ARBITRATION COURT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 257, 29 October 1937, Page 9

ARBITRATION COURT

PRESSURE OF WORK PLAN FOR RELIEF WELLINGON, Oct. 28. A statement that legislation is in course of preparation to relieve the situation caused by the pressure of work in. the Arbitration Court was made by the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage to-day. If the Court could not possibly do the work that had accumulated the Government would have to face up to the responsibility of providing additional machinery to do the job, he said. There was a Bill on the stocks to deal with the situation, and they should have it introduced within a week. The?e were two alternatives. One was another Court and the other the appointment of industrial magistrates, who would relieve the Court of a lot of small matters. There had been no decision yet. WORKER’S ALLEGATION THIS “FREE” COUNTRY [ Per Press Association. ] AUCKLAND, Oct. 28. “Scandalous,” commented Mr. Monteith, a member of the Arbitration Court to-day, when a witness gave evidence that he had been victimised by his employers because of his union activities. Witness said that he was employed by the New Zealand Shipping Co., and had been told that if he did not sign a letter stating that he and others did not favour union membership he would be asked to hand in his resignation. Witness had signed the letter under protest. He had also been offered a rise in salary if he would resign from the union, and had refused. When Mr. Monteith made the comment, Mr. H. Bishop, Wellington, representing the employers cited, remarked: “This is not proved.” Mr. Monteith replied: “We have a sworn statement. It looks pretty good so far. I thought this was a free country.” Mr. Prime and other members of the Court rejoined: “No one thinks that now.”