ARBITRATION COURT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16315, 23 February 1915, Page 6

ARBITRATION COURT.

APPLICATION TO RKVIRW AWARDS.

DECISION RlvMEllViiD. <P«a Uiitii. i'«t«» AaaocuTion.) AUCKLAND, February 22. In the Arbitration Court t'j-day Mr A. Rotor, reiirtiffciiting 1 :ie various unions, spoke in 01 an application to reviow awards. Jd- sai.i sonii- of the employers, who '. i<: given large- sums to the patriotic fun l<, in A shortened hands to recoup thuinti-N'BS. The prices of tlie necessaries, ol life i;H<l iucn ayrd, and the increases had U-wi passed .ji; to the consumer*. 'lh<- 'ioi-iinion according U) the Hon. J. Allc-n, v,uo ,iro.sr>erous, and somo indiLstrii-; U>nc?nL«xl tro'.ienduusly as a result of »h«- war. He suggested that the court take into consideration a system of short-datt ; d awards.

Mr Grosvonor ireproit-nting the employers), ii, opposing the application, stated that with possibiv one or two exceptions there, had sine;.' the war started been a marked diminution all through the dominion in the volume of trade and business in every industry The employers were endeavouring t'/iind work to keep the •legul.'tr stalls c.f employees engaged, in many instances incurring monetary loss. The increased cost of production was due iw higher freights, and war insurance constituted a serious burden, -which could not be passed on to the public, while there had been a marked diminution in production.

After hearing argument his Honor Mr Justice Stringer said : " I do not wish to express my opinion yet. As a matter of fact, I hr,v<3 had i>o time to consider the position fully; but take, for instance, the dairying industry, which was mentioned this morning. Suppose il is in a flourishing condition and that owing to the court's decision tho. workers concerned are unable to work under any bat (.be conditions under ■which they have flxvm engaged for some time. Why should we do nothing foT the dairying industcy jost because the engineering trade is bad?" Mr Gr-osv-enor, referring to Mr Rosser's reference to the flourishing state of the chemical workers' trade, remarked that the cost of prnduction had Tisen very materially.

Hia Hotwr : You seem to assume that if the ootrrt decides to reopen for the purposes of considering awards that rises in wages will follow necessarily. The court, I must remind you, will he open simply to consider rkims brought before it. Then will be the time for you to bring evidence about the sta:.' of the trade concerned. At present we Jiav: on'y to decide the question of an abstract principle. Further argument took place, and then his Honor announced that he ■would hear, as already arranged, argument in Wellington, bin; tht-tt as far as he could see at present he did not think it would be necessary to argue tne matter in each centre. He anticipated that within the course of the ner , two :r three weeks tho court would e an announcement to make in Testard to ihe matter-