FORTY-HOUR WEEK

Chronicle (Levin), 31 October 1946, Page 9

FORTY-HOUR WEEK

BROAD PRINCIPLES ACCEPTED IN AUSTRALIA Eeceived Wednesday, 0.35 p.m. MELBOUKXE, Oct. 30. The acting Chief .Justice, Hon. Mr. Drake Brockman, announced today that tlie Federal Arbitration Court liad ace , , .-1 ; broadly tlie principL that tlie forty hour week sliould be the basis of w orkiug hours in Australia subject to the special circumstances of individual industrics. He added that he lioped the declaralion would shorten Ihe Court 's deliberatioiis on the forty hour case. Larlier the .ludge made a liitter attack 011 Alr. J. J. Brown, secretary of the Australian Eaihvays Union, for liis promise that there would be an immediate increase of ten to lifteen shillings weekly in the basic wage. Bescribing the stateuienl as utterly ridiculous, the Judge said: "This maii's irresponsible loose demagogy exposes liis inconixietence to appreciate tliese great issues and embarrasses not the court but the parties nnd Goveriinient. liis stateinents are fallacions and mendacious utterances deliberately made to deceive not only members of the unions but also the public. Counsel for the Commouwealth Government said Hilr. Chiiiey had autliorised him to give a complete and unqualilied denial of statements iiredicting an early increase in the basic wage. Alr. Brown 's statenient was made to a mass meeting of Yictorian railwaymen when lie said that, because of the strike, rail and tram workers and eventually all workers, would be ten to lifteen shillings weekly better oil. In correcting statements made by Union leaders Alr. Justice Drake Brockman pointed out that with tlie exception of the last few sitting days, the time of the Court had been taken up entirelv with the presentation of cuses for the Australusian Council of Trades Unions and certain Governiuents. The [in'olic did not need to be reminded ihat cases involving a sum variously estimated at from £10, 000, 000 to £60,000,000 yearly was not one .sliglilly to be undertaken.