THE ARBITRATION BILL.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 12015, 17 October 1904, Page 6

THE ARBITRATION BILL.

Public opinion will endorse the action of tha* Labour Bills Committee hi recommending that the Conciliation and Arbitration Act Amendment Bill bo dropped. It was a very brief Bill, and ita main pro-' vision was to allow cases of breaches of award being heard by magistrates, instead of by the Arbitration Court as at present. Tho cases thus to be dealt with were limited to those in which the penalty inflicted on conviction would be less than £50, and, this, of course, would bavw included a very large proportion, if not practically all, of the cases brought before tlie Court. The proposal, although supported by .the Trades and Labour Council and tlie Secretary to the Labour Department was, as ,w« .have : indicated on previous occasions, .open to serious objections. ■lb imposed fresh work on the magistrates, whose duties are' already more than sufficiently onerous, especially considering the remuneration they receive. Moreover, the decisions «f a magistrate in industrial casts, however experienced and able he might he in the discharge of his ordinary duties, would never be received with tho same confidence as those of: tho Arbitration. Court, presided over by a Judge of the Supreme Court, and with all ita, members experts in this particular, class of lhiga> tion. It is a fairly open secret that the members of that Court themselves - would not care, at present at least, to hand over the hearing of cases of breach of award to" the Magistracy. Such a course would relievo them, it is true, of; a. good deal oif tedious and petty work, but it -would also deprive them-of the means of acquiring valuable knowledge as to tho working of the Act, and particularly of the various awards. It has at first sight seemed absurd to read of a Judge of tho Supreme Court trying cases in which a penalty of twenty shillings may bo inflicted, but it. has also to be remembered that in some of the most trivial of these oases a principle of the award may have been involved, and the insight thus gained by the Court will be available when another award has to be drawn up. With tlie disappearance of the. congestion of work which confronted the Court some months ago, the main ground of complaint by the unions against the administration of tho Act should vanish, since there is now a prospect that cases will be settled with reasonable despatch. If tlie Inspectors of Awards will exercise the discretion en. trusted to them, and employers will study carefully the awards under whijjt they have to work, there need be no further congestion of cases to be heard, and, there should be a "good deal less friction than hats marked tho administration of the Act hitherto.