ARBITRATION COURT

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3024, 10 March 1917, Page 7

ARBITRATION COURT

BIOGRAPH OPERATORS' CASE The Arbitration Court resumed its sitting yesterday, Mr. Justice Stringer presiding, and with him on tho Bench wore, Mr. Win. Scott, representing the employees, and J. A. M'Ciillough tho workers. " Wheal tho biograph operators' dispute was called, Mr. M. J: Reardon, who.appeared for the union, said that ho regretted that in tho negotiations that had taken place- the parties had. failed to agree on a settlement. Mr. W. A." Grenfell; for the employers, stated , that counter proposals had been filed and wero used in the Conciliation Council. Since then further counter proposals had been submitted to the other side. . Mr. Reardon, in opening, said that the calling of the biograph operator j was a comparatively new- one. Hβ re- ! quired to have a knowledge of mechanics, of electricity, and of photography. At first the operators wero paid about £5 per week. Later came | tho combination of pieturo film manu--.| facturere, and with the combine there I folio-wed an jncrease of 100 per cent. I 'in tho prices of films and n. lowering of wages. Tho men thon realised that •■it was imperative'for them to seek I the protection of thoir Courts. In the picture business, perhaps more than in ;any other business, success depended upon the ■ operator, and instances had ; boen known of-men without any knowi ledge of tho picture business, hut with i capital, entering the business and relying .wholly on the operator to bring i about success. Further it was on re- , cord that picture shows had been opened with competent operators receiving ,£5 per week, and after three or four months, when the "business had been ■ organised and success achieved, mainly ; through tho efforts of tho operator, tho proprietors had reduced the operaI tor's wages, or tho operator resigned, Continuing. Mr. R-oardon dealt with I the dfingers of tho calling, and stated i that tho men were, encased in a fi.ro- | proof box, which wns more or less of i a death-trap. If the Government wishj cd to train iv.en for submarine service. there wo-s one opera tin k box in -Wellington p.minonj"!.'.- pdante'd for tho purpose. The v.nion bad approached tho authorities object of discover- j ing what power existed fo#- licensing i men engaged in so hazardous a. calling. Ho called: attention to the recent fire in a- pioture theatre in Sydney, when somo school children met with disaster. Human life was perhaps never so cheap as now. but he hoped tho time would come whou the conditions would be different. If anything went- wrong with the projecting i machine, and the operator did not turn out tho light in two seconds ho would have to deal with a- firo in his box. The operating box was inspected to see that it was fireproof, so far as tho public was concornod, but not so far as tho operator was concerned. The operators got no holidays throughout the year, except they took them at their own expense. The union claimed that Good Friday and Christmas Day should bo compulsory holidays, and that'every operator sbould have a fortnight's holiday each ye-nr on Ml pay, Several operators wore- called to give evidence, and they maintained that the wages wero now lower than they woro when tho business' first commenced.

Mr. Gronfell, in opening tho caso for tho employers, contended that the work of a-n operator was not an extraordinary one, and did not require exceptional abilities. Any intelligent young man could learn the business in a very short time. With respect to the safoty of operators, it was obvious that tho employor had a lot at stake in this

matter. Ho ran tho risk ot losing an oxpensivo film, or spoiling a valuable machine. Tho omployor, therefore, naturally took every possible care to provent,accidents. Mr. Gronfell compared tho work of the biograph operator with that of the linotypo operator. Both had costly machines to operate, and their work <was' in many respects similar. There would be a decrease in the number of export biograph onorators through men being called up for military service, and ho therofore urged that tho Court should show came consideration for tho employers, and cnablo them to mako provision for this probable shortage. For a mechaaical skilled trado tho rates demanded by the union were excessive. With rospeet to wages and hours, he said tho employers' wore olforing tho operators at night shows £3 15s. per week for a few-hours nightly. A minimum rate of £4 p6r week, ho thought, was a liberal wage, for a chief operator, and tho employers wore prepared to agree to '12 hours' work a week.

Evidence was given by E. J. Righton, managing director of the IVew'Zealand Picture Supplies, Ltd. Ho etated that special care was taken to guard against fires in oporating boxes, all of which had been approved by tho City Engineer. Ho discounted tho claims of tho operators that they had to haVo knowledge of photography and electricity, and said any young* man with a. turn for mechanics should become efficient in a very short time.

In reply to .His Honour, witness stated that tho cost of runnrng tho picture theatres had increased considerably during the past few years. Films wero now 40 per cent, higher, and carbons' and sundries wero aim more expensive.

Witness stated in reply to_Mr. Grenfcll that the increase in prices of admission mentioned by Mr. Reardon was merely after 6 p.m., and affected only ono portion of tho theatre.

Thomas Alexander O'Brion, supervisor of the Empress, Everybody's, King's, and Star Theatres, Mr. Shortt, and Mr. John Fuller also gavo evidence.

His Honour stated that tho Court would not bo able to givo a decision for somo days. If in tho meantime tho parties, as the result of discussions, could conio to any arrangements on any of tho paints in dispute, the Court would bq glad to hear of them. The Court adjourned until 10 a.m. on Monday.