ARBITRATION COURT.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 November 1919, Page 4

ARBITRATION COURT.

There is no question that the Arbitration Court, A3 at present constituted, has outlived its usefulness, and that a change on the lines suggested by Mr. T. M. Wilford at Eltham the other evening is desirable. The Court at present is comprised of a Supreme Court Judge, and representatives of the employers and employees. It is a permanent Court, and adjudicates on all manner of industrial disputes. It is impossible for it to understand the intricacies and difficulties of every trade, and the result is that the Court's decisions rarely give satisfaction to either party. Hence the dissatisfaction with the whole system of arbitration, The Court is also too slow in its movements, and has great difficulty in keeping up with its work. The idea suggested by Mr. Wilford—and one that has been adopted successfully in Canada, and advocated by many in New Zealand who have been brought into close con-1 tact with the present cumbersome and inefficient authority—is that the permanent members of the Court should be abolished, and in their places men be appointed from the particular trade affected. These representatives, knowing the ins and outs of their trade, would be able to sift the evidence tended to the Court, and, with the chairman, promptly arrive at a decision that at least would be logical, which cannot be said of many of the present decisions. The delay in dealing with disputes is a fruitful cause of dissatisfaction and irritation, and makes the task of arbitration often very difficult. Mr. Wilford suggests that the position could be met by the setting up of further arbitration courts, confining each commissioner to a particular group of industries. This certainly would do away with the present delay, and make for more satisfactory settlements. The Court, as jiow constituted, has lost the confidence of both parties, and a change is absolutely necessary if that confidence is to be restored. The suggestions offered are on the right lines, and could be adopted with advantage.