ARBITRATION COURT.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIII, Issue 119, 18 May 1909, Page 7

ARBITRATION COURT.

A LECTURE TO THE UNIONS

FRIVOLOUS APPLICATIONS

[fbebs association.! GISBORNE, May 17. , The Arbitration Court in the paim•ers' dispute made an award in substance tiie same as the previous one. In an attached memorandum the Court says: "The evidence went to • show that the cost of a- number ot necessaries of life is actually less than in 1905 From what was saiu by the representative of the union at the he appeared to think that V because the term nxed by the last award had expired it was the duty of the union to apply/for a new award. It is quite a mistake to supnqse that it is the function of the Arbitration Court to go on endlessly revising the conditions of a particular industry. Where an industry has been before the Court two or three times and its conditions have been investigated,, the last award should Be treated as finally settling these conditions,' and any alteration can be made only on clear and!definite proof that there has been a change" in circumstances since the award was made. _ Much expense and disappointment will be avoided if the j executives of unions -will, ponder -what we have said, and if, before originating a dispu|;e,_ they will ascer- , ,tain whether there is som© definite and reasonable ground for asking for alteration, and will recognise that without some such ground it is useless "to fask for any alteration. It is idle to ask, as many unions do, for an increase in the wages fixed by the existing award and to have nothing better to offer in support of the application than evidence of a number of workers who are prepared to say that in their opinion the wages asked for are reasonable. To rely on evidence of that kind is to confess that the union* has been unable to find anything in tne shape of fact or argument to support its case."' ■ .

The award on the bakers' dispute reduces the hours to 48 per week. The wages are -the same as in the last award.. .:■'•. .'. ■ :■■,'■■'•■■■'■■'■ ■."•-■ ; .'' .' ; ■