AWARD BREACHES.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 281, 27 November 1925, Page 9

AWARD BREACHES.

SEASIDE SHOPKEEPERS LET OFF. (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, this day. The action of the Department of Labour in bringing what was described as a purely technical and trivial case before the Court, while, at the same time, the Department had allowed grocers at Sunnier and New Brighton to openly flout the law, vas the suliject of a very sharp comment, by Mr. Justice Frazer in the Arbitration Court. \iter intimating that the Court proposed to dismiss the nrtion in (incstkui against the Union C'liinjinny, an ;i Hoped breach of the cook*' and RtcwnnU' I award. Mr. .Fu*tire Frazer said: ".Mpiiibers of the Court :in- rather a< a Into understand why the Department .-£ Labour brought biK-li iiu ii<-ti..ri us iln*. They had evidence In-fore them; they must, have understood that in .1 en-e, of the kind ii was nsubt unlikely thnu any court, would im]»'.-i' a penalty or regard 1 lie matter us anything lint .1 very trivial ami excusable breach, which was probably <!'"-' tv natural oversight on the part of the master of the ship, It spoins strange that this action should have been brought when only the other day in Christchurch wo were informed that for several weeks, for months, in fact, the Department has allowed grocers at Xew Brighton and Sunnier to flout the award of this Court in connection with the closing day. We h;id evidence that some master grocers wanted to keep the award, but wen? forced into breaking it by the action of the Department. This has been going on for weeks and months, despite the fact that the Court's award had been confirmed by the full bench of the Supreme Court. It is an extraordinary state of affairs that they should have, a trivial case like this brought befom the Court, and that serious and deliberate flouting of an award should bit allowed without any action being taken at all. It passes our comprehension.'' His Honor explained thai anything lie had siiid did not apply in .1 per-soual way to LnKpector (ienrjtson, who Im> knew was only following out I.is instruct ions in bringing the matter before thu Court. "You Siave proseiiU'd the. case quito properly, ,, lie said. "No one could lia\t? made anything of it.' .