A LABOUR PROSECUTION.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1707, 26 March 1913, Page 6

A LABOUR PROSECUTION.

UNION CASE UPSET. Some weeks,ago a deputation represent* ing tlio Amalgamated Society of Engl, nc-ers waited upon the Hon. AV.' ]?. Massey, in his capacity as Minister for ■Labour, and mentioned, amongst other things, an alleged breach of award at Dunedin. Members' of the deputation stated that a youth .named Fail, after serving' his apprenticeship us a patternmaker with Messrs. A. ami T. Burt, and after working; for oilier firms from whom lie 'received journeyman's return, cd to the service of his original employers, but .was pa'd by them only 365. a week instead of lis. a' It was added that repeated applications had l)c?n made to the Labour Department officials at ]>.medin to prosecute Messrs. A. and T. Burt for breach of award, but up to that time without success. The official reply made to the deputation was tliat llio Labour .Departments iuspector at Uuncdin luid instructed to lako the ease before a Magistrate. Tlio ease camo up for hearing rit Dunediii ou March 18, Hie of Awards claiming from A. ami 1. Burt the sum of: .-CIO as penary lor breach of the Olajfo Knginem Award of December 19, 1910. - . ' Argument in the case turned unon tho point as to whether l'ail knew, \vhon .lio returned-to tho employment of Messrs. \ and T. Burt, that he was expected to servo a sixth year of apprenticeship., m addition to tho live that bo bad I'Mnouslv served. Fail himself. denied that liis Second employment entailed a continuation of'his apprenticeship for another v»ar, but in this he was contradicted by his father, who stated that lie thought his sori know, when ho was returning to Burt's, that he. bad a sixth year to go to complete bis apprenticeship. [. ' The Magistrate s&ld he must hold that the apprenticeship was lor as ycarsi and that tlis youth liimse.f knew both tlio terms as to time and others- terras. Judgment would be given for the defendants.