ARBITRATION COURT

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 46, 23 February 1923, Page 8

ARBITRATION COURT

SITTINGS ARRANGED THE WORKERS' REPRESENTATIVES. The Wellington sittings of the Court of Arbitration will open on 12th March. South Island sittings of the Court have been fixed as follow : — Greymouth, 26th February; Reef ton, 28th February; Westport, 2nd March; Nelson, sth" March; Blenheim, 7th March. The President of the Court (Mr. Justice Frazer) will leave for the South to-night. With reference to the appointment of the workers' representative and deputyrepresentative on the C»urt, the view was expressed by a Labour man this morning that it would be entirely wrong if, after the nomination had been accepted, the two .'candidates-'endorsed.,-by-the Alliance of Labour were passed over (if supported by the majority of unions) in favour .of other candidates.

One of the candidates standing for election to the Court was convicted during the war of a. breach of the War Regulations, and in certain Labour circles it is feared that, even if elected, the Government will not appoint him, as section 105 (b) of the Arbitration Act provides that any person convicted of any crime for which the punishment is imprisonment with hard labour for a term of six months or upwards shall be disqualified from being "appointed or elected, or from holding office as chairman or as member of any council, or as nominated member or acting-nominated member oi the Court; and if so elected or'appointed shall be incapable of continuing to hold the office."