SECOND ARBITRATION COURT

Evening Star, Issue 22816, 26 November 1937, Page 3

SECOND ARBITRATION COURT

T 6 HEAR HATTERS' DISPUTE TO-DAY [Per United Press Association.] AUCKLAND, November 25, The first sitting of the Second Court of Arbitration will be commenced tomorrow. The newly-appointed judge, Mr Justice Hunter, and. his associates, Mr W. E. Anderson, employers’ representative, and Mr A. W, Croskery, workers’ representative, will consider the hatters’ dispute. Questions relating to internal organisation were considered at an informal conference of both courts. In an announcement later it was stated that now that Parliament had authorised the second court it was considered desirable that definite terminology should be adopted, with a view to distinguishing the two courts. It had been decided accordingly that they should be designated respectively as the “ Court of Arbitration ” and the “ Second Court of Arbitration.” It went without saying, of course, that both were of equal jurisdiction, but for purposes of convenience it was necessary that there should be a recognised designation for each. “ With respect to the sittings of the two courts, arrangements will be made from time to time and the necessary arrangements as to times and places will be made by the judge of the Court of Arbitration as heretofore,” the statement continued. “The practice has grown up of designating the judge as president of the court, while the two nominated members are frequently referred to as assessors. In point of fact, however, this terminology is inaccurate. The tribunal consists of the judge and two nominated members. The judge is correctly designated the judge of the Arbitration Court, but his colleagues are equally members of the court. They are correctly referred to as the employers’ and the workers’ representatives respectively, but they aro not assessors. The term assessors is properly applicable only to members of a tribunal under the chairmanship of a conciliatioin commissioner, appointed to deal with industrial disputes in the first instance.” The statement added that it had. been decided to hear the Dominion freezing workers’ dispute, one of the most important on the.list, at Auckland on December 13 and 14. It has not yet been decided which court will hear the case.