COUNCILIATION COUNCIL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19898, 16 March 1920, Page 8

COUNCILIATION COUNCIL.

CARPENTERS AND JOINERS. , Afr t\. If. Hugger presided over a- sitting of iho Conciliation Council this morning, in respect to the wages clauses in the carpenters and joiners' dispute, which bad otherwise been previously fully settled. Iho assessors for the men were Messrs E, S.utcbff, A. Wilson and F. Peari'; for the employers, Messrs W. H. Winsor, N. M Gil vary and E, Nightingale. Mr E. C. Bishop watched proceedings on behalf of the Christchurch Gas Comnany, employers of one carpenter, and one’ of the parties cited in the dispute. The demands made by the men were represented by the Canterbury Carpenters’ Union and the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners, and wore for a flat rate of 2s Cd per hoifr. Mr Winsor. for the employers, said that men were of different values, soma deserving more than others, and the builders would like to be able to give the better men more money. .They therefore desired to keep the minimum wage as nsar the present rate as possible. Considerable discussion ensued as to what constituted a living wage. Mr Winsor maintained that the present rale to carpenters, Is lOd per hour, and a bonus of 3ld in addition, was held by the Government Statistician to he a living wage, .Mr Pearl, for the men, quoted from a diary compiled during the period March 1, 1919, to August.29, 1019, and which had been accepted as correct by the Government Statistician. The diary had been j kept by a carpenter working at the union i rate of 14s fid per day, and who received ! during that period £99 14s Sd in wages, a i weekly average of £i lfi s . His household I expenditure for the covered was £IM | los Sd, Therefore, contended Mr Pearl, I it took IBs a day to live twelve months ago, allowing for a sum of 7s put in the Savings Bank each week. The men were asking no more now than was necessary to meet the cost of living twelve month* ago. In reply to a question. Mr Pearl admitted that the dinrv-kceper had had lost time on account of wet weather. “ But, 1he concluded. “it takes more money to live in the winter time.’’ After a lengthy discussion, and several private conferences, an agreement was arrived at in respect to rates of pay. Journeymen carpenters' and joiners' and machinists' rates per hour were fixed at Is 10Id and 3Jd bonus, with overtime rates payable only on the flat rate. For ship, ping work, the flat rate was fixed at 2s 2d per hour. It was decided that ihe award should come into force on March 29, for a term of two years. At the request of the unions, it was agreed that joint application should 'be made to the Arbitration Court in order thm the award might bo immediately ratified.