ARBITRATION COURT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20966, 4 March 1930, Page 6

ARBITRATION COURT.

LONG ABSENCE FROM j WELLINGTON. UNION OFFICIALS’ PROTEST. (Per United Press Association.; WELLINGTON, March 3. Under the Arbitration Act, the court is supposed to sit four times a year in each of the centres. It is eight months and a-hal£ since the last sitting in Wellington, however, and when the session was opened to-day Mr Bromley (secretary to the Wellington Trades and Labour Council) protested on behalf of the inductrial movement, pointing out that serious inconvenience might easily be suffered by many people, particularly in regard to compensation cases, and also .that disputes should be dealt with before there was time for such disputes to develop rancour. It was well known, of course, that the court wan not to blame for what had occurred, but it was -felt the time bad arrived when there Should be some reorganisation in order that more prompt attention might be given to matters coming before the court. w

Mr Justice Frazer said the court regretted as much as anybody that it was impossible to comply with the provisions of the law. He thought it would be recognised that the court had made every endeavour to comply with its obligations so far as was humanly possible. The principal difficulty In the way of increased work had arisen under the Workers’ Compensation Act. He knew the suggestion had been made to separate the industrial work from workers’ compensation business, and he understood the matter was under the consideration of the Government, The members of the court hoped that something would be done to enable all the business to receive the prompt attention it should receive.