OUR ARBITRATION SYSTEM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 222, 12 September 1908, Page 2

OUR ARBITRATION SYSTEM.

PATCHING IT UP. j LABOR BILLS COMMITTEE'S ALTERATIONS, By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. I The Minister lor Labor communicates the following particular.? of the alterations made in the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Bill by the Labor Bills Committee:—Part 1, ■ clause 3, the words: "Have been in employ," are struck out, the reason being that a strike has been declared not a continuous offence. Clause 4 is amended to make a single employer Jialble lor a lock-out. A new clause 4 is inserted providing that when a majority of members of an industrial union are guilty of an oll'enco under the Act, the union and not the individuals shall be proceeded against in the first instance. A strike or lock-out, under the amended Bill, can only take place where an award or industrial agreement is in force. A strike is now made a continuous offence in bo far as aiding or abetting is concerned. A penalty clause, indicting three mont'ns' imprisonment for striking without three weeks' notice in industries connected with tile necessaries of life, is struck out, and a line not exceeding £25 sub- j stituted and notice is reduced to fourteen days. In the clause providing for power of suspension, a proviso is inserted to limit the operation thereof against those offending instead of operating against the whole industry. The clause relating to tracing a man ' who has not paid a line is deleted, and , a clause inserted enabling the Court to attach wages above £1 a week in the . case of a single man, and £2 in* the

casa of a married man. The old Conciliation Boards are abolished, and two conciliation commissioners, one for the North and the other for the South Island, appointed, for a term of three years at a lixed annual salary. On a dispute arising the commissioner proceeds to the place of dispute and first goes into the matter alone to ascertain the merits thereof. He then calls upon unions and employers to appoint three assessors on either side. The commissioners have no vote and no power to make an award. There must be pure conciliation, and only where an agreement exists can such point be embodied in an award drawn up by the commissioner, such award to have all the force of an award made by the Arbitration Court. If a majority of employers and workers engaged in the industry affected fail to sign the agreement within a month of the award, the case goes automatically to the Arbitration Court, which only deals with such matters as have 7101 been settled. In his report to the Court, the commissioner is required to give an indication whether settlement is prevented by unreasonable action 011 either side. Provision is made that any time between reference of a case to and hearing of a case by the Court, the. parlies may come to an agreement which shall have the same effect as if come to prior to the case being referred to the Court. The number of members of a union necessary for registration is reduced from 25 to 15, and the number of employers for registration from seven to three. Section 57, providing for needs and 'exertion wage is struck out. Section 60, referVing to expert assessors, is also struck out, power bemg given' to the Court to call for assessors if it wishes. ■The definition of a worker is any person who works for hire or reward. A new clause provides that in the case of work not for employers' pecuniary gain there is 110 liability for prosecution for breach of This also applies to domestic servants in private houses, but not where lodgers are kept.