COURT OF ARBITRATION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 482, 15 April 1909, Page 5

COURT OF ARBITRATION.

4 ; SCOPE OF UNDERRATE CLAII2E: An important point was iuvolved in the case of Inspector of Awards versus John Whitaker, in which the Court of Arbitration has just given its decision. It was as to whether, • under the Wellington Carpenters' (country employers) award, an under-rato permit, could bo granted to a worker who has not served an apprenticeship at the trade, >• The' Court pointed out that the worker in question was twenty years old. , For two years before he was employed by respondent in July last ho worked for a builder at Levin at a weekly: wage of 20s. The clauses relating to under-rato workers were not intended to apply only to workers who had served avpropei* apprenticeship to tho trade. Any bona fide worker in the industry was entitled ( to apply for an under-rato permit though he might not have served aii apprenticeship. A worker who had been trained in one industry was not entitled, however, to become an nndsr-rato worker in some other industry in : *hich an apprenticeship was required. Under Scction 68 of tho Act, it was expressly provided that such a permu should not, be granted to any person who was not ■usually employed in the industry to which the award applied. It was tho opinion of the Court that the grant by tho magistrate of a permit to the worker in question was valid.