TWIXT SCYLLA AND CHARYBDIS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 963, 2 November 1910, Page 6

TWIXT SCYLLA AND CHARYBDIS.

EMPLOYERS AND LABOUR AWARDS. (By Telegraph.—Special Correspondent.) Auckland, November 1. In every industrial office the walls are papered with awards. That was a complaint made by an employer whi yesterday applied for exemption from tho furniture trades dispute, and it was supported by another contention,' advanced by himself and another cited employer,, that put a real difficulty before the Conciliation Commissioner. Employers, whose offices are well decorated with awards have to steer a very careful course in order, while dodging the Scylla ot one set of rules, that tiieyshall not split their frail vessel on tile Charybdis of another.' The demand before the council yesterday put shoal water right across the channel. It asked for a working week of forty-four hours, and in the case of certain employers the new award would at times cover men who are also provided for in the builders' award, which gives a week, of forty-seven hours. The difficulty thus set up was obvious, and out of a number of suggestions made for dealing with it none was good enough for praise. The only clearly-put idea was for tho men to work forty-four, hours under the one award, and put in the other three hours at overtime rates, but the employers objected to that on principle. No decision was com<! to. The Commissioner remarked that' the point would bo a difficult one to settle, and some of the employers' representatives 'remarked that it was unlikely that the forty-four hours' cJause would, be adopted.