CONCILIATION COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 447, 4 March 1909, Page 5

CONCILIATION COUNCIL.

MR HARLE GILES AND THE UNIONS. HE HAS NO INTENTION OF • RESIGNING. (Br ielegbaph—riiEss association.) Auckland, March 3. Tho first sitting of the Auckland Conciliation Council for the hearing of disputes under tho new Arbitration Act took place this morning beforo Mr. T. Harle Giles, tho Conciliation Commissioner for tho Auckland district. The caso for hearing was tho disputo between the employers and the Hotel .and Restaurant Employees' Union. Mr. T. Long, the representative of tho hotel and restaurant employees, said he did not intend to offer any evidence for two reasons. First, his union had decided that in its opinion tho Conciliation Commissioner of the Auckland district was not a fit and proper person to be appointed to such a responsible post. His second reason was that it would bo absolutely useless for them to bring their case before the counoH after having met the restaurant keepers fruitlessly on four different occasions. Mr. C. E. Knox, who appeared for the employers, said he did not concur in what had been said by tho other sido. A proper course and procedure had been fixed for the settlement of such disputes,, and' lie submitted that the case should go along on its ordinary course. He asked for an adjournment of three weeks. Mr. Long objected to the adjournment. His union had neither tho time nor tho money to waste in anything of that description. He argued that tho legal procedure was to refer the matter straight away to tho Arbitration Court. He addressed the commissioner personally, saying: "If you have the welfare of tho masses of workers in tho industrial district of Auckland at , heart, I call upon you to resign your position, becauso in the very near future there is likely to be an industrial upheaval, and I consider that " Mr. Giles: "I have no intention whatever of resigning my position." He said that under tho Act the commissioner had power in the event of the assessors being at variance to givo his easting voto in favour of an adjournment. The matter was then put to tho, assessors, and the voting for and against tho adjournment being equal, the commissioner decided for the adjournment with his casting vote, on the grounds that tho union might later reconsider tho position, and seo its way to meet in conference and arrive at an amicablo settlement of the dispute.