CLERICAL WORKERS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 84, 6 October 1938, Page 6

CLERICAL WORKERS

COUNTRY DISTRICTS

CONCILIATION SITTINGS

A council of conciliation was constituted today under the chairmanship of the Conciliation, Commissioner (Mr. M. J. Reardon) to deal with an application by clerical workers in the Taranaki, Wellington (outside a 25-mile radius), and Nelson districts for a new awajrd to govern their industry. The assessors for the employers are Messrs. R. H. s ßillens (Palmerston North), A. Weekes (Wanganui), W. G. West (Nelson), and S. I. McKenzie (advocate). The employees' assessors! are Messrs. S. Bolton, W. S. Brinsley (New Plymouth), F.P. Walsh, R. Hoggard, G. S. Doig (Wellington), A. S. Herring (Auckland),,, and W. N. Pharazyn (advocate). ' j Very little agreement was reached I before lunch, Mr. Pharazyn asking the employers tp accept the terms of the current Northern, Wellington (within 25 miles radius), Westland, Otago, and' Southland Clerical Workers' Award. The employers indicated that ' they were not, prepared to go as far as the Dominion, award in the case of the country districts. \ Mr. Pharazyn pointed out that the award current for the major districts j was also applying to a number of coun- ] try districts. His side certainly could not agree to accept a lower wages scale than the rates set up by the award *for the major districts. . The morning,, session was devoted to an exploration of the. minor points.on which agreement was likely to be reached but it was obvious that, pending a settlement on wages, little real progress could be made. The employers were to consider the question of wages during the luncheon irecess.' •