§ Miss WILKINSONasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that in the first Civil Service dispute referred to the Industrial Court, that in which improved scales were claimed for the writing assistants' grade, the President 1718W exercised for the first time in the history of the court the powers of an umpire owing to the panel hearing the case being unable to agree upon an award; and whether he will consider asking the court to go further into the claims for an improved scale and, if necessary, calling for further evidence from both parties to the dispute, with a view to reaching an agreed award?
§ Mr. BETTERTONI have been asked to reply. The facts are as stated in the-first part of the question. The President's decision was given under Section 3 (4) of the Industrial Courts Act, 1919. The award has been made, and it is not possible to adopt the course suggested in the second part of the question.