ARBITRATION COURTS

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 115, 18 May 1938, Page 12

ARBITRATION COURTS

EASING THE WORK

INDUSTRIAL MAGISTRATE SCHEME ' . The advisability of appointing industrial magistrates to relieve the Arbitration Courts of some of the minor responsibilities has been considered by the Minister of Labour (the Hon. H. T. Armstrong), who stated in an interview today that he .was thinking seriously of recommending such a course to the Government. Power to appoint one or more industrial magistrates was taken by the Government in legislation passed last session:

"I am thinking seriously of suggesting to the Government that at least one should be appointed," said the Minister. "He will be needed in Auckland more than anywhere else, but there is no 'reason why his activities should be confined to any one centre. "There is a multiplicity of matters of minor, importance With which it is quite unnecessary to occupy the time of the Courts, and if one or two industrial magistrates were appointed—men of special qualifications to deal with industrial matters—it would expedite things and would save a lot of trouble that is cropping up from time to time. People, for instance, could get their interpretations earlier." The Minister added that it seemed as if one industrial magistrate at least was needed.

The members of the Court of Arbitration, Mr. Justice O'Regan and Messrs. W. Cecil Prime (employers' representative) and A. L. Monteith (employees' representative), arrived in Wellington - from the West Coast this morning. While on the Coast the Court heard the miners' dispute and the West Coast dredge hands' dispute. The members of the Court have come to Wellington to confer with [ the Second Court of Arbitration on a number of matters of detail. On Friday the Court will hear the acetone welders' dispute, and on Monday evening will leave for Dunedin and Invercargill. It is expected that the Court will be in the south for some weeks, but probably it. will sit in Wellington before going to Auckland.