The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1912.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 3659, 22 October 1912, Page 4

The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1912.

A good deal of interest will be mani-. fested in all parts of the Dominion with reference to the decision of the Court of Arbitration in the case of the hours and conditions or work for drivers. In a memorandum attached to the new local award (a summary of which appears in another column) the President of the Court (Mr Justice Sim) points out that it was proposed by the Drivers’ Federation to apply for a Dominion award under the Act of 1911, but owing to the defective legislation on the subject this was found to be impossible. Airplications for local awards were then, lie continues, made, therefore, in Auckland, Gisborne, Wellington, Wanganui, Napier, Christchurch and Dunedin and these were heard as one dispute in Wellington in September last. They wore, says His Honor, treated as being in substance, though not iu form, applications for a Dominion award. The first principal change made by the new awards in existing conditions is stated to he that- attendance to horses has been limited to eight hours per week. “There is no doubt,” remarks the President, ‘‘that in tlxo past some employers have made an improper use of the right to require a v driver to attend to horses

The Drivers’ New Award.

without any limit a/to time, and some restrictionyro the subject has been found Wessary.” In the second place ttoctime occupied by a driver in msmg from and returning to the staMe is to count as part of his world®? hours. Then, again, the wauls of drivers have been increased.

Ajfiar as the City of Wellington is j jjoneerned. the increase is to be one of i Is per week. In Auckland, Christ- , church and Dunedin, the increase n>, however, to be one of 4s per week. What is more, the rates for casual drivers have been increased. Taking the Auckland City Award it has been limited to the area lying within a radius of 10 miles from the chief post office there, as only employers in or about the city were made parties to the dispute. A similar award will he made to operate in Hamilton when the necessary application is made to the Court. The position is the same with, regard to the Christchurch award. A similar award will be made to operate in Timaru and Ashburton when the necessary application is made. Three awards have been made in' the Wellington _ district, as there are three Unions there, and three separate disputes were originated there. ‘Tt was j impossible,” adds the Court, “to eon-] skier individual applications foi ox- 1 omption, and a general clause has j been introduced giving the Court power to exempt any employers who j have not been bound by awards pre- < viously made in connection with di i- j j vers, and who are engaged in any j ! business not previously brought under I the operations of such an award.’ It ! seems that the new award so far as | Gisborne is concerned is similar to j that which, has just been made witn reference to Auckland. Thus it comes about that, henceforth, an inI crease of 4s per week will apply in. the j case of all drivers who come within the scope of the new local award. From all accounts, however, the local j drivers are very dissatisfied, because | no allowance has been provided in the case of the hours which require to be devoted to attendance on horses each week. Another sore point with local drivers is that a section of the workers, such as grocers’ drivers and bakers’ drivers, are still to remain under the Shops and Offices Act, which | allows -52 hours, instead of 48 hours, Ito be worked, lliese will be the pririj cipal matters, it is understood, that j will come up for discussion when the j award is considered by the local Union j at its meeting to-night.