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XLVI

work. (28.) Union men to have preference of employment. (29.) No fresh hands to be taken on until full employment is given to the employes. (30.) Timber : 6 ft. sets, 2s. ; from 6 ft. to 8 ft., 2s. 6d.; 8 ft. to 10 ft., 3s. 3d.; 10 ft. to 12 ft., 4s. 6d. (31.) If a workman be taken back along the road to set timber, shift-wages to be paid him. (32.) The company to cut all timber to the length required and send it in to the faoe. DuNEDIN. At the Police Court James Nesbitt, painter, for breach of an industrial agreement by employing a person who was not a member of the Painters' Union or any other properly constituted union of painters, was fined £1 and costs. Furniture Trades' Dispute (before the Conciliation Board). —The claims of the union, as filed, were as follow :— (1.) That the minimum wage for cabinetmakers, chairmakers, and upholsterers be 9s. a day; French-polishers, Ba. a day ; all the prices in exhibits A, B, and Cto be paid for piecework. (2.) Twenty per cent, to be the maximum deducted for machine-work on cabinetmakers' log, 10 per cent, on ohairmakers' log. (3.) Overtime between the hours of 5.30 p.m. and 8 p.m.: Time and a quarter to be paid up to 8 p.m., and time and a half from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. (4.) The employer shall notify the men whether they are on piece- or day-work before starting their job. (5.) Men to have the option of working by the piece. (6.) Unionists to have the preference of employment over non-unionists. (7.) Cabinetmakers employed at chair-work to be p<iid the same as chairmakers. (8.) Special lines not mentioned in the logs to be settled by a conference of four delegates nominated by the union and four chosen by the employers, and an umpire ; any disputes to be settled by the umpire appainted. (9.) Only two classes of labour shall be recognised—viz., apprentices and journeymen. (10.) Apprentice wages to be ss. a week for the first year, and an advance of ss. per week at the commencement of each subsequent year. The proportion of apprentices to be one to every three men or fraction of three. For the purpose of determining the proportion of apprentices to journeymen the given number of men must have been employed in any shop or factory for the previous six months equal to twothirds full time. This clause to be binding for five years. The members of the Employers' Association named in the order of reference were as follow : Brundell and Hayward, Mackenzie and Sanders, Scoullar and Chisholm, Ellis and Smyth, F. A. Hooper and Co., J. Parker, P. Adamson, John Shaw, John Gillies, Alex. Watt, P. Muller, E. T. Ward, A. C. Stewart, W. Nees, J. J. Barlow, A. Lorie and Co., A. Nelson, P. McDonald, Taylor, Cuttle, McLaughlin, T. Brown, Swan, Manning, P. Laing, P. Martin, E. T. Ward, W. G. Piles, G. Pleury, Eobson, E. G. Butterfield, J. Campbell, and A. and T. Inglis. The recommendations of the Board were as follows :— The Board of Conciliation, having taken into consideration the above dispute, and having heard the parties and the evidence adduced, do hereby recommend as follows : — That the parties to the said dispute enter into an industrial agreement for a term of three years from the Ist day of September, 1898, such agreement to contain the same provisions as those contained in the industrial agreement of the Ist day of March, 1897, subject to the following modifications : (1.) The minimum wage for cabinetmakers, chairmakers, and upholsterers to be Bs. 6d. per day, and for Fcenoh-polishers Bs. per day. (2.) The prices in the attached logs A and B to be paid for piecework. The polishers' log to be the same as that annexed to the former industrial agreement. Twenty per cent, to be the maximum deducted for machine-work on cabinetmakers' log ;10 per cent, to be the maximum deducted for machine-work on chairmakers' log. (3.) Overtime to be between the hours of 5.30 p.m. and 8 a.m.; time and a quarter to be paid up till 9 p.m., and time and a half from 9 p.m. till 8 a.m. (4.) The employer shall notify the men whether they are on piece- or day-work before starting their job. (5.) Men to have the option of working by the piece. (6.) Employers, in employing labour, shall not discriminate between unionists and non-unionists ; both shall work together in harmony and under the same conditions, and shall receive equal pay for equal work. Employers shall not, in the employment or dismissal of hands, or in the conduct of their business, do anything which will, either directly or indirectly, operate to the injury of the union. The Chairman stated that, with regard to the log, they had adopted the log as settled at the conference, except that they had struck out the extras and left them to be fixed by agreement between employers and employes; failing that, to be adjusted by a committee. He supposed the better course would be to adjourn, to give the parties time to consider the recommendations. Accordingly the Board adjourned to the 3rd September for the parties to decide whether they would agree to the recommendations.

September, 1898. Auckland. Painters' Dispute (before the Conciliation Board). —The matters in dispute will be seen from the following, showing the claims first lodged by the union, and the concessions made by the masters: — 1. That forty-four hours constitute a week's work. Conceded at a joint meeting of masters and union in 1895, and still in force. 2 That all journeymen painters be paid at the rate of Is. Id. per hour, which shall be the minimum. The masters reply that Is. Id. per hour be paid to competent men, and others according to ability. 3. That all boys working in paint-shops, or at the trade, be legally indentured as apprentices, and be limited to one m each shop every two years. The indentures to be for four years ; the wages to be 10s., 155., £1, and £1 ss. No legal agreement in existence on the date of acceptance of these conditions to be interfered with. All apprentices now serving under verbal agreement shall be allowed to complete their term, subject to a proper agreement being entered into. The masters' reply to this was as follows : Clause referring to apprentices being indentured and that the term be for four years was accepted. That the limitation clause for apprentices be struck out, the conditions of our trade being so peculiar that no arrangement as to number of apprentices is possible. As the rates fixed for apprentices were considered prohibitive, the following rates were passed—viz., 55., 10s., 155., and £1 per week. The remaining clauses of the rule were passed. 4. That an improver shall be a worker who is neither an apprentice, journeyman, nor a member of an employer's family. Should an improver have worked at the trade for a period of two years continuously, he may enter into an agreement with an employer to serve the balance of the term of four years. This was accepted by the masters. 5. That travelling-time be allowed one way outside of a two-mile radius of the shop of an employer. When working at the North Shore, men to catch the half-past 7 a.m. boat, returning by the ten minutes past 5 p.m. boat. Saturdays, half-past 7 a.m. and the ten minutes past 12 boats. All fares to be paid by employers. This was acceded to subject to the radius being extended to three miles, and before the Court rose both sides had accepted a compromise of two miles and a half.