Adjournment Of Hearing Of Wages Claim

Wanganui Chronicle, 21 December 1950, Page 4

Adjournment Of Hearing Of Wages Claim

WELLINGTON, Yesterday (P.A.).— Judge Tyndall in the Arbitration Court ♦oday adjourned the hearing of applications by the Federation of Labour and the Trades Union Congress for n genera’ wage increase until January 4. No agreement was reae'ied after the Court adjourned for an hour r.ud a quarter on the question whether the Court should resume on December 28 or give the -employers unt’l January 4 to prepare their case. The !T.U.C. adhered to its attitude of yesterday that the Court should oblige the employers to start their case o.i December 27 or 28. After the end of the T.U.C. case the advocates were given time to confer on question of the employers seeking the adjournment until January 4. On the resumption the Federation of Labour advocate (Mr. F. P. Walsh) said he was agreeable to the proposed adjournment, but Mr. A. B. Grant reiterated the T.U.C. objections. “The objector to Mr. Anderson’s application yesterday was Mr. Potter,” said His Honour, giving the court’s decision. “Today Mr Potter is not present, though he announced himself originally as the advocate for the T.U.C. and later as one of three advocates.” His Honour said that no explanation or apology for his absence had been tendered. It

appeared obvious that the T.U.C. treated the case very lightly. “Some of its announced advocates have absented themselves from time to time, and Mr. Potter, in particular, seems to have treated the hearing as an auxiliary sideshow,” said Mr. Jus-

tice Tyndall His Honour said the principal witness for the T.U.C. was not made available for sufficient time to enable His Honour to ask him ma'ny question on which he desired information. “The Court was asked to bow to the witness’ personal convenience,” he said.

On the other hand, representatives of the Federation of Labour ard the employers had bejn assiduous in their attendance and had twpted the Court v ith cv :y respect. After overruling the T.U.C. objection, His Honour went on to say that the Court was not going into recess meanwhile. The beginning of the case to suit the wishes and conveniences of the applicant parties had enforced on the Court—unnecessarily it would seem—the obligation to work during the normal holiday to deal with a number of reserved judgments in cases already heard at. Auckland that he had planned to dispose of before Christmas.