MORE AMENDMENTS SUGGESTED.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12483, 20 April 1906, Page 3

MORE AMENDMENTS SUGGESTED.

DISCI\S-10X IX THE LABOUR CONFER EXCE. The Labour Conference resumed the * (li-.-cns.ion r.n tha Arbitration Act yesuiday morning, when l'lirthor considor--i:ion v.:is giv< ;i to the motion—"That .""tip;'Ji r Ji,iry Magistrates bo given power t> adjudicate in c:i~os of enforcement ci au-.Kcls and indu.sti iai ajp - tviuontc - , :i:'.*i:- di-ci-icai to be iijial." : Mr R &<■*.' i" thought it a very 1 s.rinu.s tiling to tako away ths li^lit ci appeal to the Arbitration Court. On ot the Auckland Council, ho moved ar- an amendment—"Tlnit the word.- "their d-wi-.icji to be fitiai" be C.-h "«d "' Mr \V. Wai lac •■" seconded the aiuc-iid-llU/llt. .i!r P. Mchiirn said that it" the il th<- mails' Kilt.'.-" was not to i> hnal lie <jue>.'ioiiod the wi.-dom of : iio niDiiuii ;it aii. h< , thought 'hey 1i..(l too much i.i'.v ahv-iidy. 1 !:*_-. (.'iijiiriii'iii (.Mr \\\ licoct): It, i> nuiy making m;.:v- machinery. .<!!• I), lijtiiiptun thought if tho nioiinn were amcudtd in tin- diixction of that expert* .-houid sit with ilu- at, the request ot either 1-ii y, that would nie-et the las. , . The. amendment v.iis then, put and 1 -t I,V JO VOt.-, t!) I. Mr Hampton tim embodied his pro-[,>-.i\ iii an ana !i(inh'iit. Air A. il. CooiK'i , si'Cjiulftl tliis amend-* i.ii'tii. Tiie Chairman hoped thr.i hot li motion jiii't ainvndnii'iH uniiiil lit , rejected, and thought*, they «'c-r.' making j> imstako°io goto tin- Magus.rate's Court ■at a!!. Tlw-v r-hoiiinl try and Keep dear i>f law ;md"l;u'. vers, which would only involve ihvm m expense, and wouid turn the Court into a ixar-gardon. Tho amendim-ii! wa> carried, and tho notion (:a.---.(<l with tluit. addition. Tho Conference llit'ii wont- into committee to di:rcu<-s a romit. liuiu tho Nel>cn CV'i'.ncil. and resumed at 10.1-3. POWERS OF CONCILIATION BOARDS. Mr J. Barr (Canterbury) moved: ■That tho Conciliation and Arbitration Act. ]9!!0, ho amended in tho following direction:' "When tho parties to a dihpiito agree to uceept ,IU! recommendation oi the Board ot Conciliation, such lceunimendation i-ihall have tho power of an award oi' the Arbitration. Court, and shall cover the whole industrial district in which the dispute war* if led, .subject to the provisions of section o'J ot tho principal Act, .such provisions to apply to all persons in the particular inUiistry." Speaking to tho motion, ho expritwd the opinion that it would l>e a great pity to do anything that would tend to diminish tho usefulness ; of Conciliation Boards, and went on ■ to recall a statement made by Mr Jus--1 tice Cooper that an industrial agreement trained by a, Conciliation hoard should be more binding than an awarH ot the Court. j Mr E. Gohiifi seconded the motion, ! and said he thought that a recom- ! mendation of tho Conciliation Board .should have tho .same force as an : award, and that it should apply to a<l employe.!*; i-tarting business after, tho i agreement wa« signed. i Mr D. H. Hampton opposed tho I motion, ou tlie ground that in certain .'cases it would mean bringing tho whole ' of the employees in any particular district under one agreement, which might ! be made between a few employers and [ workers in some outlying portion of tho : district. I Mr A. H. Cooper submitted that Mr 1 Barr's motion was quite unworkable, I l)i?cau.% > in a district like Wellington a number -of fnvaixk were in. force, and which of them was to supereede the others that were in operation in other I parts ot the dint-riot? In different parts ! of t r (ie industrial district different cojii ditions prevailed, and ito. tliey ! (should ha content with the motion al- . ready passed, which provided that where i a Board's recommendation was agreed [ upon, it should liavo the force of an award throughout- that portion of tho district it covered. Mr J. T. Paul agreed that tho objection of tlie- Wellington, delegates ivas fatal, but ho tliought the difficulty would bi> overcome by insorting after tho word ''filed" the words, "or that part <;f the indu-.(ria.l district in which tho recommendation operates," and ho moved an amendment accordingly. Mr J. Thorn fleconded this. Mr A. IJosser opposed both motion and amendment, owing to the dissimilarity of the conditions ■whidlt prevailed in certain districts. MV Goluis explained that at present tliera was a danger of bague unions springing up to defeat the effect of an award. Ho lihibuieed a case irliere a disput , :- was filed in his district, and i on thy day fixed for ihs hearing, advice ■ was received of tho ivgistration <if a union which had entered into an industrial with one of the parties cited. A provi«> was inciuded in th-o award exempt in , ; Willis particular house from its operation. | T'le motion and tOio amendment wero both rejected. A COUUT FOR EACH ISLAND. .Air It. Jireen («.)tago) moved: '"Tiiat the Conciliation and Arbitration Act be amended to provide for two Arbitration Courts, one lor the North Island ;>.nd o;ie for the South Jslaud." The movi'r explained that the intent j of the motion \rais to avoid the dcavis ! which aiJ.H> through the. present Court I being uiiiibii' to overtake tho work re(|iiiied oi it. He cud not s-ee any uim'culties in tho way, because, there were os:ly one or two industries in j « inch it \ynt> absolutely nceessiary that | there should bo a uniform award for I the colony. At the present time there | v.-i-ro iou'iteeu disputefi awaiting tJic Court in Dunedin, and ho uudorfctood thai the Court only intended to hear these which had been filed before the end of la.st year. Mr A. Hosier .seconded the motion, and instanced the long delays ot nearly a yoar which elapsed between tho filing of a dispute and its hearing. The Conference was not in favour of .sweating, and it ought to como to the rescue of the Arbitration Court. If 11. could not overtake it.* work ii£one ehitt, then let -another <-hitt In. , put- on. It had bet.i Miirgot-ed that t«o v..ouris would traver>e each other's dtfisionti end make different awards in the .same industries, but that had been done already by the pritent Court. Mi- \V. Wectbrook opposed the motion. Mr D. 3lcLaren said that beforo he consented to sotting up any more Courts ho wanted to have a look ac the brand. He had no confidence in the brand in vogue at the present time, and lie did not want any more like it. Mr Hoss-er: This is to be brand new! (Laughter.) Mr McLaren: Well, we do not want any more ot" the kind we have got at present. Continuing, he said it w.ie a remarkable thing that while trades unioniiste in Anieric.::)'were using their best energies in fighting law, there was a disposition on the part of some of the workers in this country to go further entangling themselves in legal miares. He belk-ved they could alter the constitution of Conciliation Boards in puch a way that they would bo able to do away with the Court altogether as at present constituted. Mr Paul said he was instructed to support the motion, but personally he thought they might be getting too much of a good thing, and something they did not want. The Chairman expressed tho opinion that the Conference was making ittclf ridiculous in asking for two Courts. Mr A. Collins said Mr Ju>tiee Chapnian had recomiiK'uded that wider powers I

should be given to Conciliation Boards, and lie showed that he recogniM>d that the Court was overworked. The motion was lost by 9 votes to 6. RECOMMENDATIONS AND AWARDS. Mr R. Brmi moved—"That section 54 of the Conciliation and Arbitration Act be amended by adding after 'prescribed tec' die words "thirty days alter the filing of the Board's recoimn en da i ion it shall como into foreo and shall operate and shall be enforceable in the «ime manner and in tho ;ame re.-;>:'ct as an award of tho Court, until *uch tiir.e as tho Couit .shall have made an .iv.ard in tho case, provided either party appeals agaiiiM the Board's recommendation. 7 " >|)caking to the motion, Mr lireen explained that the feeling in Dunedin was in the direction of increasing the powers of tho Conciliation Boards. Out ct six carres recently referred to the Beard, tour were direct to the Arbitral ion Court simply to defer any change in the conditions prevailing in tlmt particular industry. In the other two they allowed the farce to ;;o on ct having the ca.v* heard by the Cotici'iJiticn JJc.ud. and did not irouble to c:\il any evidence in defenre. The i iiMinndation was, ot' course, unacc ptable to the employers, and when the ca-esi cany before "the Arbitration Court the employers would take care to pc-int oil! thai the recommendation was l'ivimo<[ practically on evitlenco for tlie unicu. At this sUge the midday adjournment was taken. On le.suming at 1.30 p.m.. Mr .J. T. I'aul M-conded the motion, and said that the idea was to nwkc tli;Hoards in'o minor Courts. In l;aek to conciliation, however, they mu.-t In- very caretul of one thing, and that was the character of the Hoards elecl«:d by the workers. Tlie motion was then put and carried. A MINOR AMENDMENT. Mr R. Breon moved—""That section 21 of the Conciliation and Arbitration Act be amended by striking out Ha.' woi(ls •either party' and inserting 'both I>:irtie>.' "' Mr !■'. Oohns secontl«»d the motion, which w;is carried after a short, discussion. EXTENDING THE ACT TO CIVIL SERVANTS. Mr R. Breen moved—"That the Conciliation «nd Arbitration Act should be amended so as to bring under its provisions all Stale employees throughout tlie colony." Speaking to the motion, Mr 'Breen" thought tlwit'pprliaps the best way to proceed would l>e to advocate the repeal of the clause in the Act exempt ing the operation of awards from State Departments. Mr llo.sser asked if there had been any request from Government fiervante that they should be brought under Arbitration Court awards. Mr Breen replied in. the negative, and tin id that- the request came- from the Painters' Union in Dunedin. Mr D. H. Hainnton seconded the motion. Mr Thorn, moved as an amendment — "That tho words 'throughout tho colony' be struck out, and the following inserted, 'whose wages and conditions are not provided for by Act of Parliament.' " He thought Mr Rosser's question was a very partdnent one, and tlhat every delegate would recognise- that it was an unwise policy indeed to take up an attitude and to persist in it to the extent of alienating the sympathies of thousands of organised workers in tho colony. He knew from his own personal knowledge that as far as "the railway men were concerned they rosanted this interference very much. Mr Ilosser seconded the amendment. The amendment was lost by 10 votes to 0, and the motion carried.