AID OF CONCILIATION

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19122, 17 September 1936, Page 3

AID OF CONCILIATION

greater measure urged

DISPUTES OVER AWARDS

(P,»r press Association.) AUCKLAND, this day

The submission to the Arbitration Court of technical questions ill award proceedings which could have been move properly decided in Conciliation Conncil was commented upon by the president of the court. Mr. Justice i’age, when the heaving of an application tor a new award by the Auckland Electrical Workers’ Union was continued yesterday.

Mr. W. E. Anderson appeared for the employers and Mr. K. It. Simpson tor the union.

“We thought it right- that the court should, make some reference to the term in which the recommendations of the Conciliation .Council had been reached, stated the president when announcing that- the court's decision would be reserved. Tho court expected, that niatteis such as wages, hours- ot work, overtime payments and holidays, were matters which they would be normally called upon to decide, but where, there were intricate technical questions involved they were primarily matters for the Conciliation' Council.

For instance, the court had spent the best part- of the day on the interpretation of a clause, trying to find out what branches of the industry were meant io be covered by the award, continued the president. Similarly in regard to tlie manufacture of electrical equipment, the court had been asked to build up a set of special conditions, none of which bad been even discussed in the council. These- technical questions were obviously matters which should be dealt- with in the council, where the members were all experts and infinitely better equipped to decide the question, or at any rate to state in clear language the issue on which they were unable to agree. There seemed to have been no real attempt made in the Conciliation Council to reach a common ground on these technical questions. “The court is entitled to more help on such technical matters, and cannot function unless it receives such help, said the president. “We bud' it extremely difficult to make an adequate and completely satisfactory award unless we receive that assistance.’’