ARBITRATION COURT.

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 160712, 27 July 1920, Page 5

ARBITRATION COURT.

(Per United Press Association.') WELLINGTON, July 26. The Arbitration Court opened its Wellington sitting to-day. A plea for exemption from the proposed award of the Wellington Timber-yard and Sawmill Workers’ Union was entered by Mr Grayndler on behalf of something like a thousand workers .in the King Country. .Mr Grayndler said that the King Country men had not been previously affected by agreements or awards of the Wellington Union. They had had no say in the making of the particular agreement that it was now proposed to convert into ,an award, and the conditions they enjoyoß were better than those obtained by the Wellington workers. Mr Keid, who appeared on behalf of the Union, observed that there was no King Country Sawmill Workers’ Union registered under the Arbitration Act, though the King Country came within the Wellington Industrial District. An unregistered Union had sprung up there, and had begun to organise without consulting the Wellington Union. The Court decided to hear further discussion of the matter on Monday next. In the Wellington Coach Workers’ case, the Court was informed that the employers were' Willing to accept all the provisions of the Auckland award but the date on which that award came into operation. ’The Union representatives agreed that the date of the expiration of the award was fixed as May 24, 1922, and the question of the date from which the award should operate was reserved. A large number of Unions had filed applications (under the Court’s pronouncement of April 7th last) for increases in the cost of living bonus, or alternatively for increases in the basic wage. Several of the applications were heard later, decision being reserved.