COMPARATIVE SUMMARY OF LEGISLATION.

The following statement shows in a summary and comparative form the status of existing legislation relative to strikes and the maintenance of industrial peace on the railways and in other publicutility service of the leading commercial nations of the world. A comparison is made of the following features of such legislation:1 (1) Conditions under which lockouts or strikes are prohibited. (2) Penalties for the enforcement of antistrike legislation. (3) Legal machinery for the adjustment of disputes.

(4) Private or semiofficial machinery for the adjustment of disputes.

Any unusual or striking features of existing legislation or any important facts relative to the administration of the laws are referred to in the last column of the tabular statement. The countries for which information is shown are arranged in alphabetical order.

1 A more detailed account of legislation by countries will be found in succeeding sections of the report.

Antistrike and industrial conciliation legislation relative to public utilities, by countries.

Legal machinery for the adjustment of disputes.

Conditions under which lockouts
and strikes are prohibited or are
illegal.

Penalties for enforcement of antistrike legislation.

Remarks.

Commonwealth of Australia.. Court of conciliation and arbitra

New South Wales.

tion, consisting of a president,
who is a member of the Federaĺ
supreme court, and judges of the
Federal or a State supreme court,
appointed by the president as his
deputies. Provision is also
made for conciliation committees
of equal numbers of employers
and employees; assessors repre-
senting the parties appointed by
the court to advise it and local
industrial boards, equally repre-
sentative of workers and em-
ployers, presided over by a
judge of the supreme court of the
Commonwealth

or supreme
courts of the States. The pro-
cedure is varied. The president
of the court may summon par-
ties to a dispute and by confer-
ence aim to reach an amicable
settlement; or there may be an
investigation as the basis of an
amicable settlement; or tem-
porary reference of a matter to a
conciliation committee or local
industrial board; all amicable
settlements have the force of a
formal award.

In New South Wales the law is
similar to that of the Common-
wealth and of Queensland in
that there are both an industrial
court (which is a superior court
and a court of record) and indus-
trial boards for groups of indus-
tries or callings, awards by the
latter being subject to amend-
ment, variation, or rescission by
the court.

The initiation or continuance of
any strike or lockout by any
organization or person is pro-
hibited.

Strikes and lockouts of all kinds
are prohibited. An injunction
may be issued by the industrial
court.

Penalty of £1,000 against any per-
son or organization responsible
for a strike or lockout.

Employer liable to a fine of
£1,000; worker liable to a fine of
£50, which is a charge on his
wages. If striker was member
of a union, it may be held liable
for not exceeding £20 of the
penalty. Penalty on union for
aiding or instigating strike is
£1,000.

(a) A court ofarbitration, consisting [(a) Under the industrial conciliation

In the case of public utilities,
strikes and lockouts are illegal
unless a conference has been held
before an industrial judge and
proved abortive and unless 14
days' notice has been given after
termination of conference and a
secret ballot has been taken. In
all other cases, 14 days' notice
must be given and a secret ballot
taken.

(a) Employer liable to £500 fine and
employee to £10. In the case of
public utilities the penalty to the
worker is £25. For encouraging
or instigating a strike or lockout
the scale of fines is: Worker,
£10; employer or union, £200.
The wages of workers may be
attached for fines.

(b) Penalty for striking or locking
out before notice is given or be-
fore expiration of 7 days from the
secret ballot, £10 to a worker and
£500 to employer. Wages of
worker may be attached.

(b) At any time during the progress'
of a strike, 5 per cent of the work-
ers concerned may demand a
secret ballot on any question re-
lating to the strike.

Name of country.

Antistrike and industrial conciliation legislation relative to public utilities, by countries-Continued.

Strikes and lockouts on public Union may be dissolved and funds Before forming a union, the organutilities are prohibited.

and property seized.

ization must notify the Government authorities and send them a copy of the constitution and