DOMINION NEWS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 51, 1 March 1913, Page 3

DOMINION NEWS.

MIDDAY WAITRESSES. ! ARE THEY SUBJECT TO OVERTIME ? A busy life is that of a restaurant waitress, as people in the habit of city well know. The Hotel and Restaurant Employees’ award makes ■special provision for the employment of what are known as “midday waitresses” to relieve the rushes which usually occur between the hours of 11.30 a.m. and 2 p.m. The interesting point as to whether a “midday waitress” can be employed overtime was decided in a reserved judgment declared by Mr E. C. Cutten, S.M., at Auckland on i Thursday. The case was Inspector of Awards I v. F. W. and A. Prior, occupiers of | the Strand Cafe, and the claim arose I out of an alleged failure on the part I of the defendants to pay the wages rebquired by the award to a waitress . whom they employed on six days beI tween the hours of 11.30 a.m. and 2 p.m., which waitress was on three | of the days employed between the , hours of 5 and 7 p.m., and on one i day between the hours of 5 and 7.30 p.m. The defendants claimed that they employed her as a “midday waitress,” paying her the award rates for employment between o p.m. also between 7 and 7.30 p.m. Plaintiff claimed that there was no provision for the payment of overtime to a “midday waitress,” and that employment at other than the stipulated time would | not constitute employment as a “midda- waitress.” ‘‘l think this conten-

ticm is sound,” said his Worship. “If ‘ a waitress working between the hours , of 11.30 a.m. and 2 p.ra. is defined by the award as a ‘midday waitress’ it ' seems to me to be undue stretching l of language to say that a waitress working between the hours of 5 and ' 7.30 p.m. is working as a ‘midday waitress,’ and to suggest that in working those hours she was working overtime from her midday waiting seems absurd. The defendant, I think, acted in good faith.” Judgment was given for plaintiff for 10s and costs. NATIVE LANDS. The Hon. Mr Herries (Native Minister) and Mr Campbell, M.P., arrived last evening. The Minister received a deputation of Natives on matters affecting their race. Mr Herries replied that most of the matters mentioned would bo included in his proposed Native Land Amendmelnt legislation. STEAMER OVERDUE FROM HOME Mail advices from Sydney state that some anxiety is now being felt owing to the non-appearance of the s.s. Snowdonian, which is making a passage to Australia from Liverpool on behalf of the White Star Line. According to the information supplied by the agents (says the Auckland Star), she Ircgan her trip as far back as December 12th, after loading a cargo of general merchandise for Melbourne, Sydney, and Newcastle, and, as far as can be gathered, she has not been sighted since she cleared the English coast. Several vessels that sailed from the United Kingdom after her have turned up and reported nothing that would in any way clear up the mystery surrounding her whereabouts, although the usual careful look-out was kept. The passage to Australia, taking Melbourne as the first port, is regularly made by most vessels in from 40 to 45 days, and, although she is acknowledged to be a slow steamer when compared with the regular White Star liners, the Snowdonian should not have taken more than 10 days longer; that is to say, 55 days, whilst she has been 74 days out. MESSAGE TO NEW ZEALANDERS. (Per Press Association.) Wellington, February 28. Both Lady Scott and Mrs Wilson have forwarded the following letter to the press:—“Before leaving this country we would like to express out very real gratitude to the Government and the people of New Zealand for their sympathy and thoughtful help to us. The forethought for our welfare has touched us very deeply, and will not readily be forgotten.—Kathleen Scott and Oriana Wilson.”