ARBITRATION COURT.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9134, 1 May 1908, Page 2

ARBITRATION COURT.

WORK AT THE WAIHI MINE,

Per Press Association. . Auckland, April ;i9. The Arbitration Court continued its sittings to-day, the balk of the cases concerning breaches of awards. The Waihi Gold Mining Company, Limited, was cited for failing to pay overtime to a number of men m October. , _ , Mr Shmaghau, for the Department, gave several instances of men who bad worked twelve hours a day, and others sixteen hoars a day, at the Waikino battery. He explained that at the time there was an epidemic of influenza. Many men were affected, and they did not turn up to take their shifts oshei men were instructed to continue their -work. ‘ The only trouble was that they were not paid overtime at the rate ofjtime and a quarter for time worked in”excess of eight hours. Mr Tonks said that in view of the outbreak of influenza, the only other thing the company could have done Was to taka on other hands. It was not easy to take on casual labourers for a shift, or even for a week, and the result would therefore have been that the sick men would have bad to be discharged in order that the other men could get what they were seeking—permanent employment. What the men in question cud was to work twelve hours, and receive the pay of the men who were sick. The • company derived no benefit; they paid two men for three men’s work. It had been a recognised thing for a man to take a sick mate s shift in this way. The result was that the place was kept open for the sick man. His honour said that before deciding on the case the Court should have some information as to practice and directed the parties to confer with a view to arriving at some agreement as to the practice on the point raised, and to report to the Court. , , The case was accordingly ordered to stand down.