ARBITRATION COURT

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2544, 19 August 1915, Page 9

ARBITRATION COURT

THE DRAPERY TRADE 1 ALL-ROUND INCREASES ASKED At the Arbitration Court yesterday, before Mr. Justice Stringer, Mr. E. Duthie, employers' representative, and Mr.. J. A. M'Oullough, employees' representative, tho 1 Wellington Soft Goods Employees' disputo | was hoard. Mr. W. A. W. Grenfell nj>1 peared for the employers, and -Mr. M. J. 1 Keardon conducted the union's ca'&e. 1 Mr. Grenfell submitted reasons why tho ■ demand;] should not bo acceded to, and said that tho trade was in an unsettled ; etato now owing to tho war. The work--1 ing conditions of the employees were apparently quite satisfactory, but tho employers hud difliculty in gating supplies. The demands were for an out-of-hand increase. Ho said that a conferenco with the Conciliation Council had proved abortive, but at a meeting between the parties everything, with the exception of preference,. hail been arranged. Mr. Beardon did not agreo that such an arrangement had been, arrived at. Flo understood that tentative proposals were turned down by both parties. Mr. Grenfell said that he proposed to call evidence as lie the state of the trade, but to show the position of. the workers he said that thero were iS3 workors in tlu ten principal houses in Wellington, and of that number 156 were adult males and >165 adult females. Eighty per cent, of the males and 84. per cent, of tho females were getting more than tho minimum wage in each class. Of tho employees under 21 years of age, 03 per cent, of males and 69 per cent, of tho females were getting more than the ■minimum wage. The employers had suffered by tho war, and the people had been advised to economise. Many were doing it, but the employers wore doing their part in trying to keep on their workers, and keeping open the positions of those at tho front. Charles G. Wilson, of Messrs. Sargood, Son, and Ewen, gave evidence regarding tin increasing difficulties of getting supplies, and other warehouse managers gavo evidence along the same lines. Increased Cost: Less Profits. For the retail trade Sydney Kirkcaldie managiug director of "Kirkcaldie and Stains corroborated tho evidence of the warehousemen that supplies were becoming hard to obtain. Boots had increased from 10 to 20 per cent, in price, and certain lines of woollen goods from 15 to 20 per cent. The volume of his firm's trade had been affected by the war. Retail prices had increased generally owing to the increased cost, extra freights, and war insurances, but they had not been able to make tho same ratio of profit. His Honour suggested that a conference might be held between the parties, to oomo to some arrangement. It seemed to -him that people would have to economise, and one of the directions in which they could economise was apparently in the purchase of drapery. Later on, if tilings readjusted themselves, they could come to the Court if not satisfied. Personally, ho thought the present circumstances were not such as would justify au attempt to regulate the trade. They had to realise that we had not begun to feel tho effects of the war yet; it was.dur-) ing the next two or thiee years tha,t the effects would be felt, the very time they asked the award to operate over. He strongly suggested that a. conference should bo held. Mr. Reardon said that they had heard a purely ex-party statement as to the position. Ho had innumerable witnesses to provo that the volume of trftde'liad increased during tho period of tho war. His Honour: That may be; it is not .what has gone, it is what is to come! Mr. Reardon said that they were prepared to go on, and let the Court judge the merits of tho- case. He was not objecting to a conference, however. His Honour: If 80 per cent, get more than the minimum wage they cannot have much to complain of. Certain Firms Doing Right. : Mr. Keardon: There are certain houses , we have nothing to complain of, but what about the houses that pay the bare mimimum rate throughout, and gavo no bonus or anything? I am prepared to say firms such as the D.I.C. and Kirkcaldie and Stains are in a large measure doing fairly well by their employees, but what about the other houses? His Honour: Your demands are for an increase right through, and are not limited to any underpaid workers. Mr. Keardon said that the union was prepared to ineet in conference. His Honour: "Tho main thing is to secure a reasonable wage f®r underpaid workers." His idea was that the application might bo postponed if some arrangement could be mo.de for the low paid workers. It was difficult to ask the Court to fix rates governing tin whole of the employees for the ne.it two or three years. Complications might arise, and he did not think that it would bo in the interests of tho workers. Mr. Grenfell said that tho employers desired to have tho matter settled. There had been two conferences, and it was only the question of preference that had proved the stumbling-block. The union sought a preference clause which the Court had said they would not grant in another in. nustry. The present award had tho ordinary Dominion preference clause in it. If they could settle the preference clause it seemed to him that an agreement might be arrived at. His Honour thought that the agreement arrived at might be carried out for twelve months, leaving the nl'esent preference clause as it stood. Low Paid Workers Only. g Finally the Court suggested that the | parties should go. into conference and see § if they could agree to terms for at least Jj twelve months. If they could not agreo | to that the Court would hear the dispute | on Monday, but would eonfino their atten. B tion to tho lower rate workers. Tliey | were not prepared to consider an ad- i vai.ee on the other rates at present. This course was acceptable to both sides. Mr. Eoardon asked would an award be made on tho lines of an agreement, and Hi 3 Honour intimated that it would, A SUBSTANTIAL MEAL. The Labour Department sought interpretation of Clause 4 of the Wellington Private Holol, Restaurant, and Refreshment Workors', etc., award. A breach was alleged against Messrs. Kirkcaldie and Stains in respect to their tea-rooms, and the question had reference to tho board and tedging clause of the award. Sir John Findlay K.C. with Mr. D. R. Hoggard appeared for tho Department and Mr. C. P. Skerrett K.C., with Mr. E. K. Kirkcaldie, for tho defendants.. Under the award two substantial meals were stipulated for ilio employees or an alternative payment and the Court was asked to decido what a substantial meal comprised? In stating his ease Sir John Pindlay said that a, mid-day aieal was provided by tho defendants as well as morning and afternoon tea. If the defendants could not supply tho second substantial meal, after a reasonable intorva.l, they had the alternative of paying the girls Is. each for the meal. Evidence was called, and it was shown that the waitresses received morning tea, an hour off in the morning, a hot midday meal, afternoon tea, and then further tea and cold meat, if they desired it at 5 o'clock. Mr. Skerrett contended tliat the girls were treated very Well, both with regard to meals and hours. The employers were entitled to work them 5G hours per week, whreas they only averaged 45. The Court dismissed the information • without costs. His Honour was of opinion that Messrs. irkcaldie and Stains treated the girls very well. The clause was meant to apply to those rooms where only lig'lit refreshments were served, and where it would be unreasonable to expect girls (o work all day without a hot meal. At a height of two thousand feet all aeroplanes look very much alike, and troops would be linblo to liro at' their own machines when they passed overhead, were they not all decorated with nn emblem to proclaim their nationality. Wood*' Great Penporraint Cure, Fox Camillaanlcoldimot toils, la-fid.'