CONCILIATION COMMISSIONERS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 409, 19 January 1909, Page 5

CONCILIATION COMMISSIONERS.

: .... '■■■■; A CHRISTCHCRCH OPINION.; Christchurch, January 18. 11l an interview with a "Truth" reporter on Saturday, in answer to a question as to his opinion of the new system of Conciliation' Commissioners, Mr.:J. A. I'rostick said:—"l beliove that for local br district disputes it is an excellent scheme,;and if the Conciliation' Council is presided over by the right man and goes 011 the basis of true conciliation' and not as an amateur court of justice as under the old, systeni, the great bulk of the : cases arising .should bo settled without reference to the Court of Arbitration. I think the Hon. J. A. Millar has rightly gauged the position, as stated ik this morning's Tress' where he is reported to have said that where an award has to bo Imade affecting the same industry throughoutjthe country such dispute should be removed from local or district influence and referred; direct to the Arbitration Court. It must bf obvious that where the products of an .industry are interchangeable any difference in conditions, wage's, or hours of labour would be unfair if one district had an advantage over ihe other." ' TROUBLE ALREADY. Auckland, January 18. A meeting of unionists passed the following' resolution: —'This mass meeting of Auckland unionists protests against the appointment of Mr. Harle Giles as a Commissioner of Conciliation, and pledges itself to refuse to take any case before the Conciliation Council for any other purpose than to have it referred direct to the Court of Arbitration, for the reasons that Mr. Giles is totally lacking in experience of industrial dis-1 putes or Although ho will have no voto, yet as adviser to the parties in a dispute he would !be useless, if not dangerous. (For any chance of the successful working of the Act, it is a primary factor that the commissioner should have the confidence of employers and employees, which we hold Mr. Giles docs not possess. This meeting, repre-' senting all the ijnions, would respectfully urge upon tho Government, to reconsider the appointment.".