POWERS VESTED IN COMMISSIONERS

Southland Times, Issue 23306, 16 September 1937, Page 7

POWERS VESTED IN COMMISSIONERS

INDUSTRIAL DISPUTE CASES (United Press Association) WELLINGTON, September 15. The powers of conciliation commissioners to take up the work done in private conferences of parties to industrial disputes was mentioned by Mr M. J. Reardon at the resumed hearing of the Dominion carpenters’ and joiners’ dispute and he indicated that commissioners would have to exercise those powers to cope with the work ahead. He mentioned Mr Justice O’Regan having ruled that once initiated a dispute is not ended until an award has been pronounced or an industrial agreement signed by the parties. After saying that it was possible for parties to meet in an informal way and to adjust their differences in the light of the court’s recent pronouncement he mentioned that commissioners were clothed with wide discretionary powers and they were able to take up the work that had been done in private conferences of parties. That would be necessary to enable commissioners and the court to cope with the situation that had arisen in the last twelve months.