NO AWARD.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 988, 1 December 1910, Page 5

NO AWARD.

SHEARING SHED HANDS' CASE. MINISTERIAL STATEMENT. In.tho House, of Representatives yesterday, Mr. Davey asked the Hon. J. A. Millar-(Minister for Labour) whether his attention had been .drawn to a Christchurch telegram in ' the morning papers showing that the Arbitration Court had refused to make an award in the shearing shed hands' case, on the ground that there was technically no dispute, and whether in tho Bill now before Parliament he would!'insert a clause to' provide for such difficulties in the future. The Minister said'iis attention had already been drawn fo the report, and he was giving it consideration. He rather thought that there was already power in the Act to enable tho Court, to deal with the position; but if it appeared that there was:Tiot, he would cause an amondment to be introduced for the purpose. He was sorry, the Court had not made an award, as feeling was running prntty high, and would be fomented. Mr. M'Laren pointed out that, even where thero was a dispute, the Court could refuse to make an award. Would the Minister introduce an amendment to provide that .whore the Court refused to make an award, tho workers should be exempt from tho operations of the strike clauses of the Act? It seemed anomalous that men should bo fined, when they had done nothing wrong, and were quite willing, to submit to arbitration, and when the only thing at all like a striko was tho action of the Court • itself. He suggested that, in -such' circumstances, the findings of a Conciliation Council should have the effect of an award. The Minister replied that tho question raised by Mr. M'Laren required a good deal of consideration. He quite "agreed' that the Court ought to make an award when a case came before it, but he could not seo bis -way to take away from tho Court a right possessed by every other judge. If tho Court were compelled to make an award, it might mako an absolutely unsatisfactory one. He looked upon the Arbitration Court as tho most important Court in tho Dominion, and he would not have it dragged through the mire of • newspaper controversy. Ho would look into the matter with a view to legislation next session.