ARBITRATION COURT

Otago Witness, Issue 3523, 20 September 1921, Page 26

ARBITRATION COURT

STATEMENT BY MR. JUSTICE FRAZER. WELLINGTON, September 12. A statement in reply to the charges made by Mr J. A. M'Cullough (late employees’ assessor on the Arbitration Court) upon his resignation from that body has been prepared for the Minister of Labour by the President of the court, Mr Justice Frazer, with the concurrence of the employers’ assessor (Mr W. Soottp Ifis Honor states emphatically that there was no breach of any “gentlemen’s agreement” arrived at by the three members of the court. He refers to Mr M'Cullough’s resignation as having arisen out of a misunderstanding. The “stabilisation pronouncement,” his Honor says, was intended to be as far as possible of general application, and to remain unaltered unless the general financial and industrial situation became such as to render reconsideration necessary from a dominion stand-point ; but it was recognised that circumstances might justify the court in treating certain applications as special cases. “We desire to refute emphatically the suggestion that there was an agreement, written or unwritten,” says his Honor, “that the members of the court would prejudge every application for nearly 12 months ahead, thereby reducing the functions of the court for that period to the level of an empty farce.” MR M'CULLOUGH ACCEPTS RENOMINATION. CHRISTCHURCH, September 12. On receipt of a telegram from the Dunedin Trades and Labour Council stating that it had nominated him for the Arbitration Court Mr M'Cullough replied: “If re-elected I will hold the fort until such time as the movement has an opportunity to elect a successor without the present excitement.” After reading Mr Justice Frazer’s remarks telegraphed from Wellington, Mr M'Cullough said he would not say anything at present. The Canterbury Trades and Labour Council has nominated Mr M'Cullough. MR REARDON TURNED DOWN. WELLINGTON, September 12. The Seamen’s Executive Council, through Mr W. T. Young, general secretary of the federation, has passed the following resolution. a copy of which has been forwarded to Mr J. Reardon :—“ That this council expresses its appreciation of the action of Mr J. A. M'Cullough in resigning from the position of workers’ representative in the Arbitration Court for the reason which he stated, and endorses the resolution passed by the recent unemployment conference asking the deputy/' represent;!! ive not to take the seat, and recommending organised labour not to nominate any other person than the previous occupant of the position.” In a covering letter, Mr Young deplores the action of Mr Reardon in seeking nomination, and states that the council cannot recommend him to seamen. AUCKLAND PITTING POSTPONED. AUCKLAND. September 12. The next sitting of the Arbitration Court at Auckland, which was fixed for Thursday next, has been postponed indefinitely. An intimation to this effect was received from the Registrar of the Arbitration Court to-day. MR REARDON SIDE-TRACKED. AUCKLAND, September 14. The Auckland Amalgamated Engineers nominated Mr M'Cullough and Mr Bloodworth for the two vacancies on the Arbitration Court. Mr Bloodworth will accept nomination for the representative position if Mr M'Cullough declines to stand, and for the deputyship if Mr M'Cullough consents. CONFIDENCE IN THE COURT. TTMARU. September 14. 'The Executive of the South Canterbury Employers’ Association to-night discussed the impasse in connection with the Arbitration Court, and resolved unanimously that the charge made by Mr M'Cullough, tho

workers’ representative, that Mr Justice Frazer (president) and Mr W. Scott (the employers’ representative) had broken a “gentlemen’s agreement” was contrary to fact, and an appeal to class prejudice, and this association records its confidence in the court presided over by Mr Justice Frazer. MR REARDON STANDS DOWN. September 16. A special meeting of the Wellington Trades and Labour Council was held last night to discuss the vacancy caused by the resignation of Mr J. A. M'Cullough from the Arbitration Court. After discussion the following resolution was passed ; '’That in view of Mr M'Cullough’s promise to the Otago Trades and Labour Council to allow unions to choose their representative at a time of less excitement, this council recommends Mr Reardon to withdraw from tho contest and give Mr M'Oullough a walkover for the seat.” Mr Reardon, who was present, made a statement to the council that he would not he a candidate for the seat against Mr M’Cullough. The policy of tho Wellington Trades and Labour Council was to make a recommendation to the unions that would enable the machinery of the Arbitration Court to be again set in motion. That policy seemed to be achieved by the resolutions to recommend Mr M'Cullough, and therefore he would fall iu with the recommendations of council. It isj understood that Mr M'Cullough has agreed to stand for re-election. STATEMENT BY MR M'CULLOUGH. REQUEST FOR AMENDMENT TO THE ACT’. CHRISTCHURCH. September 16. Asked regarding his intentions in the matter of the vacancy on the Arbitration Court, Mr M'Cullough to-day said that “at present, owing to the complicated nature of the situation I would prefer not to say anything, especially as I do not know that a majority of the unions will nominate me ; nor do I know even, in the event of a majority of unions nominating, that I will be appointed. Consequently, it would not be wise on my part to speculate regarding what may or may not take place in future.” The conference of the New Zealand Drivers’ Federation, which concluded on Thursday evening, considered Mr M'Cullough’s resignation, endorsed his action, and recommend affiliated unions to re-nominate him for the position. The conference further decided that the method of appointing the workers’ representative and the deputy workers’ representative on tho court was unsatisfactory, in that tho men nominated for the positions were very often unaware of the fact that they had been nominated, and that one union did not. know what the other union was doing. It was decided to recommend the Alliance of Labour to request the Government to amend the Act to provide that nominations should close on a specified date, the election to take place later, when a full list of candidates would be before the unions. All the unions registered under the Act are asked to urge an amendment in the direction indicated. Other amendments to the Act desired are: Fro vision for dominion agreements to be made into an award of the court without the formality of each separate union going before the Council of Conciliation, and that Sir John Findlay’s Bill should he enacted, which provides for a dominion Clerk of Awards to give effect to national agreements. and for the formation of national unions.