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INDUSTRIAL CONCILIATION AND ARBITRATION ACT, ETC. Strikes. During the year four strikes of minor importance occurred : — (1.) Bricklayers, Auckland (9/5/14). —Sixteen men struck work on account of the employment of certain tradesmen (on the same job) who had refused to cease work in sympathy with the waterside workers' strike of 1913. After a few days' idleness the strikers' places were filled by other tradesmen, who formed a second union in the trade and registered the same under the Act. As the strikers were bound by an award of the Arbitration Court, proceedings were instituted under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act for the offence, but were withdrawn, the men expressing regret for the occurrence, and claiming that they had been sufficiently punished by the registration of a separate union. (2.) Cheese-factory Workers, Greytown (14/10/14). —In this case there were five men engaged in working six vats of cheese, when one of them was called away by the management to other work. The men contended that it required their full complement to work the vats, and did not start work at the prescribed hour the following morning, but upon an additional hand being put on work was resumed. The men were not bound by any award or industrial agreement, and did not therefore commit a breach of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act. No proceedings were taken under the Labour Disputes Investigation Act, the offence being trivial. (3.) General Labourers employed on Sewage Works, Westport (27/10/14). —Fourteen men refused to work, demanding an increase from Is. 3d. per hour for all time worked by them, to Is. 3d. per hour, together with payment for overtime, at the rate of time and a half, for time worked after 5 p.m. On account of the rise of tide it was claimed that the trench periodically became waterlogged, necessitating the temporary stoppage of work, so that at times it was necessary to commence work before 8 a.m. and continue after 5 p.m. After a few days' idleness the men resumed work under the former conditions pending an agreement being arrived at between them and the employers. Owing to the employment being casual only (at per hour) it was not considered that the contract of service had been broken, and proceedings were therefore not taken under the Labour Disputes Investigation Act. (4.) Firemen, s.s. " Maori " (29/1/15). —In this instance the whole of the stokehole crew refused to work just prior to the departure of the steamer from Lyttelton, demanding the dismissal of the third engineer, with whom they had an alleged grievance regarding their treatment while at work. The men were subsequently paid off by the company, and applications were thereupon called for others. After the ship had been laid up for fourteen days a full complement was obtained and her running resumed. Although some of these men gave the requisite twenty-four hours' notice of termination of engagement, and the company agreed to the discharge of all the men, such notice should have been given at Wellington instead of Lyttelton, and a breach of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act was therefore committed, the men being bound by an industrial agreement under that Act. It was not, however, deemed necessary to take action. Decisions ok Arbitration Court of Special Interest. In pursuance of section 8 of the Shops and Offices Amendment Act, 1913, provision was made in the Wellington Hotel Workers' award for a full day's holiday of twenty-four hours in each week to be granted to each assistant. Under the statute it is mandatory upon the Court, on application in that behalf, to make such a provision in an award relating to assistants employed in hotels or restaurants, except in the case of any particular hotels or restaurants where the Court is satisfied that such provision would not be reasonably practicable (Book of Awards, Vol. xv, page 244). Similar provision has since been made in hotel workers' awards operating in the Auckland and Hawke's Bay Districts. A provision contained in a recommendation of a Conciliation Council that before a strike could be entered upon by the members a ballot should be taken, and also some provisions regarding lockouts, were struck out by the Court when making the Wellington Brewery, Malthouse, and Bottling-store Labourers' award, the Court holding that so long as the award continues in force a strike or a lockout is unlawful, and that it had no jurisdiction to insert such a provision in an award. (Book of Awards, Vol. xv, p. 601.) Tho Court refused an application to join certain clubs as parties to the Wellington Hotel Workers' award, holding that, as they were not conducted for the purposes of pecuniary gain to their members, and were not bodies corporate, they were exempted by section 71 of the Amendment Act of 1.908 from the operation of the Act. With regard to clubs which are bodies