ARBITRATION SYSTEM.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 48, 25 February 1910, Page 7

ARBITRATION SYSTEM.

EMPLOYEES AND HASTY LEGISLATION.

.(By Telegraph.—Press Assoctatlan.) OHRISTCHDRCH, Thursday. At the quarterly meeting of the Canterbury Employers' Association, held to- ; night, reference was made in the report Ito the arbitration system. "It is to be regretted," said the report, " that the practice of Parliament in rushing , through important legislation at the end of each session still continues. For some years past vigorous protests have been made against the practice, not only by the Employers' Federation, but also by the public Press, representing both political parties, but all to no purpose. It is generally admitted that last session beat thb record for legislation by exhaustion. In December last the Employers' Federation sent a protest to the Prime' Minister regardilig the hasty manneT in -which several bills affecting employers' interests were dealt with by parliament; but it would appear that no protest, however strongly worded, is likely to make any impression on the Government once the rush a-t the end of the session, has set in. The employers of the Dominion will therefore have to seriously consider whether, instead of a mere formal protest, some other steps cannot be taken to get the evil complained of put a stop to."

The Committee urged that no additional po-wers should be given to Conciliation Councils, and that any attempt to amend the Act so that agreements made by the Councils might have the full effect of an award, should be strongly .resisted. An appeal to the higher Court in all cases must, continued the report, be left open. It would be even desirable that all re-

commendations of Conciliation Councils should be read in open Court before being made into awards.

The President (Mr. Haßenstem) said there -were good reasons fox thinking- that next session legislation on lines of the Shops and Offices Bill would be brought down again, and if so the whole question of legislation over-riding awards of the Arbitration Oourt would have to be fought out. The Canterbury Association, in common with all others in New Zeeland, felt that .the strongest protests possible be made, as such legislation was tantamount .to the reflection thart the Court as now constituted was not competent to do its duty. If that be so, then the sooner the Court was abolished the better.

Mr. F. W. Hobbs, past president, entered a strong protest against legislation by exhaustion, which led to mistakes and the amending of bills, which gave socialistic Labour members further opportunities to slip in clauses injurious to industries, and tending to restrict their: <te-