THE VACANT SEAT

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 62, 10 September 1921, Page 5

THE VACANT SEAT

MR. M'CULLOUGH'S

POSITION

RE-NOMINATION REFUSED

Up to the present Mir. M. J. Reardon has not decided whether he will agree to rfit om the Arbitration Court as1 "workers' assessor pending the election of a substitute for Mr. J. A. M'Oullough. Mr. M'Cullough, according to a Press Association, message received from Christchurch this morning, has stated definitely that he will not. accept re-nomination,. A meeting of the Wellington Trades and Labour Council ; will be held tonight to consider the situation; and it is understood that a proposal .will be submitted nominating' Mr. Beardon as a successor to Mr. M'Cullough. A Press Association message from Christchurch states that at a conference of representatives of local unions and! the Labour members of Parliament yesterday afternoon, the following resolution was oairied :—"That this conference heartily endorses the decision of the Wellington conference in nominating Mr. M'Oullough' as the workers' representative on the Arbitration Court, and requests all unions throughout the Dominion to nominate Mr. M'Oullough as a' protest agaiinst the recent ctction of th? Arbitration Court." '

Mr. Reardon. informed a Post reporter this morning that the following was the text of a telegram he had received from the Cliristchurch Trades and Labour Council :—"That this meeting of union secretaries and Labour members endorse conference decision, and are recommending all unions to again nominate M'Cullough. For purpose of effective protest, we urge you not to sit as deputy till election complete," .- . : . The appointment of a successor to Mr. M'Cullough on the Arbitration Court was considered at the Trades Hall by union secretaries representing ' thirty Auckland unions (states a Press Association telegram). A telegram was received from Mr. Beardon stating that the opinion had been expressed in Wellington that he should not attend the Auckfand sitting of; the Court, and asking for the opinion* of the unions on the mattar. It was decided that a reply be sent to Mr.' Reardon advising him not to attend. It was also resolved to advise all unions having business before tho Court at the next sitting to stay away until the present dispute was settled. The meeting further decided to a*k Mt. M'Oullough, to reconsider his- decision not to seek re-election to the Court. It was agreed by those present to urge their unions.to nominate Mr. M'Ouilough, it being felt that to nominate him again was the best way for unionists to show their confidence in him, and their resentment of the action of the Court. The opinion was expressed that a, crisis'had been reached in the history of industrial arbitration >in this country, and that it was for the workers to take a stand now, and show that unless pronouncements made by the Court could be depended on, it was time for a change to be made. Some misapprehension appears to have been created over the wording of the resolution passed by the recent conference of trades union representatives regarding tho,position of workers' rep. resentative on the Arbitration Court rendered vacant by the resignation ofi Mr. M'Cullough. The resolution stated: "That this conference requests the deputy-representative of Labour on the Court not to occupy the position vacated by Mr. M'Cullough, and recommends organised Labour not to nominate any other person as representative of the workers on the Arbitration Court." On! being asked by a Post representative to-1 day to make a statement on the subject, Mr. J. Roberts, secretary of the Alliance of Labour, said the resolution asked the workers not to nominate "any other person" for the position; it did not prevent them from renominating Mr. M'Cullough, who had resigned. "As a matter of fact," said Mr. Roberts, "the conference was unanimously in favour of Mr. M'Cullough being renominated. There is no doubt about that whatever. The Alliance of Labour is also in favour of Mr. M'Cullough's denomination, and all telegrams which have been received since the passing of the resolution are in favour of his renoinination."