INDUSTRIAL LAW

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 83, 5 October 1922, Page 7

INDUSTRIAL LAW

AN AMENDING BILL

CONTROL OF UNION FUNDS

PROVISIONS FOR PUBLICITY.

An Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Bill was introduced in. th« House of Representatives this morning. Chief among its provisions is one requiring industrial unions and other organisations to keep proper accounts. On this point the Bill reads:—

"A general statement showing fully the assets and liabilities of the union, ■association, or society as at the end of its financial year, and the reecipts and payments for the year, and also showing separately, all amounts paid during that year by way of salary, allowances, wages, or otherwise howsoever to every officer, auditor, trustee, member of the union, association, or Eociety, or of any union affiliated with the association, and any other particulars that the Registrar may Tequire, shall be prepared in such form as the Registrar may from time to time require, within one month of the close of the financial year to which the statement relates.

'The statement shall, so soon as, practicable after the close of the financial year, be audited in accordance with the rules of the Union, association, or society, and_ a copj of the statement duly audited shall be transmitted to. the Registrar within one month after the omcpletion of the audit, being not later in any case than three months after the end of the financial year. The said copy shall be made available by the Registrar for inspection by any member of Jhe union or society, or of any union aifiliated with the association, as the case may be, at an office of the Department, of Labour on a written or verbal application in that behalf, and any such member shall be entitled to make a copy thereof or such extracts therefrom as he thinks fit.

PUBLIC AUDIT.

"Such statement, together with the register of members and the books and accounts of the union, association, or society, shall be open at all reasonable times at the office of the union, association, or society to the inspection of the Registrar or of any person appointed in that behalf by the. Registrar in writing, and the Registrar and every person so appointed by him shall be entitled to make such copies thereof on extracts therefrom as they think fit. "The Registrar may at any time and from time to time require any union, association, or society as aforesaid to submit its accounts to a public auditor appointed as such under the Friendly Societies Act A 1909, and it shall be the duty of the 6 union, association, or society to submit its accounts for audit accordingly. In respect of the audit so directed, the auditor shall have and may exercise all the powers and duties conferred upon auditors by section thirty-five of the last-mentioned Act."

COURT MEMBERS,

The Bill contains new provisions to govern 'the appointment of the two nominated members of the Court and the fr\vo acting nominated members. The written consent of the persons nominated is required and, where the nominations are in excess of the number reqnired, each union may, in accordance with a resolution passed at a special meeting, ' recommend to the (Governor-General the names of two persons for appointment and from the names submitted the Gover-nor-General will select the names of four persons for appointment. Power is given for any industrial association of employers ox of workers including in its membership unions in more than one industrial district, to make, application for the one hearing, by a conncil of conciliation, of any dispute affecting two or more industrial districts. On the filing of an application of this kind the industrial districts affected shall be deemed to be one industrial district. In the case of any disputo to which this proposal relates the Commissioner may increase the assessors to any I number not exceeding six. COUNTIES EXEMPTED. County councils and road'boards are exempted fjom the provisions of the, principal Act, save pursuant to an order of the Court made on application by the council or board or the union of workers. Every award is to provide for setting up a disputes, committee. '■' No member of a union is to be required to give more than three months' | notice of his intention to discontinue his membership. No person, if the Bill is I passed, is to be required to pay an entrance fee, or other fee, exceeding five .shillings \m his. admission as a member of any industrial union of workers, hi of I a society of workers bound by an agreement under the Labour Disputes Act, and no levy or ether charge (except such subscription as may be payable in a(> cordanee with the rules) is to be, or be\ come, payable by any member until the expiration of at least one month after he has become a member. Sums paid in contravention of thie clause may be recovered as a debt at any time before the expiration of six months after a worker has ceased to be a member. ' SUGGESTION DENIED. j When the Bill -was introduced, Mr. E. J. Howard (Christchnrch I South) inquired whether it was a fact i that copies of the Bill had been circn- | lated among, representatives of the employers. He had been given to understand that such was the case. The Minister | replied emphatically that the-Bill had not been distributed to the employing class, and* the employers had not been consulted as to the provisions of the Bill. Very few copies of the Bill were printed before yesterday, and tho Bill was not finally printed until an hour before it came down. .. . ■ Eeplying to Mr. P. Fraser.the Prime Minister stated that the Bill would be referred to the Labour Bills Committee. Mr. Fraser : "Will the unions have ample opportunity to give evidence?'' The Prime Minister : "Yes." He would state, however, that if there was to be any obstruction on the Bill the House would either have to remain until ' the measure was passed or else it would not reach the Statute Book this year. The Minister promised that ample copies of the Bill would be available to. day. Members would be given sufficient copies to meet the demand for the measure. The Bill was read a second time, pro forma, and referred to the Labour Bills Committee. ,