ARBITRATION COURT.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19138, 22 October 1927, Page 14

ARBITRATION COURT.

PROPOSED ALTERATIONS. "STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION." Representatives of employers and of labour who were seen by a representative of The Press yesterday regarding the Bill introduced in Parliament on Thursday to amend the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act were not prepared to express opinions on it until they had had an opportunity of carefully perusing the Bill.

"Half a Loaf." A representative of the pastoral industries remarked that the provision for tho exemption of farming industries was quite satisfactory, though it was in the nature of half a loaf, the objective being the abolition of the Court. It was obvious that the farmer was as much, in some instances more, affected by awards relating to secondary industries as by those relating to labour in the farming industries. It was hoped in time to effect the abolition of the Court, especially as some high authorities held that Parliament's "delegation of its powers to the Court was unconstitutional, and it was questionable whether in respect of some of the powers delegated. Parliament possessed them; if it did not possess it could not clothe the Court with them. Ah Employer's View. Mr W. Hayward. a former president of the. Employers' Association, offered some general observations, hot being prepared to comment on the Bill till ho had studied it. He did not know, he said, where it was on record that any employers had gone to the Court in recent years, and got anything from it, no matter how good a case was put up. "Anything.that can bring about more confidence, and help the employer to feel confident, when he shows that an industry is one deserving consideration, that it will receive consideration, must be a step in the right direction," Mr Hayward added. He cited the engineering trade, which, he said, had put up an -unanswerable case, but got nothing from the Court. As to the primary industries, they were so vital that the less they were interfered with the better. Opposition Threatened. A meeting of trades union secretaries, to consider the Bill amending the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act was held at the Trades Hall yesterday, Mr H. Worrall presiding. After a general discussion, it was. decided not to make any comment until copies of the Bill have been received and studied. Strong opposition is likely to be made to the proposal to repeal the provisions under which it is possible to obtain Dominion awards.

OTAGO OPINION. (rHESS ASSOCIATION TBLEGXAM.) DUNEDIN, October 21. ' Referring to the proposals to alter the Arbitration Act, Mr Haywurd, jjresiderit of the Employers' Association, said that the reversion to piecework was splendid. New Zealanders would have to realise the necessity of work. They were living in a "fool's paradise" at present. He did not like the proposed new constitution of the Court, however, as it would prevent co-ordina-tion of awards.

Mr Robinson, secretary of the Otago Labour Council, said that he considered that the- s Gorernment was using the unemployment' as a weapon to re-, duce wages. The exemption of farmers was illogical. They had been notoriously bad payers and always had been anxious to (pet rid of the Court. In this legislation, the Government had fulfilled one of its prime duties to financial interests. which it set out to do \yhen put in office."