WORKERS AND THEIR AWARDS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2221, 6 August 1914, Page 6

WORKERS AND THEIR AWARDS

; ARBITRATION COURT ADJOURNS- .. PROBABLE SUSPENSION . 'Qn~account of the European crisis, the Court. of 1 Arbitration. ; adjourned' without - ■transacting'any business yesterday-morn- • ing ,in, order that the parties might have , an opportunity of considering .. whether any awards should'be sought in view. of • the present unsettled condition of affairs. When; members of tho Court took their seats; upon ' the Bench, Mr. ..Justice" Stringer, made the following statement "Before proceeding with.the business, of ■th« Court, I.should like 'to, : 6entatives of the employers whether they- ' 'have considered; what effect ,the .present',.-,, position, of;- affairs in Europe is likely to have on the.'industries in which we arq. engaged. It. appears inevitable that theMotherland will soon be,,if she is not already, embroiled in a great European war. We of this generation have happily. ■ no experience of such a 1 calamitous state of.things, but it requires no prescience to realise that it will certainly'disorganise tie commerce and industries of the Do-, minion. In such" circumstances, , speaking for myself, 1 feel that it -would; be unwise, if; not improper,. to make awards . , purposely to regulate industries, . undsr' conditions of- which we have had no previous: experience. We havo power to Te- - fuso. to make any award, but/ before deciding upon - tho course : we shall adopt,.. I should- like to know both, from -the employers' arid the workers' representa.tives who may be present whether they have any statement to'make or opinion to offer."- ' ■ ; ' ' ■ .... ' Views of Both Sides. • Mr. Wr.Pryor, .secretary of the- New Zealand Employers' Federation, said that , the ' employers would appreciate His Honour's remarks. . Within the last fewdays communications had been; received by him from employers throughout New Zealand, "and, sonio pressure nad. been - brought to bear upon the Advisory Board of the Employers' Ffderation, to approachthe Court with the suggestion that something should be done to protect the industries and commerce in ,the situation. likely to arise at nny moment. One suggestion was to ,suspend the Court- until, ' matters should settle down. Special legislation would not doubt be necessary to, suspend or vary the existing awards, if in the opinion of the Court tho 6itna-i tion - became so serious as to .warrant semothi ng. of the kind. , •■ . . Mr-; W., C.. Noot explained that he was, present representing-only one body ,o. worker's, tho blacksmiths and. farriers, and. tliey were not prepared to make any statement, bocav.se His, Honours remarks had.fallen upon them unexpectedly. Ho did .not know' whether the Tirades and I.abour.Council had considered .the■ sitna. tion-or not. but' he did not. think Lahoiuf i*n suc'i < ft position at present that, it could express a considered opinion. Ho therefore suggested that action should be adjourned in ordor to civs the various Labour bodies an opportunity.^fretting together and discussing the situation. Adjourned Till To-day. His Honour remarked that he thought the present state of affairs' would have almost rendered it necessary that the unions shonld have given some consideration to the subject. He would be . only , too pleased to. give them an opportunity of saying what would be the suitable - •course to take. The' Court was anxious to do what was right-and proper, and' they thought'it was as much in the in- • terests of the workers, as the employers that- tho Court should 'not attempt to do anything in the direction of making ■nwards to operate for any length of-time; : There were two courses open—one to make awards With the movision that in certain events they should ceaso to operate, alid the other to refuse to make ally awards at 'ail. • ' ' 4 ': Mr.'J: A. M'Culloiigh, representative of the workers on the Court, said ho realised the 6.olon)nity'of the time they''Were jjasA!

ing through, and would 15e pleased to convey .every point of the view of the mutter to those he represented, and afterivarda convey thfir. opinions' to His . Honour. His Honour subsequently announced that the Court would adjourn until 10 o'clock .this morning. V .* . .<• At the close of ( work Parliamentary . Buildings yesterday, a. speo : al' meeting of the stonemasons iras held, at which the Hon. J. Barr, M.L.C., put tho position of tho Empire before them, relative to the war, and the stonemasons, as . having ti dispute coming before the Arbitration Court,' passed a resolution to tho cffect that Mr. "Barr should bo.instructed to request the Arbitration Court to adjourn the stonemasons' dispute till next sitting of the Court. . i ' POSTAL CONGRESS ' PROBABLY BE POSTPONED. ' i The Postmaster-General (the Hon. R. H. Rhodes) has received: a telegram from Mr. W. R. Morris, who is now at Ottawa, that he has received advice from London that tho proposed Postal Conference is almost ■ certain -to be postponed!. Mr. Morris- telegraphs that as soon -as he received a definite announcement-.of fife ' postponement he intends to return to New Zealand. "Personally," eaid Mr, Rhodes,' "I should like him to visit Washington, because there are certain business matters there I want him to attend to." ■ ' ■• ' -, , THE SAVINGS BANKS STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER, ' A telegram from Sydney 'published in! yesterday's newspapers, stated that, the banks had stoppai the payirient of gold, and that paper money ;vas .being freely distributed. It was also • stated that in epito of assurances that there was nothing, to fear, the rush on the Government Savings Bank' continued, but the bank was Bble to meet all dcinands. ' The attention of the, Postmaster-General (the'. Hon. R. Heaton Rhodes) was drawn' to this matter with a view to • ascertaining if there had been any run upon the New Zealand Government Savings Bank. Mr. Rhodes, in reply to the question; said:"'"There is no excessive desire apparent, oil the part of depositors to withdraw 'their money,' end I am glad of the opportunity afforded to assure depositors , that there is. no , cause for alarm. Their deposits in- the Savings Bat(k being guaranteed by the Government are as safe or safer than they : would be in any other institution in the Dominion."' . It was pointed out'to Mr. Rhodes that there was power under the Act to require a certain amount of notice to-be giyen of 'withdrawals. Mr.■ Rhodes ' replied: "Yes, that is so, arid I have already this afternoon issued, instructions under-the Post and Telegraph Act fo the : effect that "depositors desirous of.'draw-, inj; more than £2 per'.week must give the prescribed jeten days'. notice. -This.''added the Postmastw>General;' "is really' in the interests of-depositors themselves, raoauso I am aware of the fact , that li, times of excitement money- Is Mmetimes Jiervousl.v withdrawn and put in e stock--ing or a hole inithe. ground and freciuentlj lost." ■, -ft,'.. -> CHRISTCHURCH • DiSPOSITORs! (By Telegranh—Press Association.) ■ Chfistch'urch';-August 5. The war has had practically no effect on the position of the Post Office Savings Bank here. - The withdrawals aro only larger .than'those".of the corresponding period of last year.'JThere have been -'one. or two;,w^thdrafrals;by. 'nervous people,.but the great majority,or the depositors are • perfectly satisfied Ha let their money stay in the bank. BANKNOTES < ~ - MADE LEGAL TENDER, • -A proclamation declaring notes, of certain banks to be legal tender was contained in a Gazette Estraordihary issued by HistEicellency. the,. Governor last night. ;,c ' . The terms of the proclamation'are as follow:— -• -■ , : "Whereas by Section'Z of the Banking ■ Amendment Act, - 19H; it ■is enaoted that ■: the'ffavertior-in-Couneil may.by proclama-' tion declare tho.t the notes payable on demand by. any lwrik and then issued or - thereafter to be issued or reissued within' • New Zealand under any lawful authority in 'that; behalf shall; during 'tho period' " limited by the proclamation be ■; .everywhere, within New Zealand'a'good and legal tender of money to the amount therein expressed to.'be payable: And occasion for the exercise of such, power m respect of the banks named or descTibed. jn the schedule hereto'has now arisen: And • whereas the Governor-in-Coijncil is satisfied in pursuance of .'the reqriirements of the said Actkthat in re. ■ 6pect of each of the said banks which has- . its head office in Now Zealand the assets of that bank exceed'its liabilities as between the bank and its creditors ,by at least the amount of its' ipaid-up capital, and that-in respect of each of the, said! banks winch has its head offico out or NeiV' Zealarid the assets : of'''that bank i within New Zealand eiceed its -liabilities. therein as between the baTik . creditors: . .--y. Now > therefore, His Excellency, the Gov: ernor of the Dominion of, New Zealand in exercise and' puisuatico' of 'the -powers and authorities conferred, upoii him by Section 2 of the Banking Amendment Act, 1914; and of all other powers arid authorities enabling him in that behalf, "and act-' ing by and with the advice and-consent ' of- the Executive Council of tho said Dominion, doth hereby (Jeclaro that the notes payable on demand by any; of the banks -named or describpd ot schedule hereto and now issfe'dfrir,hereafter to be issued- or Zealand nnder-any law-ful'authority, in. that behalf shall on and after 'August 6. 1914, until and including September 6,*1014 be everywhere within. New Zealand a;-'good nn<l legal tender of money to. the amount therein expressed to be payable. "-v - The Schediile.—The Bank of New-Zea- . land; tho National Bank-, of.New Zealand (Limited);-tho* Union. Bank of Australia (Limited); the Bant of AnstralMin; Bank of Nev: South Wales: the Commercial Bank of Australia (Limited). - THE CENSORSHIP. TELEGRAMS IN 1 MAORI PROHIBITED. : -MR. NGATA COMPLAINS. a ■ Some of the difficulties and enoe created by the ccn«rship ;of telegraphic messagoa were referred to in: the Representatives yesterday aftcr- „ The Hon. A. T. Ngnta said-ho had had . a telegram > from Judge Jones,■ of the - ■ Native Land Court, asking whether it was ■ correct that Natives must write telegrams i n En ? llsl |- He (Mr. Ngata) had been informed at the Telegraph . Office in : the ■ Buildings that the sending of telegrams in Maori was prohibited. Although'- telegrajns could bo sent through the country in French, telegrams in Maori could riot be sent, and ho would point out that there were far more facilities in New Zealand by which censors could get the meaning of a message sent in Jlaori than there were facilities for ascertaining tho meaning of a message in French. He hoped that if the Postmaster-General had given instructions that messages in Maori would not bo accepted, he would reconsider his decision, and direct that messages could be sent in Maori'as heretofore The Hon. R. H. Rhodes , (PostmasterGeneral): I may point out to the honourable member that we are acting under . instructions through-the Defence Department from the Home- authorities, and these instructions . are ' universal. The censorship is established not by tho : Postal Department, but by the-.Defence ; Department. Ciblegrams in French or English may bo sent xmtside the Dominion, but code pessages may not be sont, and all messages other than those in Eng-. . lish are prohibited within the Dominion. So that the honourable member will see that I have nothing to do with the prohibition of telegrams in Maori) I'would suggest to the honourable. meraber that it would be quite absurd to permit telein' Maori'to ,bo>sent outside' the Dominion, and to have them/sent within the Dominion would mean'that we would have to keepoD iuterpreter in every, tele- ■. graph office. <.. . ■ The, Hon-. J. Allen ..(Minister of Defence)': There are a grpafc many difficul- ■ ties in regard to the censorship, apd we are gradually learning about tfiem. They are.difficulties .that-have never cropped up before, a.nd all I can-say is that inquiry will be made as to whether tele-

grams may. be.gent so. long as wo are able to .interpret them at tho office 'of origin or'at,the. office, of delivery; ■; - Mr. Ngata: The 'office"of origin would be. sufficient,'sureljv v ' Mr. Allen: I wish to-explain that it is possiblethat a message may bo sent within New Zealand which would be to tho detriment oij, the military authorities, esspecially 'in regard 'to certain parts of New Zealand, which are more .or less vital, and wo therefore have, to know that no message can be sent which will interfere'with; tho Defence.organisation; and do damage at any.of thoso vital positions. 'I shall have •'the matter inquired'into. Difficulties have arisen in the first day. of the censorship /with regard to the remittance of bank credits. That difficulty was got over by getting the censor and one of, '.the.bank managers and the Secretary of tho Post Office. together, and they eat round a table and'got over the difficulty. If' there' are other difficulties in .-•regard to. Maori m'essages we shall do our best to settle! them.'