ARBITRATION COURT

Grey River Argus, 24 April 1937, Page 12

ARBITRATION COURT

Sitting Without Judge POWERS OF LAY MEMBERS. WELLINGTON, April 19. With a view to -expediting the business of the Court of Arbitration, it has been decided to hold a special sitting at Wellington on April 28. The Court will consist only of the two lay members, Mr IW. Cecil Prime and Mr A. L. Monteith. Tho president of the Court, Mr Justice Page, is unwell, and Mr Justice Northcroft, who was recently appointed acting-judge of the Court of Arbitration, will not’" be available for this special sitting, as he will be engaged on Supreme Court business in Christchurch at that time. The lay members will deal with industrial disputes in whieli complete agreement has been reached in Conciliation Council. These will be made into awards when the consent of the actinig-Judge is obtained at a properly-constituted sitting of the Court.

The presence of a Judge and one other member of the Court is required to constitute a sitting. It will accordingly be necessary to constitute a sitting, and the special sitting will be adjourned in conformity with section 78 (d) of the Industrial Conciliation and zlrbitration Act tp a date during the Christchurch sitting. This section provides that the Court may be adjourned from place to place and time to time by. the Court or the Judge, or if the Judge is absent, then by any other member present.

Recommendations received from conciliation councils will be passed on by the lay members from the special Wellington sitting to the Judge when the Court resumes in Christchurch. It will not. of course, be necessary for the advocates concerned in the Wellington sitting to appear again at Christchurch.

With regard to parries seeking exemption from awards, the lay members of the Court are prepared to hear statements and arguments in support. If it appears to them a. prima facie case has been made out in respect of any party, then such party will be struck out when an award is made. This will be -without prejudice, however, and tho making of a fresh application Co add parties so struck out can be heard when .the Court returns to the district affected.