PENALTY FOR STRIKES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 292, 19 May 1915, Page 5

PENALTY FOR STRIKES.

PREFERENCE CLAUSE FORFEITED. TWO WELLINGTON AWARDS. By Telegraph.—Piass Association. Wellington, Last Night. Awards in the cases of the taxi-driv-ers, electrical workors, and the building trades laborers, recently heard by tha Arbitration Court in Wellington, have been filed with the Clerk </.' Awards (Mr. G. S. Clark). In the Taxi-drivers' Award, which is the first of its kind, the Court has adopted the recommendations of the Conciliation Council and has added the Court's preference clause. The award is to operate within a radius of five, miles from the Chief Post Oilice, Wellington, and the term is May 24th, 1915, to July 4th, 1!I17. .

The electrical workers' award is based on the previous award, but in regard to journeymen tlie minimum wage is increased to Is (Id per hour. The Court's preference clause, is included. An important memorandum ia attached to the building trades laborers' award. The Court had only to consider the questions of wages and preference, and in regard to the first it has granted an increase of Id per hour in the minimum rate for workers coming within the scope of the award. ]n its memorandum the Court stated: ''This must not be regarded as establishing a standard wage for similar workers in other parts of the Dominion, as the increase ia granted owing to the exceptionally high rates which workers in this district had to pay for suitable dwelling-, houses.'' The following statement M to preference was contained in tho memorandum: "It was proved before the Court that the members of this union in November, 1013, during the currency of an award which granted them preference, went out on strike. In doing l so they violated the fundamental purpose of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, which is the prevention of strikes. They forfeited any legitimate claim to preference, and the nsual preference has therefore been omitted from tho award."