"ARGUMENTS USELESS."

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 91, 18 April 1929, Page 9

"ARGUMENTS USELESS."

CONCILIATION COUNCILS.

UNION ASSESSOR'S COMPLAINT.

That in recent years proceedings before the Conciliation Council had tended to become farcical, was the assertion made by Mr. J. Purtell, union advocate in the Arbitration Court this morning, when the stonemasons' dispute was under consideration.

Mr. I'urtell said there was a disinclination on the part of the employers to discuss certain aspects of the dispute in conciliation.

"All our arguments in conciliation have been useless," he said, "and it is not unusual for employers to take up the attitude of refusing to consider workers' proposals, .and suggesting that the matter should be sent on to the Court. This is an attitude which we feel justified in bringing to the notice of the Court, and it is certainly a feature of Conciliation Council meetings in latter yeaTs. The purpose of conciliation councils should be for the settling of most of the matters in dispute. In most cases, however, they have become a farce, A 4 no real attempt seems to be made to settle most disputes. It was quite a common occurrence during the conciliation sitting of this dispute to hear most of the vital clauses disposed of by one member of the employers' side suggesting that they should be referred to the Court without due consideration."