ARBITRATION CASES

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 137, 14 June 1927, Page 8

ARBITRATION CASES

PRESS CRITICISM

COMMENTS IN COURT

During the hearing of tho typographical dispute at tho Arbitration Court yesterday, Mr. C. H. Chapman, -who appeared for the employees, said that it was impossible to ignore the fact that very strong and frequently unjust criticism of the Arbitration Court had appeared in the Press, including occasions when the printing trade awards were duo for revision by the Court. One was constrained to ask whether it was a new form of propaganda. He said the Press possessed a power not held by other industries, and that it could attempt even to prejudice the caso of the employees. Such, he was of opinion, had been the case in England, with the. result that sonic- of the employees had impetuously refused to set matter for publication which was obviously unfair to the printing trade employees. Thero was no danger of such foolish steps in New Zealand, but, as he bad said, it was impossible to ignore the fact that there had been such criticism. Mr. B. L. Hammond, who appeared for tho employers, said lie objected strongly to the suggestion. It was most unfair and improper. ' ■■' j Mr. Justice Fraser said ho thought so too, but apparently Mr. Chapman was referring more particularly to an English case. Mr. Hammond: "It is a most unwise suggestion." . ■ His Honour: "I am not going to take much notice of the suggestion that the Press in New Zealand might be tempted to make statements with a| view to influencing the Court; and I do not think it is fair to assume that" tho criticism of tho Court during the last few months had anything to do with this dispute. Mr. Hammond read somo extracts from a contributed article which appeared in tho "Imprint," the official journal of the printing trade, in which reference was made to the typographical dispute: Although the article was contributed, he thought that some een- ! sorship.should have been exercised. His Honour remarked that a journal -i was responsible for the matter that appeared in it, editorially or otherwise. Ho knew that the Court had come in for n lot of criticism for months past. Ho was quite used to criticism from | both sides. '' Twelve months ago,'' ad- | clod his Honour; "the unions ware at- | tacking the Court. To-day it is a section of the employers. I suppose it is due to a little depression in tho country." With regard to the present case, he would be sorry to think that the newspapers were publishing such criticism just because there" was a printing dispute coming before the Court.' The, Court would not take >ny notice of the criticism. .