ARBITRATION ACT

Evening Star, Issue 23383, 28 September 1939, Page 7

ARBITRATION ACT

MINOR AMENDMENTS INTRODUCED SOME ANOMALIES REMOVED [Per United Press Association.] WELLINGTON, September 27. Minor amendments affecting industrial legislation are contained in the industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment (No. 2) Bill, which was introduced by Governor-General’s Message in the House to-night. The Bill was read a second time pro forma, and referred to thq Labour Bills Committee. Unless the parties agree on some other centre, all Dominion disputes affecting two or more industrial districts are to be heard in Wellington. Where a dispute is completely settled in Conciliation Council, the assessors may require the terms of settlement to bo fonvarde.d directly to the Arbitration Court, wherever it may be, and the court may make an award embodying these terms without a formal hearing of the dispute. Any party bound by such an award may, however, apply for total or partial exemption within one month after it is made.

The Bill makes it clear that an industrial magistrate may exercise the powers of the Arbitration Court under the Factories Act and the Shops and Offices Act if delegated to him by the court.

Another clause removes any doubt as to the validity of any determination made by Mr Justice Callan while acting as judge of the Arbitration Court. “ This Bill clears up two or three slight anomalies in the present Act on which representations were made to me bv the Employers’ Federation and the Federation of Labour.” said the Minister of Labour, Mr Webb, when the Bill was introduced. He added that the measure had the support of interested parties. Ft simply cleared up some defects in the present Act.