THE ARBITRATION BILL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9322, 24 August 1908, Page 3

THE ARBITRATION BILL.

« . — STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER. [From Our Correspondent.] WELLINGTON, August 23. Rumours have been circulated busily to the effect that the Arbitration Bill, which is at present before the Labour Bills Committee, would not be proceeded with this session. The Minister of Labour (the Hon J. A. Millar), speaking to a reporter on the matter, said there was no ground for this suggestion. The Government recognised that the existing law needed amendment, and proposed to push on with the Bill. CANTERBURY TRADES COUNCIL'S VIEWS. An ordinary meeting of the Canterbury Trades and Labour Council was held on Saturday, Mr A" p. Hart (president) in. the chair. New delegates were received from the Bootmakers', Hotel Employees', Engine-drivers', Tailoresses' and Lyttelton Casual Wharf Labourers' Unions. It was decided to suspend the standing orders to allow the meeting to complete the consideration of the proposed amendments to the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act. Part 1 of the Bill, dealing with strikes and lock-outs, was disagreed with in full, with the exception of Clause 8, which repeals Section 15 of the Amendment Act of 1905. In Part 2, Section 13 was amended by inserting the words " not exceeding" before the penalty named for breach of the award,. £100; and Sub-section. 2 of the same clause, providing that every worker who committed a breach of the award should be liable to a penalty of £o for every such bleach, was amended by the addition of the words " of not exceeding" before the penalty. Clause 17 was amended to provide that in an action for the recovery of penalties the penalty should be awarded to the plaintiff, and the amount when received should be paid to the plaintiff, instead of that the amount received should be paid into the public account. Clause 18 was amended r>y inserting words to provide- that the magistrate in any such action should be empowered to" state a case for the opinion of the Court of Arbitration on points of law only. Clauso 19 was amended by striking out all the words after the word " action/ the clause then to read, "No appeal shall He from any judgment in any such action." Clause 20 was amended to read* " The judgment in any such action shall be enforceable in the same manner as a judgment for debt or damages in the Magistrate's Court, and in. no other manner." The succeeding clause providing that on notice from the Inspector of Awards the amount of judgment might be deducted by the employer from the moneys due to the defendant was struck out; and Clause 22, providing that the Governor might by Orderin- Council make regulations prescribing the procedure in actions brought under the preceding provisions of the Act, and in appeals to the Court of Arbitration, was also struck out. Part 3. dealing with conciliation, was deleted. The part provides (a) that Conciliation Boards shall be abolished; (b) that no dispute shall be referred to the Court until it has been first referred to a Council of Conciliation, consisting of a stipendiary magistrate exercising jurisdiction in the industrial district and two assessors, the assessors to be • nominated by the pa7 > ties to the dispute, and to have been actually engaged or employed in the industry in which the dispute arose ; (c) 'that unless the parties should so agree beforehand the recommendation of the Council should have no binding force, operating merely as a suggestion for amicable settlement, and as a public notice of the opinion of the Council as to the merits of the dispute : and (d) that the Council should not sit asa formal tribunal or to hear evidence in a formal manner, or hear addresses except so far as it might think it advisable to do so. It was decided to request the deletion of Clause 60 of the principal Act, ''known as the "' Willis Blot," which provides that either party shall have the power to have a dispute referred direct to the Arbitration Court. Clause 59 of the principal Act was also discussed, and it was decided to request that it should be. amended to provide that no reference of a case should be heard by the Court unless two-third 6of the parties agreed to such a course. It was resolved to delete Section 45 of Part 4 of the Bill, which proposed to amend Section 5 of .the principal Act to read '•' any Society consisting of not less than seven persons in the case of employers, or twenty-five in the case of workers. . . . may be registered as industrial Union." Section 47 was amended to provide that every financial member of the Union should have a vote for the election of the representatives on the Court aiid Board. Section 49, which provides that a worker shall not bring an action for the recovery of the difference between wages paid and wages fixed by an award, except within three months after the day on which the wages -claimed became due, was amended by the addition of the words " but tho employer shall be liable for all payment of all difference in excess of three months to the consolidated fund." Section 52, providing that r.o apprentice should be more than twentyfive years of age, was deleted } as well as Section 53, concerning under-rate permits. Section 54 was amended to make the extension of awards compulsory. Section 55, providing for the validation of informal proceedings, was deleted, .and in regard to Section 57 it was decideed to urge tho Government to make the bonus or premium system illegal. It was also decided to urge the Government to make it compulsory that au award should be made when a dispute was filed. Section 60,- providing for the appointment of assessors, was deleted. The following clause was added: — "That any employer discharging an officer of a Union without satisfactory reasons shall be liable to a penalty of not exceeding £100." A motion was also carried — •'That the Act be amended to provide that every employer of labour shall be compelled to keep a book for the perusal of the inspector of awards whenever he desires to do 60, the book to be a true record of all time worked, and wages and overtime paid to each worker." It was decided to communicate the result of the Council's deliberations to the Minister of Labour and the Canterbury members of Parliament.