ARBITRATION COURT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2503, 17 May 1909, Page 4

ARBITRATION COURT.

GISBORNE AWARDS.

THE PAINTERS’ DISPUTE.

The Arbitration Court has made its award in connection with the Gisborne painters’ dispute, Which was heard on Friday last, and a copy has been filed with tho Registrar of tho Supreme Court here. The award is in substance exactly tho same as the previous one, and it is therefore unnecessary to set out its provisions. The reasons which have guided the Court in coming to its decision are contained in a memorandum attached to the award, which its as follows: "This award is in substance the same as that made in 1905 (Book of Awards, voi. ri., p. 159). "The Union asked to have the minimum wage for painters increased from Is 3d to Is 41 d per hour, on the ground that the cost of living in Gisborne had increased since the last award was made. So far from this being established the evidence went to show that the cost of a number of the necessaries of life was actually less than in 1905. Taking the case, therefore, as presented by the parties at the bearing, if . any alteration were to be made in the minimum wage it should be a reduction instead of an increase. ‘4From what was said by tho representative of the Union at the hearing, he. appeared to think that because the term fixed by the last award had expired, it was the duty of the Union..to apply for a new award. As this idea is not uncommon, it is desirable to say that there is no such duty imposed on Unions, and that it is quite a mistake to suppose that it is the function of the Arbitration Court to go on endlessly "revising the conditions of a particular industry. - "Where an industry has been beroro the Court two or three times and its conditions investigated, the last award should be treated as finally settling these conditions, and,any alteration can only be made on clear and definite proof that there has been a cnange tn circumstances since that- award was made. . , , , "These observations may be taken as applying generally to all the industries (with perhaps one or two exceptions) in connection with which the Court ha* made two or three successive awards. "Much expense and disappointment will be avoided if tho executives or unions will ponder what we have said, and if before originating a dispute, they will ascertain that there is some definite and reasonable ground for asking for an alteration in the terms of an existing award, and will recognise that without some such grounu. it Is useless to ask for any alteration. It is idle to ask. as many Unions do, for an increase in the wages fixed by an existing award and to have nothing better to offer in support of the application than the evidence of a number of workers who are prepared to saw that, in their opinion, the wages asked for are reasonable. To rely on evidence of that kind is to confess thgr the Union has been unable to find anything tn the shape of fact or argument support its case/’ • - THE BAKERS’ DISPUTE. The 'award in the Gisborne bakers’ award has been settled by the Cour> and sent, to Auckland to be filed with the Clerk of Awards. By this award the hours of work hare, been reduced to 48 per week. The wages have been left the same as they were turner the. last award, and the other conditions are the same in substance.