PARLIAMENT

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 119, 16 November 1937, Page 11

PARLIAMENT

TODAY'S PROCEEDINGS

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

The Legislative Council met at 2.30 p.m. The • Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Bill (No. 2) was reported from the Labour Bills Committee without amendment, and its committal was moved by. the Leader of the Council (the Hon. Mark Fagan).

Mr. Fagan explained that the Bill would" set up a second Arbitration Court, and-detailed the various causes of -the large accumulation of arbitration work. In doing so he paid a tribute to the work of the late Mr. Justice Page, who, he said, had continued with Court work long after the state of his health should have compelled him to retire. -. .- ....-■-. . ■ ■ " Both the employers' and the workers' organisations were opposed to the second Court, Mr. Fagan continued. They considered that two Courts would give conflicting decisions, but the Government did not think the danger of that was great, and even if conflicting opinions did arise the difficulty would be small when compared with the present position.. The arrears of work would occupy the present Court until March, and by that time another three months' accumulation would have taken place. Although delay, in . industrial cases was serious, the . cases of injured workers who had to make claims for compensation were much.more serious because they were faced with financial .worries. ... : ■ '. '. . , Mr. Fagan outlined the clauses of the Bill. :. ... ' . ;.'"■ (Proceeding.)