ARBITRATION COURT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1611, 25 November 1905, Page 2

ARBITRATION COURT.

(Per Press Association.) Dunedin, last night. Judge ChapmaD, writing at the end qf October as to the business of the Arbitration Court, says the oases then pending numbered 130, representing two or three weeks’ work,' computiog the time they will presumably oooupy. The number of these I oases may bo fairly expected to diminish in the future. Compensation eases have not proved more fornrdable than last year. More than three-fourths of these were settled before hearing. His Honor proposes to make suggestions to the Government for relieving the Court of this class of case. Original disputes number I 47, against 54. He doss not regard the number with uneasiness, as on examine-

' I lion several were found to be duplicated. An aspect of the position oaueing disappointment is the unexpectedly large numbers of applications brought forward since last year. Very few of these are new I oases, bat this year happens to be that in which many awards run out, and altered I conditions are sought. There are reasonI able grounds for the anticipation that the lieta will be reduced next year. In 90 per cent, of pending applications are awards in existence, which continue in operation by force of Act. It may be taken for granted that half of the applicants filed from time to time are now settled by industrial agreement, while more than half the I awards were the result of industrial agreeI meats where the parties prefer to have them expressed as awards The Judge I thiDks the production of an industrial [ agreement is the m>t desirable ending that an industrial dispute can have Experience shows that a mo lerate interval between 61iDg and he-ring tends to pioduce rather than to retard tbe production of suoh agreement.

PalmerstoD night. Jutge Chapman, presideut.of the Arbitration Court, dismissed the appeal of R, Eason Bryant, claim for compensation for injury sustained to his eye while employed by W. B. Pearoe, a farmer. The appeal was on a qurs'ion of law from tbe decision of Mr A. D. Thomson, S.M. The Court decided that the question of law had nut been really ra s ri, i.nt if so the magistrate bad not erred. Costs; £7 7s, and disbursement were allow el. The Court is at present engaged in the drivers’ dispute. The employers objeot to the demands of the Union as regards hours, wages, preference to unionists, and holidays on Labor Day and Priooe of Wa’cs' Birthday. .U