LANGUAGE OF AWARDS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23831, 10 June 1939, Page 9

LANGUAGE OF AWARDS

NECESSITY FOR CLARITY STRESSED

Attention to the need lor industrial awards Deing set out in clear ianguage is drawn by the Court of Arbitration in giving an opinion on a Hamilton case relexred to it involving interpretation ot certain clauses in the Taranaki chemical, manure and acid workers' award.

" Since it was passed in 1894 tht industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act has contained a provision imposing on the court the obligation of setting out an award in ' clear language.' Till 1908 industrial disputes were dealt with in the first instance by permanent boards of conciliation who framed their recommendations for an award, and, if these were accepted by the parties, they became the award. If not accepted, they were remitted to the court, and the award as finally pronounced was framed in terms identical, or nearly so with the original recommendations. In 1908 the boards of conciliation were abolished and were replaced by councils of conciliation. Naturally, this court finds it very difficult to interfere with the phrasing of a council's recommendations, but in the circumstances in which these arc drawn, errors are very apt to be overlooked and hence disputes as to interpretation are much more frequent than was originally the case. We direct attention to this fact in the hope that councils of conciliation will be increasingly careful to avoid difficulties such as have arisen in the case before us."