ARBITRATION COURT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2156, 3 April 1908, Page 2

ARBITRATION COURT.

PALMERSTON NORTH SITTINGS Press Association. PALMERSTON N„ April 2. The Arbitration Court opened hero to-day. About 20 branches of various awards are set down for hearing, also a couple of compensation cases. T. Harvic, laundry proprietor, was •fined £5lO and costs for a breach of the drivers’ award, 'in employing a youth as driver who had not attained the stipulated ago. Tho Court held that the breach had been deliberate. Tlio Court was engaged nearly all the morning with an alleged breach of tho flax-millers’ award, Geo. Craw being charged with deducting 15s per week for the men’s hoard and lodging; the maximum amount under tho award had been 14s. Tho defence was that the catering business was the property of tho cook at tho mill, who paid Crew £2 per week for the use of - the promises: further that 15s was for hoard and lodging, whereas the 14s under the award was for hoard only. Decision was reserved. An application for tho reopening of the Wellington Typographical award in regard to the clause affecting the hours of simplex operators was refused. A case against Bevan and McDonald, flax-millers, for a breach of the award in respect to paying wages weekly or fortnightly was dismissed, as was a case against the Manawatu Fibre Company for alleged wrong full dismissal of an employee. The Court sits again tomorrow to consider the Bakers’ dispute, and to hear several more applications fpr enforcement of awards.