ARBITRATION COURT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16330, 20 January 1921, Page 2

ARBITRATION COURT.

THE NEW PRESIDENT. A PLOTXTMENT A PP ROVED. The appointment of Mr Francis Vernon Frazer M.A., L.L.8., to be president of the Arbitration Court, in succession to Mr Justice Stringer, is on the whole approved by Labour circles in Christchurch. Not that district trade unionists profess to know- much about Mr Frazer’s qualifications for the post, but they are glad the new president is to be free from Supreme Court ties.* This will, they think, greatly facilitate the Arbitration Court’s business, which must result to the greater benefit of both employer and employed. It is pointed out that although the Act states the Court should sit in the four chief centres at least once every throe months, that has not been done during the last year or two, the delays thus caused, to the hearing of claims or disputes giving occasion for irritation. For instance. Labour circles arc com plaining that although the Court's pronouncement regarding the, last wages bonus was made early in November, the .Arbitration Court will not meet in Christchurch again until March, the adjudication on claims for the new bonus being thus postponed for about five mouths- Some Labour leaders believe that the importance of the issues decided in the Arbitration Court is

such that the president should be the senior judge of the Supreme Court, nuil all agree that the presidency of the Arbitration Court should not be re-

garded as a mere stepping stone to the Supreme C ourt Bench. Although welcomed by Labour on personal grounds, the new president will commence his duties under one handicap, for it cannot be disguised that the Arbitration C-ourt, at the present- time, has lost popularity with many unionists. 'Tlie reduction of the last awarded wages bonus from 9s to 3s has aroused “intense dissatisfaction,” to quote one of the more moderate of Christchurch Labour leaders. Tlie intervention of the holidays between the reduction and the new year, has prevented most of the unions holding meetings to discuss the situation, but it is stated that the feeling among many unionists is to follow' the attitude of the Engineers’ Union, which recently resolved to cancel its registration. Other counsels may eventually prevail, but,. at, present, the disposition is as above-mentioned. The belief in some quarters that serious industrial disputes are probable in the Dominion liefore 1921 i* much older, is not, at pro-, sent, shared by most Labour leaders, in Christchurch at any rate, as it is anticipated that mutual goodw ill and com-mon-sense will prevail, and that differ-C-.cts of oi>iniou will be compromised.