ARBITRATION COURT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2338, 3 November 1908, Page 5

ARBITRATION COURT.

GISBORNE SITTINGS

. The Gisborne sittings of the Arbitration Court w-oro commenced yesterday morning; before Mr Justice Sim amid Messrs it. Brown arid J. A. McCullough. The first business dealt with breaches of award, and the Carpenters’ and Joiners’ dispute followed BREACHES OF AWARD. The Inspector of Awards proceeded against' Evans, Neikl and' Co. for failing to pay wages regularly. The Inspector outlined the circumstances of the case, stating that the men were working on a job at ToJoga Buy and were paid; irregularly, sometimes monthly. Mr Coleman said that the technical breach was admitted, but he asked for consideration on- the grounds that the months when the job was proceeding were"those of June, July and August, and the delay in paying wages had been caused by the firm’s representative being Tillable to negotiate the road to Tologa Bay owing to slips, etc. There was no intentional, breach, and the respondent firm was a substantial one.

His Honor considered that the case was not one for a heavy penalty. He suggested that in such a case arrangements might he made that the wages should be paid to the families of the -men in town. Respondents would he fined £1 with costs.

FAILURE TO PAY STIPULATED

WAGES

The Inspector of Awards proceeded ■against Samuel McPherson for failing to pay an employee the wages stipulated by the award'. Respondent admitted the breach, and Mr. Carmody said that 'respondent had been previously warned, about the same employee.* The breach was iiot, in his opinion, accidental, but was a question of negligence. A finc’of £2 with costs was imposed.

CARPENTERS’ AWARD

The present award having expired on August 7, 1908, a new award was asked for, with the following amendments : Clause 2, minimum wage Is Gd per hour-(increase of 3d per hour); clause 3, under-rate workmen;: that no permits be issued, except" to those who have been employed fire years at the trade or who are incompetent through age or infirmity: clauses 8, 9, 10, country work: That all men so employed receive Is 6d per day additional; clauses 11, 12, 13, tools, etc.-. That where men have been employed two weeks or longer and are discharged two hours shall be allowed to puttools in order: clause 14. payment of wages: To he paid weekly, in cash; clauses 15 and 16. apprentices: All apprentices to be hound in writing, and the alternative clause (verbally) he struck out. New clause: Foremen an<l‘ men in charge to be paid Is per day above the ruling wage where three or more men are employed or where the value of the work exceeds £250. Any person, other than recognised builders, employing any carpenter or joiner, shall h,e like-, wise hound by this award. Mr. AY. Maddison represented the Union, and Messrs G. Smith. J. Colley. and others the Master Builders. Mr. Maddison, in opening the case, reviewed the efforts which his Union had made to have the dispute amicably settled' without coming to Court. He referred to the conference of delegates of the union and the Employers’ Association, and the failure of the Union’s attempt at conciliation. Mr. Maddison went on to refer to the increased cost of living, remarking that while necessaries of life had become dearer there had been no corresponding increase in the wages. He then proceeded to call evidence. 'John Pierce Williams, secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners, give evidence of having been instructed to write to the.cm plovers regarding a conference between employees and' employers. The conference was held, and certain terms were agreed on, to be submitted to the union for consideration and approval. The union unanimously aproved the action of the delegates. Witness then rend the minutes of the conference, showing the different matters referred to and agreed upon. A later meeting of the union was held to receive the delegates’ report. Witness endeavored to arrange for 1 another conference, but failed, and although he hnd received no official intimation of the employers’ decision' he understood that they would, not agree to the terms, and the matter would have to come before the Arbitration Court. He was a single mail, paying 22s Gd per week for board and lodging, and since he had been in Gisborne there had been am increase in the cost of living. To Mr. Smith : He was aware that good hoard and lodging could be obtained for £1 per week. He understood that the delegates of the Employers’ Association at the conference were thoroughly represent dive of the Association, and that what was agreed to at the conference had to ho sanctioned by the whole Association as velll as by his Union. Freak James Hitchens, said lie war one of the carpenters’ delegates at the fconference. The masters met them in a; fair spirit and he was undor the impression that, everything had been fixed up. No notification was sent by the masters of any second conference. Ho was a. married yuan, paying 12s 6d for a four-room-ed cottage half-an-hp'ur from' toAvcot Prior to coming to town tie was in Napier, where the cost of groceries ivias about the same as in Gisborne, but where rent and fuel were very much cheaper: . To His Honor: He wsii, getting 10s a. day at present, but came up here to work for Crump the builder at\£3 15s per week, wet or dry. Charles Cattum said he -lived in Gisborne since 1902, and since then had been getting Is 3d per hour. Hie received the samo amount before the award was. made. As a delegate to the conference it was his duty to report the proceedings 'to his Union. He was a married mala, paying 14s a week for a four-roomed cot tage, and considered that the cost of living had greatly increased. To Mr'. Coll'ev: Tie had worked for five different employers, and had not always boon paid in cash. He had experienced considerable difficulty in . getting- dieonos mashc.rl_.om-

only way to gc-t change was to go to an hotel) and spend ta, shilling an liquor. / ■ _ r John Valentine Scott said ho had been in Gisborne for six yeans. At present he was foreman for Messrs Aickin and Wilson, getting Is 4Jd per hour. , George Smith, president of the * Master - Builders’ Association,, said he had. been a master builder in Auckland for eight months and in Gisborne for six years. Owing to an oversight seven necks elapsed before the letter from the Union, asking for a conference, Avars considered. The conference Avas held, and what was done Avas not to he binding Avithout being ratified by both masters- andmen. At a subsequent meeting of his Association the proposals of the delegates were rejected*, and jt was decided that it was too late to meet the men. There A\ere about 15 members of the Association, employing ■about, 130 men. It greatly depended cn the size of a job .whether the proposed increase in wages affected the building trade or not. Wages had not increased in six years, hut he knew of a general rise in the cost of ■living. In his opinion a carpenter at 1(L daily Avas not approximately as well' paid as a bricklayer at 13s. His employees had lost very little time through Avet weather all through' the Avin ter. All his men were paid their A\' ages in cash, fortnightly. To Mr. Colley: He considered that there Avere betweeen 200 and 300 carpenters in the district. He considered that taking the general average of men in the district- Is 3d per hour was a fair Wage, although there were several carpenters worth more.

To Mr. B l'OAvn : Any increased cost as regards a county contract would be passed on to the building. - Francis Stafford, master builder, gave similar evidence of having attended the conference with the Union delegates. He had been a master builder in Gisborne for 16 years, and had no objection to the proposed increase. Nineteen years ago carpenters’- wages in Gisborne were 9s and 10s per day. and every item of living had greatly increased since that time.^ Alan Black, master builder, and* secretary of the Master Builders’ Association, said he considered thatAssociation members employed in all about 100 men. The cost of living had increased since the last carpenters’ aAA-ard. His firm paid wages by cheque, and the men on being asked about the matter offered no objection.. To Mr. 'Smith: It was distinctly understood between the delegates at the conference that if no agreement was arrived at the conference should be ignored. This concluded the evidence for the workers, laid for the employers Mr. G. Smith said that the employers as a body were against any increase in wages. If an increase was granted the permit system should be considerably relaxed.

Mr. Colley sa : d he desired to call evidence to show that it Avould not be advisable or beneficial that an increase should he*granted in Avages at the present time. The Master,Builders’ Association only represented a small proportion of the builders in the district. Geo. LaAvrence Evans said that his firm. Evans, Neild and Co., employed on an average 30 ear pc liters weekly at Avages ranging from 10s per day to £ 1 a Aveek. The men worked. 1 47 hours per Aveek and Avere paid for 48. He Avonld be quite prepared to pay any good man 11s a day. but wj.s not in favor of a general increase in the AA'ages. He considered it AA'as not an opportune time to raise the rate of wages, as the building trade AA'as on the quiet side. If the minimum tvage were raised he thought it, might- have a tendency to bring down the AA-ages were being paid at present to the better class of men.

David Martin Wilson,' of the firm of Aitken and Wilson, said he had been in business for two yeans. He did not think the present time was a favorable one for an increase in wages*' as such Avould be- detrimental to the trade. To Mr. Maddison: He "was not a member of the Master Builders’ Association. The cost, of timber vas prohibiting building in Gisborne, and he thought an increase of AA-ages would have a similar effect. The cost of living in Gisborne he knew to be slightly dearer than in Auckland.

Moses Haismun said lie liad been in business as a master builder for 19 years, employing on an average eight carpenters, and paying them 10s, 11s, and 12s daily. He thought the minimum wage should not be raised. as a large number of so-called carpenters could not then obtain employment. as they would certainly not be 'worth it. Ho paid Iris Avages by cheque, and did not think it would be convenient to keep cash in the house for the purpose. To Mr. Maddison: The Master Builders at a meeting, subject to the conference, rejected the proposals of their own delegates by a majority of ton to three. It Avould be no hardship to him. Walter Henry Clayton said thattlie average number of carpenters employed by* him Avas 30. He thought that if the minimum Avage Avas raised the cost of living would be still further increased. Hf the minimum A\ : age wore iui-:ed a lot of carpenters would have to lea ax' the district,. as they wand not bo able to find employment it 11s a. day, not being .worth it. As an employer of labor he thought that an increase of avages was not desirable for either employer or empfnyecs generally. This concluded the evidence for the employers, and after both Messrs Col lev and Maddison! had addressed! the Court, His Honor intimated that tlie Court Avould take time to consider its decision.

OTHER CASES

The ease of the Gisborne Sheepfarmers’ Co. A’, the Waterside Workers Union Avas, on. the application of Mr. AY. F. Coder Avail, struck out. lai the case of Hower v. AYallis, claim for compensation, Mr. G. Stock intimated; that a settlement had been arrived- at, and the question of costs ay os adjourned until l this morning. Mr. Stock appeared for the respondent in another‘•claim for compensation. Tcohilli v. Perry, and on iiis Intimating that the nil liter had been settled out of Court, the case was struck out. > • . ■ - In the case of Burnett v. Oxenhani and Baty, claim for compensation, Air. Stock said that Air. AY. L. Rees, who AA-as also, engaged in the case, was attending the Native Land ~