THE PRINTING TRADE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1814, 29 July 1913, Page 3

THE PRINTING TRADE.

DOMINION AWARD. Members of the Printers' Union of the Dominion are not satisiied with the working of their award. The matter is referred to in the fiftieth half-yearly report of the Wellington. Typographical Onion, which records that a short time ago lite union passed the following motion:— "That this union emphatically protests against the manner in which a Council of Conciliation has been set up on the application of the Manawatu Master Printers' Association when applications for attachment were already before the Court of Arbitration, and that the matter be brought under the notice of the Minister of Labour." The matter having been placed before him, the Minister (the Hon. W. F. Massey) informed the Board of Management of the Wellington Union that legislation would be introduced to the effect that when a dispute, or other proceeding (such as an application for the adding of parties) is filed, no other industrial proceedings respecting the same matters in the same district shall be gone on with. The communication further stated that it would be advisable, however, that the parties wishing to institute the subsequent proceedings should bo permitted to appear in the hearing of the original matter, and to make any representations that they may desire. If this had been the law when the Dominion award \vas heard, then the subs-cquent notion taken by the Manawatu Masters' Association would not have been possible. Tito Federation's Executive have also made representations as to the necessity of amending tho Arbitration Act in the direction of allowing experts to sit with tie Court on the application of either party to an industrial dispute, and the federation will probably appoint two or three representatives to give evidence before the Labour Bills Committee in support of this union's and the federation's representations. The report also dealt with the question of the interpretation of various clauses in the Dominion award, which seem to have been the cause of somo trouble. A series of questions had been put to the Arbitration Court at Christchurch, but Mr. Justice Sim intimated that the Court could not give rulings on hypothetical cases. If tho questions related to cases which had actually arisen, then the facts of each case should; liave been stated. With regard to the questions submitted by the employers' associations, the report says: "The employers' application contained fourteen questions relating to the clauses dealing with stone and bulk hands, probationers, efficiency speed, engineers' work, general conditions for piecework, rates of pay, and preference. . . . The Federation Executive, having considered tho Court's decision, has decided to at once take steps for breaches, with a view of definitely deciding the questions at. issue. Further developments will be highly interesting."