ARBITRATION.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1689, 4 March 1913, Page 3

ARBITRATION.

THE COURT SITTING HERE. LINESMAN'S DEATH. COMPENSATION OF £500 GIVEN. ■ The sittings of the Court of Arbitration commenced yesterday. Mr. Justice Sim presided, and, sitting with him, were Mr. 'ft. Scott (employers' representative) and r l 'J: il'Cullough (einplovees' representative). A compensation claim was tho first business dealt with by the Court. This was ni co Diction with tho death of Thomas Charles Parker, a telegraph linesman, wlio was killed during tho course of his employment in the city on May 21, 1912. +i d'i v ,v ' ( ' ow " an< ' 'wo children, and tno Public Trustee, as administrator of the estate, claimed from the Crown tho sum of .£SOO under tho Workers' Compensation Act, 1003, as well as .£ll 17s. n nora ' expenses. Tho Crown joined the City Council as a third party. t, , W. Macdonald, solicitor for tho Public Trust Office, appeared for the 1 üblic Trustee; Mr. P. S. K. Macasscy, of the Crown Law Office, appeared for the Crown; and the city solicitor (Mr. J. O'Shea) appeared for tho City Council. Mr. Macdonald mentioned, in the course of his opening, that the Government had already granted . tho widow a compassionate allowance of .£2OO. Mr. Macasscy ••fntimated that tlioro was lio dispute between the parties as to tho amount of compensation, but thcro was a difference behycen the Crown and the city authorities." His Honour fixed the amount at ,£SOO, and allowed .£ll 17s. for funeral expenses and jSo ss. for costs. By direction of his Honour, the widow will receive one-third of tlio compensation, and tho remaining two-thirds will bo held in trust for the children by tho Public Trustee on the usual terms. DISPUTES. CASE OF THE BOOKBINDERS. ' When tho bookbinders' dispute was called, Mr. W. Naughlon appeared for the , union, while Mr. W. Pryor, secretary of the Employers' Federation, appeared for the employer?. Mr. Naughlon mentioned that the Employers' Association had filed the recommendations of the- Auckland Conciliation Council as and had stated their willingness to accept them at the present stage. These recommendations provided for a minimum wage of <£3 2s. Gd. for a week of 48 hours, whereas , the union claimed a minimum wago of .£3 10s. Tho Court heard a couple of witnesses called by Mr. Naughton, after which Mr. Pryor addressed tho Court, stating that tho employers desired uniform conditions and rates of pay in all tho centres. , His Honour intimated that tho Court would give decision after hearing evidence at the other towns. In the meantime, ho suggested the parties might-confer. ENGINE-DRIVERS. TO BE HEARD AT OTHER CENTRES, In the' dispu'to Ijetwcen tho Wellington Engine-drivers' Union and tho employers, Mr. J. Read appeared for tho union and informed the Court that an agreement had been come to before the Conciliation . Council, but the parties had still to settle the dato from which the recommendations should como into force. Mr. W. A. W. Grcnfell, who appeared for the employers, declared that tho majority of employers objected to tho increased wages asked for first-class enginedrivers, ami also objected to the preference clause, which it was suggested tho Court should modify in certain respects. Exemption was asked for and' granted in the case of the AVellingtou Harbour Board, the various gas companies, ferry companies, meat companies, and tho Union Steam Ship Company. : The Institute of Marine Engineers objected to the grafting'of preference, on the ground that it would excludo murine engineers. His Honour intimated that tho Court would hear tho dispute in tho other centres beforo announcing • its award. INTERPRETATION. THE WOOLLEN MILLS' AWARD. An interpretation was sought in tho Potonc-ft'eiiington Woollen Mills A'.iard, Mr. D. M. lindlay appearing for tho union, and Mr. A. W. Blair tor tho employers, Mr. Pindlay explained that tho question was whether female workers could be employed as "warpers" at tho wages specified for girls in "weekly wages." The award provided (under the heading of "wages lor male workers over 21 years") that "warpers" should receive «£2 lGs. per week. The wages provided for girls ranged from Bs. per week to XI ss. per week. The Petouo mills employed a number of women at "warping," and thero were more to arrivo for employ- , meut at this class of work. Tho union contended that where a declaration was mado for malo workers in a particular class of work, it was intended lo rc-ad that tho workers in that class should bo male workers. There was, to that extent, a prohibition against female workers. In tho Old Country, wliero many of these classes of work were done by women, they wero paid tho samo wages as men. Tho union asked for a declaration that no women were to bo employed as "warpers," or that, if so employed, they were to be paid men's wages. Mr. Blair, in tho courso of argument, mentioned that tho mills wore always short of skilled hands—men and women— and could do with forty more at tho present time. The employers had been in the habit of employing women in all classes of work, and claimed the right to employ them in all classes of work still. His Honour: As blacksmiths or carpenters ? Mr. Blair replied that they had not employed women as blacksmiths, carpenters, or "tuners," but in all other classes they had employed them. The union having failed to gain, these special at tho time tho award was made, had (counsel submitted) no right to seek them now on an interpretation. The Court reserved decision. TO ADD PARTIES. Mr. E. J. Carey, on behalf of the Cooks' and Waiters' Union, applied to add the following parties to the awnrd for private hotels:—Trocadero, Laugbani, Grand Central, Columbia, Arcadia, Egmont, Melrose, and Wontworth (late Clydo Court) privato hotels. Mr. A. W. Blair, on behalf of Mr. F. G. Bolton, owner of the Wentworth Hotel, objected to being added, but the Court declined to uphold tho objection. An order was mado as asked. On the application of Mr. E. Simpson, parties wero added to tho Merchants' Assistants' Award (storemen's section) as follow:—Ellis and Manton, G.Myers, Consolidated Dental Company, New Zealand Fruit and Produce Company, Kaiapoi Woollen Company, Laery and Company, Thompson Brothers, and Townsend and Paul-. A SETTLEMENT. Mr. P. J. O'Regan informed the Court that tho compensation case,_ Griffiths v. Gilmour, which had been adjourned from last sittings, had been settled. FIXTURES MADE. Other cases on tho list havo been fixed, for bearing by the Court as follow:— To-day, at 10 a.m.: Russell v. tho City Council, claim for ■ compensation; Hocguard v. Ballinger, claim for compensation. At 2 p.m., Inspector of Awards v. Alcock and Co., Ltd., appeal from tho magistrate's decision. Friday, March 14, at 10 a.m.: Appeal by the new Slaughtermen's Union aj«inst Labour Department's refusal to register. At 2 p.m., Gibbons v. Bunny, claim for compensation.