THE BOOT TRADE.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 March 1921, Page 6

THE BOOT TRADE.

QUESTION OF AN AWARD. By Telegraph—Press Association. Dunedin, March 17. The New Zealand federated boot trades’ dispute and the application for a Dominion award Were recently heard in Auckland, but the Arbitration'Court has been unable to fix a new rate of wages. In referring the matter back to the parties for a conference the Court filed a memorandum which says that, in the absence of any suggested scheme of classification it has found it impossible to arrive at a conclusion without doing injustice to the employers or highly skilled -workers. If a high basic wage is fixed for all -workers the employers must suffer through paying that rate to less skilled workers, and, if a low basic rate is fixed for all workers, the highly skilled workers would not receive fair treatment. The memorandum adds that in view of the present competition from outside New Zealand it appears to be highly desirable that a serious attempt should be made to stabilise the conditions oji a scientific and equitable basis. It suggests as a basis for discussion at the conference a study of the classification of the boot manufacturing industry prepared by the Efficiency Board in 1917. The court is prepared to receive a report of the parties at Christchurch on April 5.