COMPENSATION COURT

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20101, 22 November 1939, Page 11

COMPENSATION COURT

NEW JUDICIAL BODY JUDGE O’REGAN’S POST ARBITRATION VACANCY (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. An announcement that a Workers’ Compensation Court is to be established to deal with compensation cases under the Workers’ Compensation Act and also to assist with industrial matters when free to do so, was made last evening by the Minister of Labour, the Hon. P. C. Webb. The court will consist of a judge and two nominated members. The judge of the Court of Arbitration, Mr. Justice O’Regan, has been asked to preside over the new court. This will necessitate the appointment of a new judge to succeed him on the Arbitration Court bench. “Considerable dissatisfaction has been expressed by the employers and the workers’ organisations concerning tlie delays that occur in the hearing of disputes by the Court of Arbitration,” said Mr. Webb. “The court has found it impossible to arrange sittings in various centres as required by Section 78 of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act because of the increased volume of work, with the result that some industrial cases referred by the Conciliation Councils to the court have not been finalised for many months. Provision in Bill “As a result of joint representations made to the Government by the New Zealand Employers’ Federation, the New Zealand Manufacturers’ Association and the New Zealand Federation of Labour, provision was made in the Statutes Amendment Bill last session for the establishment of a court to relieve the Court of Arbitration of some of the work. The Cabinet has decided to establish a new court to be called the Workers’ Compensation Court. The new court will consist of three members, a judge, and two nominated members, the nominated members to be appointed in the same manner as nominated members of the Court of Arbitration. Because of his wide knowledge and experience in compensation work, the present judge of tlie Court of Arbitration has been asked to preside over the new court. The assistance from tlie Workers’ Compensation Court and the Industrial Magistrate should enable all industrial matters to lie dealt with expeditiously.