73

I.—9a.

J. 11. HINTON.

22. Mr. Veitch.] You say the fifteen minutes' grace is not enough, and you would like it fixed at thirty minutes. That would render the employees liable to serve a little more time every day in the week if it should happen to be necessary, would it not? —That is so. 23. Would not that really amount to a lengthening of the hours without increasing the remuneration I—Yes,1 —Yes, but the 24. What remuneration would you propose to give to these men under the It is hardly conceivable that in any one week there would be more than one occasion arise for this half-hour to be worked. In fact, it might go for weeks and months without there being necessity for working the half-hour. I have rung up my shop from my house a few minutes after 6 and have found them away time after time, until I have got into the way of thinking that if it is five minutes past 6 it is no use trying to get any response from the shop. 25. I can see the force of your point, but it seems to me a most unfair thing to put those men in the position that they cannot depend on getting away from work until half past 6 on any (lav. and it certainly puts every employer in the position that he can take that half-hour every day in the week if he wishes to? —I think that if he were to attempt to do it with anything like regularity the employee would very soon "jib." 1 know that I would if I were an employee, because the half -hour would not be put there to be used except under special circumstances. 26. You will admit that it is rather a difficult thing to jib against the law and the employer at the same time? —It would not be jibbing against the law and the employer; it would simply be jibbing at an abuse of the law by the employer. 27. With regard to employees signing the book, would you be satisfied if the signing of the book was simply a receipt for the money for the time alleged to have been worked, and that within a certain time the question could be disputed by the employee?—lt seems to me that a man ought to know by the time he reaches his pay-day how much money he is entitled to. I do not think a man should sign a receipt for his wages in full unless he knows the amount is there that he is entitled to. 28. The receipt is for the amount of money entered in the book? —Yes. 29. Surely that should not be considered as final?— What is the object of the man signing if it is not to be regarded as final? 30. Mr. Okey7\ In signing this book is not the difficulty with the overtime? If there are a few shillings overtime is not that where there is difficulty rather than with wages proper?—My experience is that a man is keener after his overtime than his wages. 31. If the employee had a chance to object within a fortnight do you think that would meet the circumstances? —I do not think the difficulty would be so much with regard to the overtime as to the amount of wages necessary to be paid to a man who is entitled under his Arbitration Court award to a rise, and has not informed his master that he has reached the birlhday from which he is entitled to a rise in wages. 32. Some grocers make it a rule to send out some of their employees, possibly at 5 o'clock, witli a load that will take two hours to deliver? —Under present circumstances we dare not do that, because we should be committing a breach of the award. But there are circumstances under which it may be necessary to send a man out at 5 o'clock with a load that will take him two hours to deliver, and we contend that if the exigencies of our business demand that it should lie so, and if we pay that man for the work that he does, that is all that the law should require from us. 33. Mr. Pryor.] With regard to this half-hour's grace, the present Act provides for thirty minutes' grace?— Yes. 34. Then it is not right to suggest, as Mr. Veitch seemed to suggest, that you are going to take something extra out of the workers without paying for it? This half-hour counts in the fifty-two in the week? You do not get more than fifty-two hours in the week? You have t<i keep within the limit, have you not?—l do nut think that those few minutes' grace count. 35. In any case you are not asking any more now than you had previously? — No. 36. Or that you had when that award was made? —That is so. 37. Mr. Veitch. ],Do you say that you are not asking for any change in existing conditions?— That is so. 38. Mr. Pryor.] You are not asking for any change with regard to the half-hour provision! —With regard to the period of grace We are allowed thirty minutes' grace under the present Act. We are not aware of any complaint having been made by the other side justifying any reduction in that grace. 39. The Chairman.] You wish it to remain as it is—the half-hour? —Yes. 40. Mr. Davey.] Is it correct that the Supreme Court ruled that the half-hour only applied to outside and not inside the shop? —I am not aware. Mr. Davey: I think T am correct in stating that it was held that that half-hour only applied to outside. 41. Mr. Pryor.] ITiat is so, but it has never been put into operation against you in Dunedin, has it, Mr. Hinton? —It is positively the first I have heard of it. Mr. Davey: That is the point; that is why it is in the Bill now, I presume, because of that Supreme Court decision. Mr. Pryor: When I give evidence I will deal with that. 42. Mr. A. Eonser (Secretary, Auckland Grocers' Assistants' Union).] Do I understand you to say that you consider that under the present Act you have thirty minutes' grace allowed witli respect to all the assistants in the shop? Is that the way the Act has been administered in Dunedin? —Yes, to the best of my belief. Really I cannot tell you that th<> half-hour's gracp has been used in any case to my knowledge. But the trade down there understand that they have it if they need it.

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