WORK AND WAGES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 228, 25 March 1912, Page 2

WORK AND WAGES.

SOFT GOODS ASSISTANTS' UNION. By Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, Saturday. Drapers' assistants, who were included as a branch in the Amalgamated Society of the Merchants' Assistants' Union, have now been registered under the title of Soft Goods Assistants' Industrial Union of Workers. The new union includes employees in drapery and mercery trades. THE MILLS UNITY SCHEME. TIMBER WORKERS LOYAL TO THE FEDERATION. Auckland, Saturday. A large meeting of timber workers, held in the Federal Hall for the purpose of discussing the claims of the Labor Federation and Professor Mills' unity scheme, ended ia a sort of dissention. Mr. Scott Bennett advocated the claims of the Federation and Profeesor Mills his unity scheme. Mr. Bennett had a good hearing, but Professor Mills, on asserting that the threatened strike was the result of Labor being divided, was assailed With cries of "rot." The interruptions continuing, he descended from the platform. There was a call for unionists to leave the building, and an exodus commenced, but a call for fair play filled the yacant seats. Professor Mills resumed his argument and declared that if the unity proposals had been accepted the present crisis in Auckland would never have arisen. Amid a chorus of dissent, Mr. Fraser, president of the General Laborers' Union, commenced speaking from the back of the building amid indescribable uproar, Professor Mills, raising his voice, said that tie secretary of the Timber Workers' Union had informed him the audience was evidently opposed to hearing him further, so he would ceaee. This wat the signal for a wild demonstration. The meeting ended in cheers for the Federation and hooting for Mills.

AN IMPORTANT JUDGEMENT. Wellington, Saturday. A judgment of extreme importance to employers and employees throughout the Dominion was lodged with the Clerk of Awards ait Wellington to-day by the Arbitration Court. Mr. Le Cren, Inspector of Awards, proceeded against the Wairarapa Farmers' Co-operative Association, Ltd., for a, breach of the Wellington grocers' award in working a driver in excess of the time prescribed by the award, but not in excess of the time laid down in section 0 of the Shops and Offices Act. The award expired on April 7, 1911, and the alleged offences began on that date. The Magistrate (Dr. McArthur) held that up to the time of the expiration of the award its provisions were in force, but after that it became modified by the Shops and Offices Act. The action was dismissed and an appeal was made on the giounds that the magistrate was wrong. The appeal was heard by the Arbitration Court, which decided that the Magistrate was wrong in holding that the award and the Act were inconsistent. The appeal was allowed and the ease • remitted to the Magistrate's Court to be dealt with there. Respondent was ordered to pay appellant's costs, £5 ss. While he greed with the decision as correct in law, Mr. Scott, the employers' representative, commented strongly on the probable effect of the court's judgment. In Lis opinion it would lead to no «nd of litigation and strife, due I olely to hasty', and ill-advised legisla-1 sTiOW/V'lfifl.rlv the danger!

Shops and Offices Act and the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act. It would thus be seen that in connection with the tours of work employers and workers are compelled in some cases to observe hours prescribed by the award and in others by the provisions of the Act, and that neither employer nor worker is safe from prosecution.