ENGINEERS' AWARD

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2534, 7 August 1915, Page 14

ENGINEERS' AWARD

SUSPENSION UNTIL AFTER THE WAR

TO BE REQUESTED

SHORTAGE OP ENGINEERS The ironmasters of Now Zealand mot ill conference in Wellington recently to discuss matters affecting the iron trade gonerally and the now engineers' award in particular. This award should have como into operation some weeks ago, but a suspension was granted by the Arbitr.itiqn Court up tilt Monday next, August 9. At the coui'crenco it was decided that in view of all the, oircum6tances that it would ba to tho advantage of tho trade and tho State if the award were suspended .until tho termination of tho war, and at a meeting held yesterday afternoon arrangements were made to appear before the Arbitration Court 011 Monday with the request that this award be suspended during international hostilities. Speaking to a- Dominion reporter on this subject yesterday, Mr. David Robertson, proprietor of tho Phoenix Foundry, said that one of tho great objections to the )iow award was tho limitation of apprentices chaises, which provided for only one apprentice to every two journeymen. The work that was done in the smaller foundries of Wellington necessitated the employment of apprentices, as it would not pay to employ journeymen engineers to do such work, and some of the finest engineers alloafc had graduated in tho Wellington shops. Hitherto' there had been little or no restriction in this matter, and the foundries had been the best of practical schools for engineers. Now they were •to be severely restricted—the award was practically tolling them to provide twice as' much journeymen's work as apprentices' work, which they could_ not do. A great many engineers would bo wanted after the war, said Mr. Robertson. Look, lie added, at the destruction of cities, bridges, factories, and ships that tho war had brought about. It would all need replacing when peace came. In the meantime tho Army authorities were crying out for engineers, and yet boys with a natural bent for the business were to bo prevented from following it up because of the habit the Legislature has of harassing all trades and businesses in and out of season, Nobody Idle. "At the present time," continued Mr. Robertson, "you can't get boiler- . makers or engineers. Nobody is idle. I have been advertising for boilermakors, and I can't get them. Wo are pretty busy just now, and want the men, but what ivitli the war wo just cannot get the men. If tho award operates then wo will not be in a position to turn out as many engineers as wo otherwise could, so that, if there's a shortage to-day it's going to bo worse in a few years." Mr. JRobcrtson stated that wages had not ; been interfered with to any extent ; in the new award. "It's' just." as well they'ro not, too," he added. "Tho price of material lias gone up to nearly double its price since the war broke out. We used to pay £10 10s. per ton for bar iron, now it is £16 lGs., and formerly we paid £3 10s. and £4 per ton for pig iron, which is now being sold from £6 to £7 per ton. "Why, here's tho Union Steam Ship Company coming to me now for engineers, wanting thorn every day, and on top of that our output is to be restricted, and. boys who are natural engineers are to bo forced to take up other employment not congenial to their na-. tures. We'll see what happens on Monday!" -