ARBITRATION COURT.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2004, 11 March 1914, Page 5

ARBITRATION COURT.

THIS BOILERMAKERS.

pros & cons of BonnnoN award,

STATE OF THE TRADE

I'lio Arbitration Court sat yesterday. .Mr. Justice Stringer yresidea, and associated with him as assessors wove Mr. )\ r . Scott (employers) and Mr. J. A. M'CuHougk (employees). The ease in which ills 'Wellington boilerniakers and iron shipbuilders claimed u Dominion award occupier] th-o whole day. .Mr. 11. I l '. Altos) appeared loi , tlie employers, ami the Hon, J. a, Jenkinson for the employees. The Demands. The men asked, for a week of -14 hours, 'fiio wages demanded was Is, 7-3 ii. per hour t'er- all boilermakers. I'oi , tJioso n-orkiiig acetylene gas Is. extra por day or pftrt thereof was claimed. A bona lido boilermaker should jaean anyojie who had seired five j-cars in that trade. All time worked m excess of .14- hours a week'was ts bo jrafet double; tiffle from fl "p.m. to 7 p.m., and tiwej an a half thei eai'tc-r. Doable tiino svas ; also to be paid on twelve epecifieii koiidays. Coutitrj' work was elescribed as all work jiccqssitattog nien living away from lioniCj and special consideration was nsfced i'Qi' hi regard t* this. Simjlut considerations were, -asked to those employed on suburban work. "Ilirt" Diimey was afked for boilerftiukers iiiri apprentices employed .at repairing work; they should receive Is. esti'a per day of eight Hours w part tkcteof. Bpeeial vision was also asked in regard to men employed on dangerous, work. Apprentices'* pay was to range- from 12s, (3d. daring tfio first -yoar to 365. Gd. during the fifth j-ftar. The, period ol a-ppreii- . tkesbjp ffas set deffii as fivo years. Preference was demanded for unionists, and it was also asked that all boilcrflidwrs I at presej-it employed in the trade should ; be compelled to join the union.

Men's case put. Mr, Jenkii'seji, speaking ©h behalf <?t tho employees, sinted tWt the demands had been drawn m> at a in Ciiristolmvoh', a-itd "flits object was to obtain a Dominion .ward. fimpto.ver and employee JiaJ -already met bo-few the Conciliation 'Coounissioßer at Wcllinp;ten, Dmiediis, aWI Christ&hm h el!> but thoso proceedings had buen. futile. Be was (juito .sure that had ilio otter party been reasonable' tfaera would have been no necessity' to tome- before the Court. The boilermakevs had-liad, ik> increase: in wages for the past, thirty years, A\v} the present demaiia for better tomjitiofis and ivagos was now eftiijientt.y reasonable. Two yearsj ago a conference had decided that- uniform conditions would bo a good thing, but it had been reselvp.d to tako no steps until tiio Awcklaiid award had expirotj. " In rpgnrd to the claiiii for 'higlic-r wages, Mr. JtaiTtins&n quoted the etaiidard rate at Government railway wdrksljops, which he said Wys 13s.' Cd. per day, ahd tl\at rate- (with l'edMoed railway fawjs and tho atlvaiitages of suporaiinua-tioii) would bring : the Government wages uj> to 12s. or 12s. ■ Cd. per da.y. In view of the nntiwe otitis work, a boilenoaker's life was only :,a short;, one, a.Btl this Wiisideratiolt alono eiititlcd'HhejH to bettor coftditioiis. . As to preference, there could bo ito fort- | ior .argument in its fevofir 1-lian th.a ' : stato of things which had coine aliaat at the caiicUjsion of tho rcccjik strike, fi'bou the wnploycr's gave prefoi*sce en ofqry . osca-sioii - t0... A-rbittatieiiiste. -If tho cinjjlo'yws were fofciivg prefcrcaea on tho community, it was surely time that tho Ijoiloriflabers enjoyed a. like advan- j titgC. - ; ' . ; . . ■- ; ' Joint Ifoore, o.f Christclirirclt, seirokry of tlio Bailer&iakci-s , Federation, rhxc evidence in sirpjiort of tiie men's claims. Ho stated that the meit desired n rcclii-c ■ ttosi of lieurs ratlior than higher wages. If a iiian w<?rlc«l at iwibrMa-king work. fron) 25 to 30 bo was a wreck at the end of that time to strenwss ftiwl aft- : "healUiy was Ihu work.

. Employers' Vi?w-pSM. In addressing the Court on behalf of tho employers, Mr. Allen .remarked that in tiso metal \vorkws' dispute he bad niready stated that tho trade was unable to meet the demands of the itttii. Tbo condition of the trade )wd never been Juiown to .bo worse. , 'file employers, in fact, might have been BxeuseJ '!' they had brought forward demands for a reduction in wages. Hβferriug to vhe question of exemptions, Mr. Allen remarked that iio doubt tho Court realised tlu\t, \Vlull sa many private iron i'oundci-s , doing business, tlio-ro v.us very little left for the trade.' Continuing, Mr. Allen. said tlist tho Wei* lingtoii ironfoundess' iiskc-d for a. renewal of the oM award, which had come into fores on September 25, 1911, and vvfeieli expired on December 10, 1913, but with certain, alterations. In regard to holidays, tliey askod that January 2 be ckletod from tlto list; Thej , also desired that the preference claiisc'elioujd be espaiiged, itiid fisrbkca , askctt far the idissoirtimwnei? of tlio special previsions as to buihlers and others iu the existing anard. Tlicv also desired that every employer of iroinvorfiWß ■ engaged . in ike manufacture or repair of girders, structural steel, fliid similar work, should bo brouglit uijdst' this awai'd. It wa? also ufg«d that the special provision for tho Ilnjeii Stem. Sli'ip Company in Clause 14 of t.h& old,award should be dj"Oppsd. 'i'Ju- Union' Company was in aetivc coinpetition with local lirms, especially So tJiMitgb tbeir -subsidiary Wellington I'atent Slip Coiupati.y, Ltd. Generally .speaking] tho emptoycrs stttJiiglj oppoVcil a DomJfli'Oij award, as coiidiMons in. thn ires trade conflicted in the variaus tfeiitres.

"Crass Stupidity of Harbour Bogrt!," WiUiam Cable, of ttb fom iii Messrs. Cable and Co., Kaiwarra., reiterated ststeuicnte niado by Isim in tho "metolworkers' dispute as ta the unsatisfactory condition ef tho trade, J'n 1912 ilis firm had employed. 13 Boilermakers, in 1013 IS, and at the present, time 7. "In iai;t," said Mr, Cable, "tho employees are asking blood froa ft stoKo." If a Doßiinion award were gh*eu, the Weflbijjtoii cniployws wqsM be uiifaii-iy trflated, on accoant of the fact that tho pert of Wellington did »ot hare- a graving dock.; Alt the t>ig jobs going went to otiier ports. In' spite of t.l)is, Wellington eifipkyers would have- to pay tli&jr emplsyees tiio same nito of wages as fheso oMaining in more fortunate ports. "Through the crass stupidity .of ihe HnAftiir Board tho dock -which hail been *dnimeneed turned ont a faihno," said tho witness in ccmchision. ■ Other evitJo.ncci on similar Hues Was called .for tjio employers. Exemptions Asked. Exemptioiis wero sslswl fof tlio following firms ami badfos: j —The Welluigtpn City Conneflj W-eHitigion Harbour fiimrd, tlie Wellington Gas Cwtnpany, the Gear Meat Company, tlv<s Wellington Meat Export Company, the Union Steam Ship- Company, and. Mtodock aiid Millihln, irohfonndc-rB, Kairarra. lustead of the latter company it was issted tViafc Iho Patent Slip Company fas inserted. Mr. \V. A. \V, UmifeJl.. ssfced for oxomptiou oil liehaji t>l devon hiiiUUnij: firms. Hvidpnoe wa.i takcu in eojiHCivtion with the above. Tho Court will hear further ovidpneb nfc Napier, Pahiorstau North, and \Vangavnii Uefero ttiviiig its dccisioiu