ARBITRATION COURT.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16262, 12 July 1918, Page 8

ARBITRATION COURT.

toiler yabd woekbbs' dispute.

,ATT unJEEEaSTDrG' POJ-NX.

The Timber Yard Workers' dispute engaged the attention of the Arbitration Court yesta®. day. His Honour Mr Justice Stringer proaided/and with him were MiJployera* representative), and Mr J. A. Cullongh (workeie' representative). ■_ Mr W. Goss appeared for the employe® and Mr H. Hunter for. the Union. -. At a sitting of tho CtonciliataQn Cattrt, sn agreement had been arrived at betweenj 4e parties concerned, the rates of P a 7 beinff fixed as toUoi«:-Fteb<laeB matoieto J 6d per honr, second-class maohlmsto 1 M P® hour: other workers at machines cwr *n® age of .31, not included in the tione. Is 3d per hoar; first' sawar Is w.P®* hour, other sawers la 4d per honr, taaers ! oat (over 21 yearn) le 3d per bmtr-, for all timber and coal yards, head yandman J»ee per week, orfcrmen £3 per week, all other i adult vrarWs Is 3d per hour, casual labour, ere la 3Jd per hoar, aawyess » oojU y«ro» is 4d per boni. ... , . ' The Union representatives now aaged i OT ! on increase of 10 per cent, I on the «.bove rates, and this was strongly opI posed by the employers. . • i Mr Hunter said the matter had been many I'months in dispute. Most ofthe points at I issue had been agieed to. regard to i the wages of carters, which had been insert- ! Ed in the agreement, the Union was not con-cerned-with any ohange in these fcecwwe they had been fixed. When terms of the first agreement had been published the Union a assessors had been hauled over tho ooals by the men, who considered that better terms should have been made, and that the workem should have been placed on the same footing as the men in Wellington. The Court had also granted an increase to, toe Dunedin workers, which placed them in a better position than the local men. . He Union was agreeable to accept the <Jd york;n<r conditions and tho wages as in Dunedin. Mr Goes said the present caee wae a rather peculiar one. When tho old award expired in November, 1917, Mr Hunter had written to him suggesting new conditions, end in December a conference Bad token place between the representatives of both sidee, and it was then understood that the result of the deliberations was to be final and binding. A eeoond conference took place on December 20th, and the agreement was ratified, and subsequently signed at a sitting of the Conciliation Council, at the close of which he requested Mi; Hunter to apply to the Arbitration Court for the agreement to bo made as award of the CourC On the eve of tho Court proceedings he* heard that tho Union intended to apply far an amendment of the agreement, and ask for a 10 per cent, all round rise.in wages as a war bonus, in addition &> 'the increase already granted. Th< epeaker considered that when men had met together in conference and oome to an agreement, that agreement should be respected. He felt that if tho agreement was now upset it would tend to destroy all corfidenco in euoh transactions in the future. Five of the moss prominent members of the Union had been concerned in tho deliberations, and yet tho agreement entered into bv those responsible officers had been upset. Ho considered it a most unwarrantable proooodin?. After pointing out several anomalies in the Union's present attitude, and stating that under iho proposed agreement the men had been well provided for, Mr Goss asked tho Court to confirm it and make it an award of the Court. Tho speaker onoted Mr Justice Sim to remarks on the nocesstty for strongly upholding agreements entered into by employers and workers.

Mr Hunter, while admitting that the circumstances mentioned by Ifr G6e# wero correct, and that' "th« irork?d fo bring' tho oartiee together, said tho trouble waa that the members wero dissatisfied with the arrangements made by the assessors. The Union considered that better terms should have- been mad<v and that the case should be rc-opencd. Evin presuming the Duncdin wages were granted, tho looal men would not bo in a« good a position a« the Wellington men. Ho insinW that tho employers had sot always acted in good

&£& towards t&e woriccm, far ana firm taking' advantage of a. teohnioality, bad no! paid the proper mrnfrnmn waget bul had dnoed ii. .

Sis Honopi said that unionists xawt realise flrat loyalty was doe to thoir rspweentatiYM in regard to agreements come to at a proper oonferonoe botwoen the parties, otherwise cm ployera would refuse to meet & oonwrcnoa. In. wply to Mr SodOl M* Hunter uid that Increases of wages had bees granted in agreement made, but the mm considered them' insufficient. Mr Gcse said tW bo £%r m U» firm owuxsned the conditions of the ajpeomcr had been rigidly observed and tho higX< rate of wages laid. ■ . r . Xfae Court reserved £bs «hni«ji<\

Ambrica has evolved a shop wi&KMt a salesman. Down the, centre of the store is a railway dividing it into tp*o aisles, lined with the goods for sale. C'ustomors enter by one door and leavo by another. Every article is plainly marked with its price. Nest-the door is the cashier. He inspects what has been taken, calls the amount due. and tho shopping is over. Customera bring their own basket or wrappings and may pay cash. "With no delivery, no bills to be made out, no telephone orders or post, the business is done more cheaply than by tho asual method, and customers get the maximum valuo for expenditure.

In consequence of the effects of tlio war the Cairndow Hotel, the only Jioubo of call between Inverary and Arrochar, is to be closed. Some famous men, including Keats, Burns, Dr. Johnson, and many of the distinguished judges of the circuit court, stpyed at this famous hostelry.

Canadian newspapers discuss approvingly the Bill introduced by Senator Lynch Staunton requiring every merchant doaling in German and Austrian goods after the war to display ''in letters easily legible over every outride entrance the inscription, Dealenju* German goods.' "