ARBITRATION ACT

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 23 July 1928, Page 7

ARBITRATION ACT

NO OVERHAUL THIS SESSION. “STOP-GAP” MEASURE. TO BE EXTENDED FOR A YEAR: o • • • ’ - X _ .*»s : i •/ ' • (By Telegraph—Special-to The Stax.) WELLINGTON, July 23. Members of the Government party appear to have made up their minds J that this session is not a suitable . time to completely overhaul the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration: Act. They wish to get back to. their-con-stituencies during the first week in- Oct ~ tober at the latest, and there is so much work, even with the slender legislative programme to be presented V by the Government, that the time will be fully occupied without waiting lor the long investigations needed by the Labour Bills Committee which would be inevitable in the case of any y important changes in the law. It is proposed, therefore, to introduce another brief amendment of the main Act, extending the “stop-gap” provisions of the previous session’s legislation, so that, the existing awards connected with the farming and allied industries shall not be varied or extended. and that no new awards shall be made prior to September, 1929. This arrangement‘is nbt altogether palatable to many of the farmers’ representatives iii the House, as they point out- that restrictions on labour conditions add to the working costs, not only on farm products which have to he prepared for export-, hut on the requirements for carrying on primary industry. . , • Meanwhile representatives of the Agricultural Workers’ Union have commenced an active campaign in the North Island, with the object of organising the labour specifically mentioned in the short amending Act of last session, and it is feared, that 12 months’ delay wall result in a situation t of greater difficulty than would be the ease if the problem were handled today. However, the Parliamentary machine is slow in its action, and delay appears to be the only practicable course in the short pre-election session .