BAKING TRADE HOURS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19133, 30 September 1936, Page 8

BAKING TRADE HOURS

DISPUTE BEFORE COURT WITHDRAWAL REQUESTED EMPLOYERS OPPOSED (Per Press Association.) last night. After filing a. citation for a new award, and holding meetings in the Conciliation Council' with representatives of the? Master Bakers of New Zealand, from which claims were referred to the Arbitration Court, the New ' Zealand Federated Bakers-' Association of Workers asked Jeave to withdraw the case from the court when it, was called this morning-. Mr. T. 0. Bishop, secretary of the New Zealand Employers' Federation, who appeared for the master bakers, opposed the withdrawal, and argued that, the claims were referred to the court. They wero before the court, and neither party had power to withdraw from arbitration, which was compulsory. If the court did not uphold this contention, he suggested Clint the court should state a. case for the opinion of the Court of Appeal, so that the matter could be finally decided. Mr. E. J. Watson, secretary of the bakers' association, who had asked leave to withdraw the case, said cases had been withdrawn from the court, by both parties, and one had been withdrawn in Auckland recently. Section 80 of (he Act gave the court unlimited power, and consequently he contended that the court had power to grant an application for withdrawal.

The bakers arid pastrycooks' dispute was before three sittings of the Conciliation Council, and both parties waited separately on the Minister of Labour, Die Hon. IT. T. Armstrong, and the Minister of (Industries and Commerce, the Hon. D. G. Sullivan.

The Minister of Industries and Commerce also attended a conference of both parties. The Conciliation Council lraving failed to reach a settlement-, the dispute came before the, court to-day.

The, daily hours of work, on which there had .been a 1 misunderstanding, were also discussed.

The court adjourned till to-morrow morning to allow the employers to decide, whether tho hours question only should bo discussed by the court.

Mr. Justice Page said that if the employers were .unable to come to that decision, the court would have to consider Mr. Watson's application for withdrawal, which was a legal question not, without difficulties, and the court would not be able to give a decision immediately.