THE ARBITRATION COURT.

Southland Times, Issue 17595, 6 March 1914, Page 4

THE ARBITRATION COURT.

Jn acknowledging the welcome extended to him on his assumption of the presidency of the Arbitration Court in Wellington. Mr Justice Stringer said the proper thing in quite the proper way. His responsibilities have fallen upon his Honour at a critical time, but he brings an impartial mind and an earnest purpose to the discharge of his new duties, and enters upon his high office with a full appreciation of these responsibilities. The trend of opinion among all classes is towards arbitration as the only rational method of settling industrial disputes, but it would ha folly to suppose that the law which seined to meet all the needs of the situation twenty years ago is all that is required to-day. Mr Justice Stringer was on sound ground when he spoke of the importance of paying due regard to the laws of economics; hut. nevertheless, the laws of economics do not provide the last word in adjusting the relations between Capital and Labour. Mr Justice Williams recently stated that the Arbitration Court was “a powerful instrument for the amelioration of conditions of the workers and for the prevention of oppression,” and it is well to remember that i if an industry is suffering from its own disregard of the laws of economics, it is not fair to place the burden of its imperfect methods upon the shoulders of the workers. Arbitration in the settlement of industrial disputes has come to stay, and it is gratifying to realise that the appointment of Mr Justice Stringer to the presidency of the Court has been approved of by all sections of the community. Under his guidance there is no reason why the Court should not give satisfaction e«iual to that which it earned when presided over by Mr Justice Williams. The future attitude of the Labour bodies towards the Court will certainly be watched with a great deal of interest, more especially after the recent utter failures of Syndicalist methods.