ARBITRATION COURT.

Otago Witness, Issue 2360, 18 May 1899, Page 10

ARBITRATION COURT.

(From Oub Own Cobbespondbnt.) WELLINGTON, May 9. Replying to a deputation from the Trades and Labour Council and the. Moulders and Painters' Unions, last night, who complained of the Inconveniences, losses, and vexations caused by' the delays in dealing with Arbitration Court work, the Premier said everything that had been stated pointed, to : the necessity for an alteration in .the law, It was quite clear that whilst the Legislature had fixed that the president of the courfc must be a judge of the Supreme Court, and that there must be only one president for the whole colony, it was next to impossible that the work could be done by one judge in. addition to that of the Supreme Court. He had arrived at the conclusion that there must be two presidents, one for the North, Island and one for the South. Island. As far as the Government was concerned ifc was their duty to bring the matter before Parliament. The Government was blamed for the arrears of Supreme Court work, but as a matter of fact the arrears were due to the lawyers not being ready j with their cases to be dealt with: As to the work of the Arbitration Court, an alteration of the law . was required either that there should be two presidents, one for the North Island and another for the South Island, or thafc an additional judge should be appointed. He would consult with Mr Justice Ed- ! wards, and see what could be done to relieve the present block of business. . Ifc had been suggested that a man of commercial experience should deal with Arbitration Court work, but he (the Premier) did not think a change in that direction would be a good idea. The existing arrangement had been an -'excellent one as far as it had gone, both judges- concerned — Mr Justice Williams and Mr Justice Edwards — having given the greatest satisfaction to both litigants and the Govern* ment.

There is a church in the city of Cork which is famous for the peculiarity of ita steeple, two sides of which are built in while and two in red stone. The annual cost of maintaining the poor in the workhouses of London alone is about £350,000, while the outdoor relief amounts to something over £100,000 per auuuin.

The receipts from the recent Gymkhana in aid of the building fund of All Sainta'Church, Gladstone, Invercargill. came ta

At Invereargill, Mr Poynton, S.M., ordered ! Mccsrs Scott Brothers, of Chrii-lchurch, three young men to pay £1 12s costa and 10.1 have signed the contract for the erection of damages for damaging the fence of a aettlcr the combined cart and railway bridge over at Mataura Island. On a second information the Awatere River, about 18 miles from against two of the same young men he fined Blenheim. The amount of their tender was one £5 and tho second £3, and ordered them j £22,500. The bridge is to be completed with*opay £12 1' cost* aad £2 lOb damages. I in two years.