LABOUR LEGISLATION.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CVI, Issue 12572, 6 August 1901, Page 6

LABOUR LEGISLATION.

DEPUTATION to the premier. ;i, MR SE.DDON’S VIEWS. [Per Press Association.] , WELLINGTON, August 5. .' !A deputation, . representing several Unions, waited on the Premier to-nighi (ntji proposals, which, if put into effect, would, tncy consider, help to the better working of labour legislation. The deputation suggested that disputes shoxild fee' beard in central places only, Associations of Unionists should be organised in each .district, and delegates appointed for centres and sub-districts to represent Unionists before the Board, and than the representatives of such Associations should bo given free passes on the railways. 3 The Premier, in bis reply, made some general remarks as to the working of the system now in vogue. He had, he said, good .reason for recently saying that it things went on as they were doing, there .would he a breakdown. Ho had received ft? telegram -from Auckland, stating that 'four hundred people had been cited in one cue there’. " That was riding the thing to death, - andi ‘ was unnecessary. Again, the Mtsoe .evidence . was . repeated in cases ad ■wTumum _ and -the business of the Boards WM clogged by unnecessary repetitions, Whirh seriously affected employers and employed. The result was .that both sides were getting sick of it all. He was sorry that these things were happening, becausctbey had-a tendency to injure what he considered beneficent legislation. If the A. 1 ’/ titration. .Court did not get its work fWjuaredr up,' they would have to appoint *o'’additional judge. That was the plain English of the present position. Again, cm players did not want to be everlastingly .in •T turmoil. There was a difficulty in making awards'-for ■whole districts, as the conditions of. life varied greatly in places like Wellington and New Plymouth for ingtance, ycthe would consider the point. Ho oonld not countenance the proposal to give Unionist delegates free railway passes, and lie thought that Unionists would have to ttct' with great circumspection, or they tfOttld have, public opinion against them’. [From Our Correspondent.] " . WELLINGTON, August 5. - The Premier made a .pretty outspoken announcement this evening in. regard to the’working of‘the Industrial Conciliation •nd.Arbitration Act. He was interviewed hr'ft deputation which suggested an alteraMon of the Act, so as to provide for the .of five industrial districts, Bftxnely, Auckland, Wellington, Christelrafch, Dunedin, and Invercargill, the idea being that - disputes should be heard at Kjne central place in each district, and the ■nrara apply to the whole district. Unions ißtenated ;would send delegates to repre-sent'-their views, and by thus limiting the Bttmbsr of disputes a considerable saving would hi effected in time and money and double. > , Tho Premier replied that it was with ■onto', diffidence he had to express'the opinion that the way things were, there would ultimately be a breakdown. The cither'day he- spoke very strongly on this matter, and he had very good reasons for doing so, for that morning he* had received ft telegram stating that tour hundred employers had been cited to appear in one dispute in Auckland. It seemed to him there was ino necessity for that, and- that it. was -riding the thing to death; Every employer was bound by an -award, whether be Was cited-or not. - A great deal of time Wfta also wasted in duplicating evidence, fh, time both men and employers would get tick of it;'-that was what was going_to happen. -The recent delays in Arbitration (sourt-business were very unfortunate, and he was very pleased to hear that the Pre■deht' of -the Court hoped to be soon able fc>:catch up with, the arrears of work; if Dot/ they would have to appoint another Judge, that’was the plain English of it. It : was just as important that this' work ibonld be done as the ordinary Work .of the Supreme Court; in fact, ih© questioned veryrmuch.whether it was not more important, to have industrial questions : settled and get something like a rest. Employers did not want to be everlastingly D’w "turmcil, and what tji© country wantad was to have the awards made and to go"on 'Working. As regarded the Boards; She - extension of the scope of the Act. sftused an increase in the number of cases, but,'Jc was about time some of it was Bleared off. Someone had to stop what wis; going on, and he had no hesitation in (ftying that he did not want everlasting industrial war, and. that being so, he wantad is far as possible to bring about peace. to the, proposal to- constitute larger districts,'the" conditions varied so much in different places that it would not do to mke an • award- applicable to the -whole of the - district.. Of course that difficulty ■ijght be" got over by giving the Court power to vary the conditions. The law was a good law, but of late it had been brought into disrepute, and great care must be taken or they would have a revullion of public opinion. As to the suggestiqn that delegates should attend the sittings of the Court from- -the various towns, thati.wonld .lead to the- institution of travelling delegates and the, piling up ob expenses, and that would,make things still •terse. If anyone was going to, travel, it would be the Boards and th© Court. Mr Bedddn further intimated that the President c.f-the Court was in favour of amending'the law, .to provide that where a Board bad -any doubt on a certain matter it -could mhroit it to the Court for its opinion.