ARBITRATION COURT

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 106, 20 September 1912, Page 8

ARBITRATION COURT

TYPOGRAPHICAL AWARD. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. At the Arbitration Court to-day, the hearing was commenced of the application for a Dominion award in the typographical trade. Justice Sim presided, and with him were W. Scott and J. A. McCul lough. The districts involved in the dispute were the Wellington, Northern, TaTanaki, Nelson, Marlborough, Canterbury, Westland, Otago and Southland. Mr. J. W. F. McDougall (Wellington) in the hand section, and Mr. J. Harris (Dunedin) in the machine section, represented the Federated Typographical Association. Mr. W. Pryor represented the employers, and had with him Mr. Geo. Fenwick (machine section), Mr. Mclndoe (hand section), and Mr. McRobie (country section). In the hand" work section the Federation demands are for a 44 hours week for jobbing and a 42 hour week for morning and evening newspapers. Rates of pay shall be for day work £3 15s, and for night work £4 ss, with no deduction for holidays. Overtime shall be paid for on a graduated scale, ranging from one-third extra for the first three hours to double time after five hours. Eight hours' spell shall be allowed after working overtime, or the work shall be considered a continuation of overtime. Payment of special rates shall be made for specified holidays, except to newspaper employees, who shall be entitled to a week's holiday on full pay in each year, in lieu of regular holidays. Apprentices shall be legally indentured for a term of six years, and may be employed in the following proportions, one for the office, one for the first three journeymen, one for the next four journeymen, and one for every five additional journeymen, all permanently employed. Any apprentice who has gained a certificate at any technical coMege, certifying to his having passed a two years' course in a composing class, shall rank as a second-year apprentice. Piecework rate 9 shall be: Day hands, Is 2d per 1000 ens; night hands, Is 3d per 1000 ens. Special rules in regard to extra charges are included. Minimum wages for newspaper readers shall be: Nightwork, chief reader £4 15s, other readers £4; day work, chief readers £4 10s, other readers £3 17s fid. Jobbing-room reader, £3 17s Cd.

In the machine section the Federation asks that the rates shall be: Bay operators, £3 15s; night operators, £4 ss. Any operator on piecework called to work on time shall receive not less per hour than Is lOd (day), and 2s Id (night). Piecework rates shall be: Minimum per thousand ens, without fat, mum per 1000 ens, without fat, 3y 3 d; 3y 2 d; brevier and smaller types, 3%d; bourgeois and all larger types, 4d; with all fat, Vid less per thousand. Overtime, one-third extra. Night pieceworkers shall be paid an allowance equal to the difference between the wages of day and night operators. Hours of work shall be seven per day, or 42 per week, as set out in the conditions. Overtime shall be one-third extra for the first three hours, thereafter double. Saturday night extra editions shall be paid for at the rate of 3s per hour, on time. Probationers shall be paid from £3 to £3 10s for the first six months, and they shall be journeymen compositors. Other forms of typesetting on machines shall be paid: Day work £3 15s, night work £4 ss.

The employers classify the towns into five divisions—(l) the four principal cities. (2) towns over 10,000 (according to 1911 census), (3) 5001 to 10,000. (4) 2500 to 5000, (5) towns under 2500. They propose a week of 48 hours, with rates in the machine section ranging from Is 7<i an hour (night work in division. 1), to Is 3d an hour (daywork in division 5). Weekly rates, £3 16s to £3. Piecework rates shall be 2%d per 1000 with fat, up'to and including brevier 3d with fat, burgeois and larger solid matter VA extra in all types. No extra payment for night piecework. For Saturday night editions 2s Gd an hour is offered. Probationers shall be paid £2 5s for daywork, and £2 10s for nightwork, until full efficiency speed is attained. A test of efficiency with proportionate pay is provided for, when an operator is on time work. Operators of monotype and similar machines shall be paid from £3 5s per week, or Is 4y 3 d per hour, in division 1, to £2 15s per week in division 5, or Is iy 2 d an hour in division 4. In handwork, the general conditions as to -hours offered are the same as in the machine section. Wages offered, according to the divisions, range from £2 5s to £3 10s per week, with equivalent hourly rates in the first three divisions. The claim for a week's holiday for newspaper employees is objected to. Piecework rates shall be Is Id per 1000 for daywork, and Is 2d for nightwork. Overtime shall be paid for at the rate of time and a half. Florence to readers is objected to. Evidence in the hand section had not concluded when the Court adjourned at 1 o'clock to sit. again to-morrow at 10 a.m. On His Honor's suggestion,.a conference between representatives of the employers and the machine section was held in the afternoon, with a view to arriving at a settlement on matters of detail.