WAGE CLAIM HEARING HAS BEEN CONCLUDED

Chronicle (Levin), 22 July 1947, Page 7

WAGE CLAIM HEARING HAS BEEN CONCLUDED

. WELLINGTON, July 21. Tlie liearing of the application for a standard wage pronouneenient by the Court of Arbitration concluded this afternoon and decision was reserved. "The Court is now faced with the unenviable task of sifting the large amount of evidence presented, " said Mr. Justiee Tyndall. "The Court will carry out its responsibilities without fear or favour, aft'ection or illwill. It will completely ignore the remarks made in Union Kecord" referred to by Mr. Anderson (New Zealand / Employers' Federation) and the comments in the Finaneial Times nientioned by Mr. Baxter (advocate for the Federation of Labour). "If and when the Court does bring dawn its decision it will no doubt be greeted with- the usual chorus of disapproval from all points of the eom pass. ; ' He thanked the advocates for the way they liad made their submissions. There had been a pleasing laek of personal animosity and the proceedings had been maintained at a ereditably high level. During his summing np Mr. Baxter referred to the Union Record and said that obviously while it was a trade nnion publieation in the northern district, it did not represent the opinion of the New Zealand Federation of Labour. "Our. policy and our attitude are elearly laid down by fully representative conferences of the trade union movement, " he said. "The Federation of Labour cannot hold itself responsible and the Union Becord does not express our opinion." It was publeshed, he said, by a seetion of the trade union movement and did not represent the federation ;s views. 12, 1917. "It is not inappropriate to mention the warning by the Minister of Labour that was published in the Press," said Mr. Justiee Tyndall.