INDUSTRIAL CONCILIATION AND ARBITRA= TION BILL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 38, 8 November 1907, Page 7

INDUSTRIAL CONCILIATION AND ARBITRA= TION BILL.

Tho Labour Bills Committee has mado many amondinonts in tho Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act Amendment Bill.

A new clause provides that if any member of an Industrial Council fails without reasonable causo to attend tho meeting of the Council at which the decision of tho Council is intended to be given ho may be removed by the Governor, and the Governor may appoint some qualified person in his place. Tlioro is an addition to Clause 7, providing that, though an Industrial Council-shall bo dissolved on making its award, tho President of such Council shall continuo to hold office during the currency of tho award, and may, if asked b,y tho parties concerned, give any interpretation of such award, and, with tho consent of tho Minister, summon tho Industrial Council.

In Clause 24 tho lino for broach of award in tho caso of a worker has been reduced from £10 to £5. The provision regarding application of fine being nfc tho discretion of tho Magistrate (Clause, 26) has been struck out, and all fines arc under the aniondment made to be paid into tho Consolidated Fund. Section 5 of the principal Act is-amended to provide that seven (instead of two) persons in the case of employers and .twenty-five (instead, of seven) persons in the case of workers may bo registered as an Industrial Union. In connection, with the appointment of members of the Arbitration Court, it is proposed to give every union having not raoro than fifty members one vote, aricl every union' having more than fifty members one vote for every fifty of its members.

The ago of apprentice has 'been cxtoiided from twenty-one to twenty-five years. An addition has been made, to the clause regarding permits for under-'rate workers as follows:—" Such permit shall only be valid for tho period for which it is granted, but may be; renowed on 'application. Any holder of n permit working contrary to tho award after tho expiration of such 'permit shall bo guilty of an oft'onco, and liable to a penalty not exceeding £5." Clause 53 has been amended to provide that no member of an Industrial Association, as well as no member of a Union, shall bo on tho committee of Management unless he has been or is engaged in the industry concerned. Thoro has been added a proviso that this section shall not apply to any •industrial union so long as tho members of that union aro less than seventy-five in number, or to any industrial union so long as a majority of its members are women. Tliero is a now section providing for validation by tho Court of things informally dono if the Court so thinks fit. . No barrister, or solicitor is to bo allowed to appear before an industrial council on tho hearing of an industrial?dispute.