprisonment, warrant to be suspended on the payment of 15s per month.