ARBITRATION BILL.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13697, 12 September 1908, Page 3

ARBITRATION BILL.

ALTERATIONS IN THE ORIGINAL DRAFT. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, Sept. 11. Mr Millar, Minister for Labour, has communicated the following particulars ■of the alterations made in the original draft of the Conciliation and Arbitration Act Amendment Bill by the Labour Bills Committee: In part 1 clause 3, the words "have been in the employ" have been struck out, the reason - being • that a strike has been declared not be a continuous offence. Clause 4 has been amended to make a single employer liable for a lockout. This point was overlooked when the Bill was drafted. A new clause 4a has been inserted providing that when a majority of the members of. an industrial union are guilty of an offence under the Act, the Union and not individual shall be proceeded against. Clause 5 has been amended so that any Union that is not- availing itself of the machinery of the Act may strike, the reason being that if a Union does nottake advantage of that machineiy, it would be unfair to punish it for an action which is only an offence under the Act. A strike or lockout under the amended Bill can only take place wher • an award or industrial agreement is in force. A strike is •ow ma le & c-. x' intung offence in so 'ar ra aiding and alttting is concerned in >'•' g as ihr > te continues. Theretsre any jeruii r;:c:ng or abetting it is liable to penalties - ouder the Act. A strike is declared to be off when a resolution ,of the Union that, the strike do end has been carried or when the industry is in .full' work. The penalty clause iuflicting three months' imprisonment for striking without three weeks' notice, in industries connected with necessities of life is struck out and in lieu thereof a tine not exceeding £25 is imposed and the notice is reduced to 14 days. In the clause providing for the power of suspension of an award, a proviso is inserted to limit the operation thereof against those offending instead ot operating against the whole industry. Moreover the Court will have to hear tlie ease and determine whether a strike b£«t> occurred or not before the suspension operates. The clause providing for tracing a man who hag not paid his fine from employer to employer is struck out, but in lieu a clause is inter-ted, enabling the Court to attach wages above, ill a week in the case of a bingle man and i!2 in the ca.se of a married man.

The whole principle of part 3 dealing with conciliation has been materially altered. The old Conciliation Boards are abolished and instead of a Magistrate being made chairman of a Conciliation Council, two Conciliation Commissioners —one for each island —ate appointed for a term of three years at a hxed annual salary. Whenever a dispute is notified, the Conciliation ' Coinmi&siouer will proceed td the place where the dispute ha_s occurred and first of all goes into the matter himself alone, to ascertain the merits thereof. He then calls upon the union and the employers to appoint three assessors on either side. Conciliation Commissioners haw no vote and no power to make an award. There must he pure conciliation and only where agreement on any point mists can such point bo embodied in an award drawn up by the Commissioneiti, such award to have all the force of an award made by tins Arbitration Court. An agreement bhall be considered to be duly entered into when .sigued on behalf of the union and by the employers representing a majority of the worker* engaged in the induMrv affected. If hinli signatures have not bre-n appended within one month of the award being made, the ca>e .shall be sent on automatically to the Arbitration Court by the Clerk of Awards without either of the parties having to take or taking the initial iw. The Clerk of Awards ouly semis forward to the CouU such matters as have not been settled l> ;«ee;i tin' p-tri-c.s instead of sending forward -sin- whole of tin- to hi* dealt wah de novo mhiihetto. ii! anticipated xlj.it this will abbreviate veiy « 'ou>id»-r.ddy :iie work oi the Ailntra : i"ii Court uh I : further s.iiguarding ihe principle of pare conciliation m the hrv; Mage of th- pjiKeubngs. in hk; |e|Wiil lo the t'OUl!. t(ie lomuim-inner is te«|uiie\l -o g»w. fU indication to the Court as io whether a se.; lenient was prevented by unreasonable action mi •-ither side. Tim i«-por. urns: U- tiled with tie- I'leik of Awards. i iie>e amend men's follow t he liiu-. adopt-d ;n older loUntric, v\iiei>- ii • Hoard <ii 'liad- .i]< point-. the l ii.iiruaui of .i t'um iL.ii ,uii l'oard. the dilfeiein-c bt-mg th.ii lotutnis-i-ion<-: * at-- apJ«j;(i'.< d permanently 1«>I sljt e*• vejiii. l'HjV!~i.iii s in.me tna! a', any Uliie between tile t<*fet'il<e <>! the va.se to. all-.! til-- healing o: t)ie » as.* by til.- Court, ihe jKtr'ies ni.ty come !o an lljlicii shall liaVe liie *aUie etio ; :iv :f <■ til--i»-»i into pii-iions :h-■ t.iM! be.lig M-|'.|[e.t |o t tie t'olllt " 1 lie > l.ui-*- ill he li:ll loci>.,ivii,., 'J,., lillllib- r of lit. lc.|!i:ie,| 111 a \\ I. ei I nioii befole it • .in to amended, tiir numb i ln-ni;.; le.iu. v-i !-') Siui:] :sr 1 \ the numb-r of <-:uplov< :i> i• «juiie-I in .iii l-iinploy r- bjoie it 1 ~li :e>iii<ei ho.u , t.. • 'late-- :.I. !■ «jii;! iiii.' .• ! \ p.-u i :t' en o! all .l»>ll<i !>■' J-« ei!rs! Jtl o.V I • <1 bull.!»!.»= « ii> ie '.ln* li'tii : I v i> "li l» .111/- l|.|e-j to . teaijf. ii. • • iif e I.i i ~|| ! ! 11. tjoil t "i ...•«• ■ U iii.ii'-i : . - I Hi.: ■ .lie vlillt-d tlicv , U I.iiii \f,;ralil. .1 i nit.,-.- ••••... si et»i(.|. \ 111- I i - i.i- I--, ii l!l !.').• i.-ie ii, !• ;.r. . W tl.- (. * It* j -»•; 11 1. t |V i'hi, i ! • 'l.-.ir— pio\..iin t - ;.-r i if-■!> iii-i iu ci-« i e (H '"Mi L s'. tb- pi"- -| 'i >! t ..ur- ' c -> ■ * i- - •» *' tsf < i > »* * ] -. - - i ■ >

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