ARBITRATION COURT: TAKING THINGS FOR GRANTED

Chronicle (Levin), 17 May 1947, Page 5

ARBITRATION COURT: TAKING THINGS FOR GRANTED

>, — Press Associatior

Bv Telearanh

WELLINGTON, May 10. The practice of taking stateinents as read and assuming tliat a witness understood perfeej.lv what lie inight be agreeing with, was checked by Mr» Jus lice Tyndall during the hearing of tlie jiroposed Harbour Boanl employees award in the Arbitration Court. llr. W. J. Gardner, advocate of tlie Harbour Boards, asked a witness if lie agreed tliat tlie facts submitted by the spcaker in reference to a point hearil earlier in the c-ase, were correct. Witness turned over sonie of the notes and Mr. A. L. Monteith, eniplpyees' niember of tlie Court, prote.sted. " l.et the witness," he said, "telJ the Court froni meinory wliat ho hal uuderstood froni Mr. CJardner's state'iiiciit 011 the point at issuc. " 11 is lionour said it was a conimon practice. "1 ain liot saying it is a goou oue," lie added, "for ad voca.tes ■ to >ay 'you have heard our case descyi bed - by me, do you agree tliat it is ti'g]il73 A witness might answer one way or the o.'her and yet not be. quite clear iu his inind on tlie point." llis lionour in structed witness to answer witho'ut reference to the notes. Mr. Gardner said his sole intention had been to save tlie time of tlie Coun. With the Court 's perniission he would reread the statenient he had made earlier in the case, and tliis liavhig been done, witness said: " Yes, 1 con sider tliat a correct statenient of the posit ion. ' 7 A highlight of the moniing's. deliboralions was when points said by the workers7 advocate, Mr. R. Freeland, to have been settled by cohciliation, w'ere leferred to by Mi\, W. C'ecil I'rinie, einployers' represent ative on the L'ourf. lie >aid tliat the workers frequent'ly brought matters before the Court wlueh il had been thought had been resolved by conciliation. llis lionour said he had endeavoured to kohi the balanco fairly. Mr. Gardner: "1 tliink your lionour most patient. I have every coniiijence in your inipartialitv. 7 7 After Mr. Garuner had detailed the partieufiir objections of the Wellington Boanl to the tnen 7s c.lajms, witnesse's were called in support of the submiswsions of all boards.