ARBITRATION.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 146, 14 March 1908, Page 5

ARBITRATION.

A NEW FOBM OF INDUSTRIAL COURT. NEW SOUTH WALES BILL. PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE ASSURED. . . . ; PREFERENCE OPTIONAL. BY TELEORAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION —COPYRIGHT/ (Reo. March 13, 11.15 p.m.) Sydney, March 13. ' . In the Assembly, Mr. Wade, Promior, in ■ introducing tho Industrial Disputes Bill, - said that tho Arbitration Act would expire at the end of Juno. Tho new measuro pro- . posed to: keep, up the continuity of awards so far. as, tho. present Act was, concorned. It provided that after June all, disputes should bo investigated ■by a' tribunal possessing nono, of the demerits of tho: present • system, and all tho merits igatherablo from • other systems. ; While tho Bill embodied the underlying principles of the , Victorian Wages - Board Act/. thero. wero many, principles whero it :: i, went beyond tho Victorian Act. Instead of having one body, for the wholo State, bodies ~ i would bo provided, to, deal with 'any industry, .which" might require to have forty or / : fifty members. . . .Theso bodies , would havo .a practical knowledge of tho work they had to deal .with. ~ . j , ..... Tho. object of tho Bill ,was to have every . . industryrepresented; to have a itribunal, '' which could 'be called ..together without de- • lay; to mako tlio presence,of the lawyer nolonger essential, and to malco clear that - no appeal.from an award can be brought by i way of prohibition. Tho Chairman of the Board, would bo a District Court Judge, or someone of equal standing. , The powers of the present Act for the . enforcement of awards by fine or imprison- ,. ment, would; be retained. No: provision would : \ be made for tho making of a common rule to extend'"the scope of an award, but tho Boards would havo power to apply an award' ■. ; to extended areas.... body of men could co-operate ,to ask the tribunal to give an award. , ;Tho Bill • would make no provision ... for preference to Unionists, but tho boards' • could give preference if they liked,. .; ''' -The-Billfwas-read a first time.