ARBITRATION COURT.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 50, 22 November 1907, Page 10

ARBITRATION COURT.

(BY TELBGKATH—SPECIAL COBEESrONDENT.) Napier, November 21. At the Arbitration Court to-day, Mr. Ecardon applied on behalf of tho Wellington (ienerl Labourers' Union to have the Wellington award of August 1, 1907, applied to sevonty-sovon employers Hawke's Bay district. Judge Sim said thoro did not appear to be any purpose to bo served by attaching Hawke's Bay eniployors to tho Wellington award, as the Act laid down that an award was not binding beyond a radius of twenty miles. Mr. Beardon said ho had tried to meet this difficulty while tho award was being fixed in Wellington by having a saving clause inserted. -He asked if it was impossible to oxtend the award to ■ other districts. His Honour said that attaching Hawke's Bay employers to the award would not help the Union. Tho mistake arose from a layman dealing with legal matters. Mr. Iteardon said that tho Unions were trying to minimise the multiplicity of awards, and in this he thought they had tho support of tho employers. They were trying to make this award apply to ono largo district. Ho asked if it would bo necessary for tho caso to stand down till the next sittings of tho Court for a new dispute to bo filed. Tho President replied in the affirmative, and said that the best course to adopt would be to bring up a_ fresh industrial dispute. Mr. Reardon said that under the circumstances he would withdraw the application. The PreBidont intimated that the Court would sit in Wellington in March before going to Auckland.

CONTINUAL ALTERATION OF AWARDS. REMARKS BY MR. JUSTICE SIM. (BY TELEGRAPH—rEESS ASSOCIATION.) Napier, November 21. At the Arbitration Court this morning Mr. Justice Sim spoke of tho way in which labour unions were applying for alterations to bs made in awards' simply for tho sake of making alterations. Ho said he could not understand why unions should always be wanting to alter awards when tho employers were ready to give them what they wanted. When they had nothing else to find fault with in an award, the unions appeared to want to alter the drafting in order to say tho same things in different words. At the Arbitration Court to-day fines cf £1 were inflicted in two cases of breaches nf the Coachbuilders' Award. An application to havo the Wellington Award of August 1, IJIO7, applied to seventy-seven employers in the Hawko's Bay district was withdrawn by consent, a now dispute to bo filed for the noxt sittings of tho Court. An application by tho Napier Wharf Labourers' Union for alterations to existing award was heard. The Union asked for increases in the rato of pay of from 10 to 20 per cent., with preferonce to unionists when they aro available and capablo of doing the work. Evidonce was given that tho cost of living and houso ront had increased, and soveral workers stated that their earnings averaged but little Tl r 7 \, por w f ok - r ° r the employers it was stated that, although in some instances the rate of wages was higher before the award than under it, yet since the award came into force the men, owing to the increase of trade had earned more money. The present system o. payment at tho port had been in operation for many years, and it was contended that to meet some of the demands of the men would be ruinous to employers. The Court roso until to-morrow.