A TEST CASE.

Wairarapa Age, 21 March 1925, Page 5

A TEST CASE.

AGAINST POWER BOARD. ALLEGED BREACH OF. AWARD. WELLINGTON, Mar. 19—At the Arbitration Court the Inspector of Awards at Masterton is proceeding against the Wairarapa Power Board, claiming £5 penalty for failing to pay the rate of wages prescribed by the award.

The case was brought to enable the Board to explain its difficult position, and. to obtain a ruling from the Court. A number of youths were paid at fihe rate of 30/ per week, and were employed in the same manner as apprentices, doing certain work of the apprentices, but not all of it. They did not hold an under-rate workers’ permit. They were termed assistants. It was submitted that as the youth* were not covered by the description of journeymen, apprentices ,or underrate workers, and the Board refused to consider them as apprentices, then they were entitled to the minimum wage prescribed for journeymen.— (P.A.) A BREACH PROVED. Questioned by the Bench, Mr C. J. P. Drewitt (engineer) said the boys were assisting the journeymen in all the wiring work. Mr Justice Frazer: “That seems to settle it. They are doing the work mentioned in the award? ’ The Court announced that if the youths had been employed, at work of general labouring the award would not have covered them, but they were doing work definitely connected with the trade. It was therefore clear that there had been a breach. The board had, however, not taken advantage of the under-rate workers ’ clause, and His Honour thought the inspector might have, in this peculiar position, granted under-rate permits more leniently than usual. He did not think the union would have raised any objection. It was a case requiring some special consideration, and the granting of permits would have done no ohe any harm. It was still open to the board to approach the inspector. There had been no injustice done to the youths as far as they could see. A nominal penalty of £2 was inflicted. Costs were allowed amounting to £2 15s Bd.