ARBITRATION COURT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10537, 12 August 1912, Page 3

ARBITRATION COURT.

I-HE GOVERNMENT'S PROPOSALS. NOT ACCEPTABLE. Mr H. Hunter, secretary of the Drivers' Federation, joins with other Labour leaders in opposing tho Government's scheme to amend' the constitution of the Arbitration Court. In an interview to-day Mr Hunter Baid that the proposal to have separate Judges as president in each district, instead of one Judge presiding at all sittings of the Court, would not improve" the position. As u matter of /act, it would merely accentuate the present dissatisfaction. It was originally intended that the Arbitration Court should be a court of equity, not a court of law, and if that intention was observed, Judges, with their legal training and their legal phraseology and innumerable legal points, would be completely banished from the tribunal. Evidently it was quite usoless to expect a Judge or Judges to conduct the Court on the lines intended Toy the framers <>f the Act.

i He was asked what he would suggest in regard to amending the constitution, arid said that nominations for the position of president should be called for ihy the Government, and the officer ehould bo elected from tho candidates by a majority of votes of all individuals [affiliated to the Trades Councils on the One side, and to the Employers' Associations on> the other sidg. The person elected in that way would not b' trammelled by a legal training. His principal object would be to have disputes settled at the earliest possible sate, and he would not spend his own time and other people's time raising legal obstacles,