BOOTS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 315, 3 July 1912, Page 5

BOOTS

THE XEW TRADE AWABD. By Telegraph—Press Association. ChristclnircK, Last Xight. The dispute between the Xew Zealand Federated Boot Manufacturers' Association and the New Zealand Federated Boot Trade Union lias been settled, as the result of a conference, following on a conference previously held, and the proceedings before the Conciliation Council at Auckland. For the agreement arrived at, a certain amount of credit is due to Mr. Giles, Conciliation Commissioner, at Auckland, though the agreement was not arrived at till after the Conciliation Council proceeding?. The most important alterations agreed to are with regard to male employees, as follows.—First and second grades of workers have been struck out, and there now remains only one grade. The wages for all workers under the agreement will be Is 2d per hour, representing an increase of 7s 6d per week in respect to the wages of those workers who were in grade one under the old award, and of os 7y s d in respect to the wages of those workers who were in Grade 11. under the old award. The apprenticeship leas been altered considerably by the : 1 adoption of what is known as "the Court's clause." The term of apprenticeship is five years, and the wages com-' mence at 10s per week for the first six months. Under the old award apprentices started at 5s per week for the first' ' year, 7s 6d for. the second year, 12s for ; the third year, 17s 6d for the fourth year, and 25s for the fifth year. Under \ the new agreement apprentices' wages I during the final six months of their apI prenticeship will be 32s Gd. The underrate workers' clause has been altered by ! the adoption of what is known as "the Court's clause." The only alteration in. I the new agreement is in the apprenticeship clause, which. ; is now put on a definite footing. Ttiere wil? be only one class of apprentices, instead of three under the old award. " . ■'- Mr. G. K. Whiting, secretary of the Xew Zealand Federated Boot Trade Union, made the following statement to a reporter: "Xotwjihstanding the fact that an agreement has been arrived at j between the parties, and I am glad that a settlement has been arrived at in the conference, being a stiong believer in conciliation, we have not secured every j point that we aimed at. There are a J number of anomalies still in the old award, but they are not so serious as those that have been altered by the new i agreement. The increase of the miniI mum wage ia not what we asked for, i which was Is 4d per hour. At the same j time the increase obtained is an increase in the wages of those earning the present minimum, and should mean an in- . crease to those who are earning more than the present minimum. In my opinion, the increases should not mean any increase in the price of boots to the public, on account of the improved methods of manufacture adopted during the last ten years having decreased the cost of production. These improved methods, which decreased the cost of production, should onable employers to pay increased wages without increasing the prices of boots to the public. "I want to make an appeal to the people of New Zealand, and that is to make sure when purchasing boots or-shoes 'that the articles have been made in Xew Zealand. By doing so they will give more constant employment to our workers. They will be able to secure just as good an article —in some cases a better article. They will also cause .money to circulate in the Dominion, and ensure more employment to other workers in other industries. Last year there was over £300,000 worth of boots and shoes imported into the Dominion. This state of things ought not to be, as Xew Zealand manufacturers can produce just as good an article as the foreign manufacturer."

'Mr. Robert Allen, of Messrs. Skelton, Frostick & Co., one of the largest employers in the Dominion, states that it is satisfactory to have the matter settled. The manufacturers know now on what basis they have to work, and on which they must meet competition. The increase in the minimum wage made it more difficult to fight the imported article, which was such a big feature in the retail boot trade of the Dominion. It was just a question of enterprise and the energy of mannufacturers, who would have to employ most efficient and up-to-date methods of manufacture, and cmploy the best men that could be got.