A SQUARE DEAL

Northern Advocate, 22 June 1925, Page 8

A SQUARE DEAL

ARBITRATION COURT EULOGISED NO "BLUNDER" PERPETRATED. The statement made in a certain quarter recently that the Arbitration Court had "blundered" was refuted last week by Mr. A. W. Croskery (secretary of the New Zealand Shop Assistants' Federation), after evidence had been heard upon an application for exemption from the closing hours of the Dominion retail shop-as-sistants ' award. "The Court has given every consideration to every such application made before it," declared Mr. Croskery, "and we have issued a protest against the statement made to the contrary. Every application that has come here, iri our opinion, has 'been dealt with very fairly on the evidence submitted; and that's the point." It was all very well to say that the Court had blundered; Mr. Croskery stated that the applications that had cime before it had received "just consideration. His Honour (Mr. Justice Frazer): We are very glad to have that assurance from you. It is the desire of all the members of the Court to deal fairly and fully with all the matters that come before us, no matter from whom

they come. Sometimes it may appear that the Court has not done the very best thing, but it must be guided by the evidence before it at the time. This- fact docs not appear to be recognised by everybody. In the light of later- knowledge it might appear that another view might have been taken. It is all very well to be wise after the event. Although the Court might in oile or two instances have come to a idifferent conclusion, if. it had known evei-ything that it has learnt sine, I think that in none, of these cases i has the Court given a decision not fully justified by the evidence placed before it."

His HJonour said he interpreted, the word "blunder" as meaning an act committed stupidly and without a full consideration of the information available. Within that meaning of the word lie considered that the Court had not blundered. "However," concluded his Honour, addressing Mr. Croskery, "I am glad to know that the party you represent, which has seen ■something of the work of the Court, is satisfied that every care ami attention have been given."