WORK AND WAGES

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 150, 21 July 1909, Page 2

WORK AND WAGES

RIGHTS Oi' 1 WORKERS, 13y Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, July 20. 11l the Arbitration Court to-day, in the Kiripaka coal mini's dispute l , alt. Manning, secretary of the federated ' Coal -Miners' Union, urged that wages ' should ibe increased all round and brought into line with wages elsewhere. 1 Since the passing of the Arbitration Act, lie asserted, the minimum wage had come to be looked upon as u maximum wage, and workers 110 longer had a rigiit to strike. Judge Sim interjected: You cancel 1 your registration and you can striKc. Mr. .Manning: 1 understood that in an industry to which an award would apply we should be liable if we /struck. Judge Sim: Not ut ail. if you are not registered you can strike. DROVJEKS' DISPUTE SETTLED. Napier, Last Night. The Conciliation Council to-day considered the Hawke's Bay drovers' dispute, and an agreement was arrived st satisfactory to all concerned. The minimum wage is fixed at 12s (id per day for drovers and lUs 0d 'for packmen. The wages at present prevailing arc in most cases higher than those just given and tlie representatives of the employers have agreed to do all they can to see tlmt 110 reduction is made in the existing rates. AN INTERPRETATION WANTED. Wellington, Last Night. Dr. McArthur was asked to-day to adjudicate on a section of the seamen's award 11 by the Australasian Federated Seamen's Union. In order to take the matter into Court, the union sued the Union Steamship Company for £lO penalty for an alleged breach of the award. Tire company is required to give seamen 24 notice of dismissal, and the union desired to know whether it was t-mupetent of the employer to give no- ! . .-o of dismissal away from port. In Jie case cited, it appears that the Union Company gave notice at Westport to a seaman that he would be disi missed at Wellington. The union holds . that notice should not be given until 1 a.rrival in port at His Worship reserved his decision. Mr. W. c T. Young, secretary of the union, cont ducted his own case.