ARBITRATION COURT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19658, 9 June 1927, Page 12

ARBITRATION COURT.

WORK OF THE ASSESSORS. CRITICISM BY BUILDERS. NEED FOR IMPROVEMENT* [BY TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] CHRISTCHURCH, Wednesday. The Canterbury Builders' Association last evening discussed the constitution of the Arbitration Court and the operation of the Arbitration Act. With reference to the impending resignation of Mr. Scott as the employers' representative on the Court, Mr. W. H. Winsor, secretary, said neither the employers' nor the workers' representative was any use on the Court. It was the Judge's opinion that was accepted every time. Never in his 14 years' experience of the Court had either representative shown any great knowledge of the trade concerned in a dispute. He thought the Judge should have associated with him representatives of the employers and workers actually engaged in the industry, union secretaries being barred. Several members supported Mr. Winsor, but others feared that if the personnel of the Court was not constant the relationships between the trades in the building industry would not be kept. Discussion ensued on the question of preference to unionists, on which opinions also were divided. One speaker held that the unions were the curse of the country and were being pampered by the Government. Another stated that a man benefiting by an award should be compelled to join a union. Both opinions found support. ' It was resolved that the federation be asked to obtain the opinion of associations as to possible improvements in the Arbitration Act. Reference to the criticism was made to-day by Mr. J. A. McCullough, a former employees' representative on the Court. Mr.. McCullough was mentioned at the meeting as having said on his retirement that he served no useful purEose on the Court. "Although I may ave said that I was not serving any useful purpose on the Arbitration Court, I did not intimate that the workers' representative was unnecessary, nor did I mean that the Court was of no service to the worker,", said Mr. McCullough. "I think the representatives of both sides are absolutely necessary if the Court is to function, and I disagree strongly with the remarks made by Mr. Winsor regarding the knowledge and the power of the representative when he says that the workers' man knows nothing about the tildes that are mentioned in the disputes. He is wrong." Mr. McCullough said the workers' representative gathered all the points about the trade and its conditions from keen observation and by the use of his privilege and power to inspect any factory m the Dominion to see under what conditions the men were working. "I used to inspect every factory with which I was concerned," he added, "and at times I have had to assert my right of admittance."