MR. JUSTICE HIGGINS AGAIN.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1630, 23 December 1912, Page 5

MR. JUSTICE HIGGINS AGAIN.

OBSERVATIONS FROM THE BENCH. By TeleirraDh—Press Association— Oonyrlcnt (Rec. December 23, 0.40 a.m.) Melbourne, December 22. In the Arbitration Court Mr. Justice Higgins made a lengthy statement dealing with the Tramway Employees' Association case against the Brisbane and Adelaide Tramway Companies. He said that the Brisbane Company refused even to consider an agreement. It objected to everything. The manager (Mr. Badger) had adhered to the time-honoured policy of absolute control over his own employees. The existing agreement left the amount of wages payable absolutely at his discretion. He (Justice Higgins) regretted to have to make an order. In regard to the Brisbane Company's men, which the company had always previously refused to make—that was preference to unionists. Mr. Justice Higgins said that the history of the case was pain- . ful, even ghastly, in the eyes of those who fancied that there was liberty in Australia. No doubt, he continued, that nearly all tho men who attempted to resign from the Brisbane Association, did so . under intimidation of the man who could give and withhold a means of living. Mr., Badger know that if the employees resented the conditions of labour, they feared unemployment more, and in his capacity of a benevolent despot, made ruthless usa of this knowledge in playing them off. The natural desire of men was to support ' theri , wives and children against the efforts of others to unite for improvement in their conditions. He did not desire to restrict Mr. Badger'a. choice of employees, but the law left him no other means of protecting the members of the association from Mr. Badger's intimidation.