Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931), Thursday 1 August 1912, page 8


STRIKE AT CORONA

STATION.

TROUBLE OVER BUTTER ALLOW-

ANCE.

Broken Hill, July 31.

Corona station, where shearing is at present in full swing, was tne scene of a strike this week. On Monday the men engaged at the station, about 30, made a demand to the manager to be supplied with butter as part of their rations' al-lowance. The request was refused, and the men at once ceased work. Yester-day morning "Mr. J. Murphy (the local A.W.U. agent) journeyed to the station, and as the result of his investigations in-to the trouble a settlement has been ef-fected, and the men resumed work this

morning. Mr. H. L. Hosier (secretary of the Pastoralists' Association) stated this morning that there was some doubt

whether the item "butter" was included

in the list of rations made under the ar-bitration award, and that point was re-served for the consideration of the board of reference appointed under the Act. The settlement of the strike was brought about on the understanding that the but-ter item will be allowed, pending the de-cision of the board. In the event of the decision being against the men the station will be refunded the extra expenditure incurred. Mr. Murphy has not yet re-turned from Corona, but is expected to-night.

When the award was being settled by the Arbitration Court, Mr. Justice Hig-gins was asked bv the A.W.U. to fix a list of rations, but his Honor declined to do so, on the ground that such a list might be found to work unjustly, so far as some outback stations were concerned, as certain commodities might not be ob-tainable. Therefore, a board of refe-rence was appointed by the court, and re-lating to it 'the minutes of the award as settled on October 27 last for a period of five years, state:-

The court by this award appoints for the pur-poses thereof a board of reference, consisting of Williiim Alexander Gordon of Castlereach Chambers, Sydney, grazier, and William Harvey Armstrong, of the Pastoralists' Union of New South Wales, 3, Spring-street, Sydney (repre-senting the respondents), and William Guthrie Spence and Thomas White, both of 129, Bathurst street, Sydney (representing the claimant). and (in case the board be equally divided on any question or call in his assistance), the registrar.

The court assigns to the board the function of deciding whether any rations supplied or to be supplied by any respondent are good and sufficient under all the circumstances, and the finding of the board that the rations are or are not good and sufficient shall be conclusive for the purposes of any agreement made under this

award

If the employer on any station of the respon-dents object to the rate of payment to the cook of that joint mess or to the scale of rations he may refer the matter to the board of re-ference, and if the board find that the rate or the scale of rations is too high the claimant organisation undertakes to pay to the employer the money value of the excess as assessed by the board. , '

It any question arise under this award or under any agreement made thereunder between the claimant organisation or any of its members and the respondents or any of them it may be referred to the board and the decision of the board shall be conclusive as between the partieä

to the reference.