ARBITRATION COURT

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 66, 10 December 1938, Page 8

ARBITRATION COURT

Question Of Standard Rale Pronouncement HIS HONOUR’S COMMENT “We will meet our hurdles as we come to them.” was the reply given by Mr. Justice O’Kegtin in the Court of Arbitration in Wellington yesterday, when a question was asked concerning the Court’s standard rate pronouncement. A fixture was sought by Air. J. Moulton, secretary of the Carpenters and Joiners’ Union, for the carpenters' dispute, and, in reply to a question from the Bench, Mr. Moulton indicated that very little settlement had been reached in the conciliation proceedings. His Honour remarked that tins was strange in view of the Court’s pronouncement, which it was hoped would facilitate settlements in Conciliation Council. The Court was disappointed that there bad not been more agreements.

Mr. W. J. Mountjoy: If you give a ruling that the Court does not intend to depart from its pronouncement, I think it would help us even yet to reach au agreement. Mr. A. L. Monteith, the workers’ representative on the Court, intimated that this was a matter for the Court itself to decide. It would doubtless be brought up when relevant disputes came before the Court.

His Honour indicated that the Court would meet its hurdles when it came to them. As it was intended to hear and finalize two disputes only before the Christmas vacation, Mr. Moulton’s application for a fixture would be considered, aloug with other applications, on February 2. Fixtures Made. The Court began its Wellington sitting yesterday by making fixtures for disputes, and also heard one compensation case. Adam Myles, pastrycook, formerly employed by Scott Bros., Wellington, was awarded £5O as compensation for A poisoned hand received while working, the Court finding that a permanent injury had been received, Fixtures were made for two disputes, the Court intimating that it intended to hear and dispose of these. The New Zealand journalists’ dispute is set down for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, the remainder of the week to be devoted to making the award. The hearing of the Wellington laundry workers’ dispute will begin on December .19. Further fixtures for industrial disputes and compensation cases will be made on February 2, 1939.

In reply to a question as to how long the Court, intended to sit in 'Wellington, his Honour remarked: “We are going to sit here till we clean up Wellington.” Two disputes in which complete agreements had been reached in the conciliation proceedings, the Wellington optical employees’ and the Kelburn tramway employees’ disputes, were made into awards by the Court.