TECHNICAL BREACH

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 157, 21 July 1937, Page 9

TECHNICAL BREACH

— Press ; Association.)

Prosecutions That Can Do No Good

(By' Telegrapb-

" AUCKLAND, Last Night. -^Prosecutions such , as this. can. do no goody but only have. the .effect of aggravating employers .and dispelling the feeling of- friendliness that; sometimes exists between employer and employeeas in this instance/ ; said Mr. Wv vern Wilson,. S.M., after ihearing a prosecution in the Magistrate?sr Court brought by the Inspeetor of Awards, Mr. H. S. Hurle, against Sidney Walter Mayer, i butcher, of Mt. Eden road, for: comniit- | ting a breach of tHe Butehers ' Award jthrough failing to pay overtime. Mr. Hurle said he called at defendiant's shop on June 1 to investigate a ! complaint that two assistants , of ten worked after the liour wihen the award compelled them to stop unless overtime was paid. Ile spent about a quarter of an hour in the shop, during which Itime little work was done before the ;men prepari-d to leave the shop. When |he returned on June 7 to inspect thc ;time book, he found no overtime- had 'been entered or » payment made. .In reply to the Magistrate, the [inspeetor said the amount involved in each case was about ls Qd, which in a small shop would amount to about 10s a week. With a large irm it might total as much as £50 a week if it were allowed .to go on. Bepresenting the defendant, Mr. Newbery said a happy spirit Tuled between the employer and his assistants. There was no strictness about the starting hour, and the employees were never lotih to niake up for any. timo they might have lost .through being late. After the evidence of one employee in support^of counsel's statement, the Magistrate said that _ had a propei investigation been made into the circumstances, under which defendant 's business was conducted, the inspeetor of the departi^ent would never have instituted bhe prosecution. Apparently on one occasion there had been some jlaxity but no injustice had been done !to either of the workers. There had' been a technical brCach, i however, and a penalty of one shilling was imposed.