THE ARBITRATION COURT.

Evening Star, Issue 12164, 7 April 1904, Page 8

THE ARBITRATION COURT.

Addresses were heard at yesterday's sitting at Wellington in connection with the bookbinders' dispute, in which evidence was taken last January. W. J. Lankshear and H. Douglas spoke on behalf of the employers, and W. Naughton for the employees. The Court promised to file an award as soon as possible. Mr Justice Chapman stated that there was a considerable accumulation of business from the chief centres, and in order to do justice to the different districts the Court found it impossible to undertake to completely clear the list in each centre at a angle sitting. It was proposed, in the first instance, to take all the Auckland business filed up to December 31, 1903, then to treat other districts in the same way, returning as soon as possible to each centre to clear off what was left on the first visit. 'The arrangements, however, were subject to certain qualifications. It was not worth while to divide enforcement cases in this way, and if possible they would be cleared off to the date on which the sittings were fixed. The Court would endeavor to treat compensation cases in the same way. Recognising that the death or absence of a witness in this class of case have serious consequences in the minor centres, the Court might stay to clear the whole list. Those localities- would be visited in such order as might be found most convenient, according to their geographical situation. These arrangements, concluded His Honor, were the fairest the Court could make, and they nut't be understood to be subject to unforeseen contingencies.