H.—ll

16

days; the Otago and Southland cheese-factory managers, a month's holiday; Christchurch newspaper reporters, two weeks' holiday : Wellington Fire Brigade, two weeks' holiday; and Invercargill tramways, from eighi to twelve days' holiday (on full pay). The institution of annual holidays upon completion of twelve months' service should be an incentive to regularity of employment. A departure from the usual preference clauses of awards was made in the Otago-Southland Metal-workers' Assistants' award, wherein it is provided that it shall be sufficient compliance with the preference olause in the Boilermakers and Iron-ship Builders' award if the machinists engaged as workmen under such award are members of the Metal-workers' Assistants' Union. A somewhat curious position was disclosed when the Invercargill and Oamaru Performing Musicians' award was made. It appears that a union, registered in Dunedin, included in its membership a number of workers in [nvercargill, and upon its application an award was made covering Invercargill. Prior to the making of this award a separate union of other musicians was formed in Invercargill and registered, and the members of this union had entered into an " industrial agreement " with their particular employers (in Invercargill). The result is that there is an award and an industrial agreement both in force in one town affecting different sets of employers and workers and fixing different rates of wages. In a memorandum to the award the Court stated that there seemed to be a desire amongst the workers belonging to the Invercargill union to have their rates regulated by an industrial agreement, and the Court held that there is no valid reason for not giving effect to that desire. It would appear that these latter workers are engaged for only a portion of their time in the performance of music, while those coming under the award were mostly engaged the whole of their time. New Legislation. During the last session of Parliament the following measures were introduced : — The In<1 us! nal Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Act, 1918. This measure rectified an error in the 1911 amendment to the Act as disclosed by a judgment (.f the Court of Arbitration. The amendment, though small, was an important one in that it affirmed the principle already laid down in the older Act respecting recommendations of the Conciliation Boards —viz., that a recommendation of a Conciliation Board or Council set up for the hearing of a dispute should not have the wide scope of an award, for the reason that. although none of the parlies to the dispute may have disagreed with the recommendation, the parties do not necessarily comprise the whole of the employers and workers engaged in the industry in the district, and might in fact consist of only a few of them. Such a recommendation therefore becomes binding on the parties concerned in the same manner as an " industrial agreement " of the parties thereto. If in lieu thereof any party to the dispute desires that an award lie made lie can refei it in the ordinary way to the Arbitration Court for the purpose. The Labour Disputes Investigation Act, 1913. This Act is an important one inasmuch as it provides machinery for the investigation of all industrial disputes not coming within the scope of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act. The latter Act, first passed in 1891. had enabled workers in almost any calling to invoke its aid in the settlement of disputes with the employers, and until some seven years ago the Act had proved sufficient to ensure industrial peace. Dissatisfaction amongst the workers in certain occupations caused them to withdraw from the protection of the Act, with the result that, as is well enough known, quite a number of strikes, some of considerable magnitude, have taken place. Although frequently spoken of as a compulsory arbitration system, the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act had never imposed compulsion upon the workers, and when a number of large unions withdrew from its scope it was deemed necessary by the Government to consider whether some additional machinery should not be provided by which the disputes in which these unions are concerned would be investigated. This inquiry resulted in the passing of the Labour Disputes Investigation Act, which was first introduced as Part VI of a consolidated Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Bill. Owing in pressure of time the latter measure was held over, and Part VI was passed as a separate Acr under the above-mentioned title. This Act differs from the Canadian Industrial Disputes Investigation Act thus— (1.) It applies to all trades (not only to public utilities): (2.) It provides for more elasticity in the constitution of tribunals for the investigation of disputes (although Canada is a vast country it provides for only one class of Board, comprising one representative of each side with an independent chairman) :