FEDERAL AH ARBITRATION ACT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14897, 28 July 1910, Page 7

FEDERAL AH ARBITRATION ACT

AN AMENDING BILL. COMPULSORY PREFERENCE. ■Prws Association—By TelejiWn—Copyrisnt MELBOURNE, July.27. Under the Arbitration Dill the new defi. aition of "industrial dispute" includes the words ; " threatened or probable dispute," and of "industries'' "form of domestic work." The president is empowered to convene compulsory conferences when mediation appears desirable, and there is a penalty of £500 for disobeying the summons. Conferences maybe held in public or in ■private, at the discretion of the president. The court-may allow an amendment of the plaint before the determination of- tie dispute or subsequently. The court may also go beyond the elaim when making an award. Under a ffiff clause it .is made mandatory on the court to direct that preference be given to unionists. On .application, any party to'a dispute or'any association of not less than 100 employees may be registered as an organisation. Boards of refer-) ence may also be created! ' '

(Received July 28, at 0.15 a.m.)

Mr Hughes, in moving the second reading of the Arbitration Bill, said it was not intended to the filial views of the Government on what the Commonwealth industrial legislation should be. One amendment would aim at. meeting the case of the unemployed. The Government intended to take a referendum at ah early an amendment of the Constitution, so as to give power, to legislate on tho whole field of industrial questions.