ARBITRATION COURT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLV, Issue 3998, 3 August 1915, Page 3

ARBITRATION COURT.

THE TAILORS’ DISPUTE. THE QUESTION OITPIECE WORK. The Arbitration Court resumed its sitting, under the presidency of His Honor Mr Justice Stringer, yesterday morning, when the tailors’ dispute was dealt with. Mr Pryor represented the employers while Mr Bullen (secretary of the Auckland Tailors’. Union) appeared for the'Union. Mr ’Bullen explained that the case had been set aside since 1914. The case had been heard before the Conciliation Court later, when an agreement liad been come to, excepting clauses 5 and 7 of general conditions. The rate per hour in both the men’s and women’s logs had been referred to the Court. Apparently there were three issues to be decided by the Court, but as cl truss -5 and 7 had been agreed to by the employers, he .submitted that the only matter before the Court was the fixing of Is ] I per hour as lie rate of pay. Mr Pryor said the employers did not agree to clause 5 and 7. They intended to ask for the Otago award. Mr Bullen complained that an attempt was being made at the last moment to foist uopn the Court counter proposals on matters which had already been agreed to.

Mr Pryor said that, it, was only a question *of whether the men .should bo paid piece work or weekly wages. His Honor: i don’t see that tins will em harass you, Mr Bullen. It is purely a question ol argument, is it not?

Mr Bullen : It is a question of argument,, but argument that will necessitate the calling of expert evidence. His Honor said that he could grant an adjournment, but he- did not suppose that that was desired. Mr Bullen said that niece work was the universal method adopted all ovei the world in the tailoring trade. This trade-was quite different to am- other. The workers wanted the Auckland award.

Air -Pryor said that the employers wanted to put the workers under the same award as they were working under in Dunedin. His Honor asked if the rate jxirhour nad been agreed to. Mr Bullen said they were asking for ] s Hd. while the employers oll’ored Is. Mr Bullen said lie was. not prepared to settle the question raised by Air .Pryor now. He held it was a question for experts to settle. His Honor said they could hear the employers' side, and then Air Bullen might feel ho would be able to answer them.

Mr Pryor maintained that it was not a technical question at all. Those questions had been referred to the Court. His Honor said it was clear that the questions had been reterred to the Court and Mr Bullen should have been prepared to deal with them. His Honor said lie was not going to have any technical pleading. He was not going to shut out any evidence. He was going to get, all the evidence he could. Mr Pryor said if the Court decided to raise the rate of pay to Is lid per hour they would- submit evidence showing that this rate had had disastrous effects in Auckland. 1 hey submitted that, every employer had the right to employ workers on a weekly wage. He had heard no trouble in regard to the system. In one shop , the wages system might suit best., | while in the other piece work might j bo preferable. If an employer eiceted to have piece work, he was onlv allowed one wages hand. "Where, they had all wages hands it was quite impossible for employers to guarantee fuff time. They asked the Court that employers should have the option of adopting which ever system they preferred. There were far more employees engaged in wages work than in piece work throughout the trade. His Honor pointed out that if the optional system was adopted employees could take their choice of whatever they preferred. Air Bullen said they did not want, it left optional. His Honor: But why? Mr Bullen: Because the tailoring trade lends itself to sweating. - It was no unusual thing to End workmen who had been at t-lie trade for 40 years. His Honor pointed out that an old man could he. put on piece, work, and he would then earn what he was capable of earning. Mr Bullen said that under piece work a man got what he earned, while under wages the employer got a good deal of what ouch man earned. His Honor: You don’t argue that a man should get. more than he earns do you? I can’t see where the injustice or the impracticability of the optional system comes in. If a workman wanted to work on wages ho did not see why the employer should not be able to engage him under that system. Regarding the rate per hour, Mr Bullen said they held Gisborne employees were entitled to the same rates as was fixed in Auckland. Air Pryor pointed out that there was no Tinder-rate, workers’ clause in ’ the award, and this should certainly he provided if wages were upon as the system. Mr Bullen said they objected to an under-rate workers’ clause. Under piece work there was no necessity for tiliS. *3* Mr Pryor said they asked the Court to look upon the. matter not in the light of Gisborne alone, but as affecting the Dominion, as a whole. He was more than surprised to hear Air Bullen stand up and say that the present award in Auckland was working satisfactorily. He would challenge Air Bullen to deny that, the present award had not resulted in more tailors being out of work now than ever before, and this was not due to the effects of the war. He pointed out that if Is lid was fixed as the,rate of pay, an employer would require an accountant to work out the time-sheets. ’Fancy working out one-eight of Is J l ,| o 3 His Honor said that a man’s time would he added up for the week. Continuing, Mr Pryor said they would show that the tailors of New j Zealand earned 52s 8d over a 52 week : year, and apart from the printing ; trade the tailoring trade was the hi "best paid. Tim average ■ earnings worked out at. £2 17s. The employers had endeavored to work under , the award, but-they would produce evidence showing where customers had refused to pay the increased price for suits, and had gone straight away and purchased factorymade goods. A number of firms in Auckland could, not have car red on if they had not found some means of supplying suits at a price which suited. Machines had been introduced, which led to the sacking of men and the employment of women. Was this to the ad vantage of the trade? In order to combat the fac-tory-made suit master tailors had had to turn out machine-made suits. Men were not earning as much now as they did before the award had come into force. They would show that the workers were well paid. James Johnstone, pf the firm m Johnstone and Smith, tailors and outfitters, said he had been nine years in Gisborne. Ho had been cutter for Mr Shier] aw for four years, and. had then taken over Mr Shierlaw’s business. He had employed as many as ten tailors, but last year he had only i employed four. One of his employees, Wallace, had earned £4. Is o*d for the year-1913-14. with 30s Gd overtime for | the year. Last year he had earnno £3 10s, with 29s 0d overtime. . jU>. quoted: figures which lie had extraq-tCi, ; from his books showing that the rates 1 of pay had;decreased under the award. Owing to competition 1 from_ the factories, overcoats, sac, sporting, il;ii;iuel suits, and riding breeches nad. gone almost out of the • hands ofi tile tailoring trade. A man entitled, to call himself ’ a journeyman tailor should be-able to : make three sac coats in 48-hours. He was paid 24s 2d

escl.i for these. The workman thus worked 48 hours and was paid for By Mr Bullen: The average price witness paid-for making sac coats was 24s 2d. He made this un from the Log. Witness had’ no difficulty with his men. . Witness noticed that trade in New Zealand fluctuated according to the prosperity of the country, but he did not attribute "the falling off in ius returns to the war. Witness’ firm employed six men in 1914, and had only A’our men working now. Witness’preferred the weekly system. The business was. paying, but only just paying. The average price for a sac suit was £5 ss.

Robert Johnston, of the firm of Johnston AndGUillcr, said he hud been in business for 30 years in Gisborne. He confirmed the evidence of the previous witness regarding the serious effect on the tailoring trade caused hv la. lory-made goods. The result had been that the staff employed by the firm had dropped from nine to about four. In 1914, Whitfield, one of his employees, averaged £3 12s IOJd, while McConnell, another workman, averaged .03 11s 10d. Tic had known of mer making four coats in a week, with some overtime. He worked eight- hours overtime. He was paid for 96 hours that week. By Air Bullen: "Witness’ firm employed about five men last- year. His men lost two hours for every hour of overtime they worked. Many of them took holidays. To His Honor: They paid their weekly men £3 ss. He dal the alterations. AVitness had not worked out what he did from the hv book. Evidence was also given by Benjamin G. Dudfieki, managing partner for Walter lies, who said that a couple of years ago the firm employed five moni, whereas now they employed two, ami witness had to do a good deal of work himself. He quoted! figures from his books showing what his workmen had been paid, and showing that they earned over £3. Air Pryor said they could go through the town, and give the Wages of every man employed, but did not consider this necessary. Francis AVm. Hobbs, President of the Alastor Tailors’ Association, said that when the Auckland award was .made, the Association had felt that if it bet ame general it would force many of them out of the business. They had decided to attend the Court at the next town atpvhich the award came up, and place evidence before it wlii' li they felt sure could not have been before it when it- made the award. When fixing a rate of pay they wanted to fix a figure which could be paid in coin of the realm. The fixing of Is lid would result in awkward fractions. His Honor said be could not for the life of him see how it would lie any more difficult to work out the time at 1 s lld than at Is.

Proceeding, witness produced a statement compiled from census returns, showing that tailors’ general hands earned 13 per cent more than skilled tradesmen, and eoatmakers earned 5 per cent more. There were :iq skilled trades in which the earnings were less than the lowest figures in the return he -had taken out. ’I he increase fixed by the Auckland award would raise tailors’ wages 25 per cent, above the highest skilled laborers, while roatmaßers. would get 171 per cent higher. If the Auckland award was made general, it would he a serious blow to’the trade in New Zealand. Tailoring was at present in » r transitory stage in the Dominion. (he old hand work was being superseded by high-grade factory work. It was the old story of the triumph of machinery over hand-work. Ho produced figures showing the decrease in trade which had taken nlace in Christchurch. Between 1906 and 19.13 the number »t tailors employed in Christchurch _ had drooped from 248 to 221, and this in face of the fact that- there had been a substantial increase in population. As showing the precarious position ot the trade, ho stated that in July. 19.12. 85 master tailors had been cited before the Court in Christchurchot these no less than 2S had gone under. His firm employed 18 hands, but he had not been able to earn more than 31 per cent, on the capital he had invested in the business. Ow ing to the war, he had not been able to take anything out for nimself this year. His Honor: According to tins morning’s paper, I see the society ladies do no, intend to wear any new clothes. If the men we have here follow this lead the tailors will be in a bad way. Continuing. Air Hobbs said that the tailors in Christchurch had informed me employers that, owing to the effect of the war on the trade, they would not make a demand for an increase in the rate of wages until the war was over. , , Mr Bullen: You sav that the trade is doomed mving to the introduction of machinery? , . Air Hobbs : I say that the tailoring trade will decline to a certain, point, at which it will have to be readjustedAir McCullough: I suppose Dungs will conic to the pass they have m America, where from 80 to 90 pm cent, of the people wear shop-maao garments. Mi- Bullen: The master tailors seen, afraid that tho trade is doomed, but the journeymen tailors have no stten lea in answer to His Honor, Mr Hobbs said lie would consider £3 for a hour week would be fair pay. Charles G. Nicholas, <>i Nicholas and Davey. tailors, Auckland, staled that when the new award came out lie had bo raise the price of suits to '-•» 5s and within a month he found an immediate falling off of trade. Many of his customers said they could do just, as well with a factory suit at £5 10s or £3 15s. He had noticed the trade falling off prior to the- war. lie was speaking on behalf of the Auckland Tailors’ Association. in eonsequence of the falling off in trade, as a result of the award he had had to employ girl coat, hands, and within two weeks put off two men. By putting on female hands he had reduced the cost, and sold at the old price. Ho had worked prior to the' award coming into force at £2 os weekly wage. , , By Air Bullen: He had been compelled owing to the award coming into j force to raise the price of suits o p? 1 j cent. As a result of tho increase m price,, the trade had been turneu to factory-made suits. Air Pryor said ho preferred to lea ve the case where it was. They had rriven tho Court the detailed particulars concerning tho of the trade in Gisborne. The two provisions in the Otago award were required, and anything else would be

useless to them. It must ho abundantly evident to the Court that workers iu the tailoring trade were earning wages quite in conformity with other skilled trades. With all duo respect to Air McCullough, tho Court had not had full particulars regarding tho wages earned Iw tailors when they fixed the award in Auckland. According to the Labor returns tho average wage earned by tailors was 52s 8d per week all round the year. This trade called for the protection of the Court. It was probably a ease of evolutiqp. His Honor: Dissolution. I' should say. By process of evolution, wo may arrive at what may be called- tho .super-trade. Air Pryor said he was sure tho Court would not give me trade tho push which would put it right out. They came to Gisborne pretty much against its will, as thov would have preferred to fight tho matter out in one of the-larger centres. There was nothing more clear man that, a number of tailors in Auckland had lost their employment as a result ol coo award. An award that could bring about this result could not he held to he much of a success. Thev had endeavored to keep the period of the war right out of the argument. In view of tho evidence they had given, the disastrous results to employers and workers alike, and the necessity for protecting the trade, they held that tho Court must give them too terms they asked for. He regretted that the Union had not seen fit to call witnesses. Many of the sohereriiiin -dec! workers themselves recognised tho danger which threatened tho trade, Mr Bullen said that he did come to Gisborne prepared to fight the whole of New Zealand. It was not until two days before he left Auckland that lie had heard that representatives of the employers were leaving the South Island to attend the sitting. ’The reason lie had not called witnesses bore was because this was only a small place, and he did not want to run the risk of any worker losing his billet. Mr Pryor: That insinuation is ridiculous. His Honor pointed out to Ail' Bullen that it was sometimes important io carry an outpost. It sometimes Tod to victory later on. Because they had fixed a" rate at--Auckland which could be proved was too high, it was not to say that the Court was going to do it again. Air Bullen said he was not prepared to accept tho responsibility on behalf of hundreds of men of accepting a ruling of the Court under the circumstances. His Honor said it would be a very unfortunate position if they gave the employers what they asked for, and then had to alter it. He might- saylie had been very much impressed with the employers’ side of the case. However, if when they got to Christchurch and further evidence was placed before them, and they found that they had not been so far wrong in Auckland after all, it would he a veiy unsatisfactory position. It was not, a fair position to place the Court^in. Mr .Pryor said tile lac-t that iney had given their case away prejudiced their case m a good many ways. Twice-cooked cabbage was not verygood. a lid their case could not be presented again with the freshness it- had been that day. His Honor said that Air Pryor had presented facts, and he had very full notes of Air Hobbs’ evidence. The Court had got its own consistency to consider. The Gisborne master tailors would be under no disability it the old award was allowed to stand, ft would ho no benefit, to the employers to snatch a victory at a place like Gisborne which would not- bind them at Christchurch. Messrs Prvor and Bullen then accepted His Honor’s suggestion, and the case was adjourned sine die. Air Pryor said that the employers had boon very careful to keep the war out- of tho case before tho Court. He would like an assurance that no attempt would be made to alter the conditions while the war lasted. His Honor said lie considered that, tailoring was a trade in whicu the conditions should not be interfered with while the war lasted. Mr Bullen gave His Honor an/assuranee that no attempt would be made to change the conditions as far as lie was concerned. The Court then adjourned until H) o’clock this morning.