The Star. WEDNESDAY. OCTOBER 23, 1901, CONCILIATION BOARDS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7235, 23 October 1901, Page 2

The Star. WEDNESDAY. OCTOBER 23, 1901, CONCILIATION BOARDS.

If our Wellington correspondent has not been misinformed, the days of the Conciliation Boards are numbered. Our readers will recollect that when the- Industrial Arbitration and Conciliation Act Amendment Bill was before the House of Representatives a few weeks ago, a clause was inserted in it giving permission for disputes to bo taken direct to the Arbitration Court. This virtually meant death to the Conciliation Boards. It is obvious that if it is made possible to take disputes direct to the Arbitration Court, very few people will go out of their way first to approach a Conciliation Board. They know only too well that under the conditions now prevailing their case is almost certain to find its way to the higher Court, and they will naturally desire to dispense with the preliminary formalities of conciliation. The Premier realised this, and at the time the amending Bill was before the Lower House he pleaded hard to have the clause expunged. His appeal was fruitless, however. The clause was included, and the Bill was sent on to the Legislative Council. Even then a chance remained that the Upper House would reject the clause and thus -save the Boards from their fate. This hope, it seems, has been dissipated, According to our Wellington correspondent, the Labour Bills Committee has retained the clause, and although Jthere still remains the bare prospect that the Council as a whole will be wiser than the Committee, it certainly appears very much as if the doom of the Boards had been pronounced. If our fears are realised, it will be a maibter for regret. The Boards, it is true, have not given complete satisfaction, but that is r.ot the- fault of the principle which inspired them. The principle of conciliation is a perfectly sound one, and we are satisfied that if it were properly carried out there would be less work for the Arbitration Court to do. The author of the Industrial Arbitration and Conciliation Act laboured hard to secure the inclusion ot the conciliation clause in his measure, and not without reason. He foresaw that conciliation might prevent disputes, while arbitration could only end them. It would be a thousand pities if one of the vital features of the Act were repealed owing to no fault of the principle which gave it life. It deserves a better fate, and it would yet have a better one if Parliament, instead of practically abolishing Conciliation Boards, would endeavour to improve their status.