CO129-626-3 Labour Department- report to Labour Commissioner 1-3-1951 - 30-6-1952 — Page 142

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APPENDIX 5

131

COURTS OF INQUIRY.

1(1) Where any trade dispute exists or is apprehended,

the Commissioner of Labour may inquire into the causes and circumstances of the dispute and, if he thinks fit, report thereon to the Governor.

(2)

2(1)

(2)

The Governor may thereupon, in his discretion, by notification in the Gazette, appoint a Court of Inquiry for such dispute and may refer to such Court any matter appearing to him to be connected with or relevant to the dispute, and the Court shall either in public or in private, at its discretion, inquire into any matter so referred and report thereon to the Governor.

A Court of Inquiry shall consist of a Chairman and such other persons as the Governor thinks fit to appoint, or may, if the Governor thinks fit, consist of one person appointed by the Governor.

A Court of Inquiry constituted by three or more persons may act notwithstanding any vacancy in their number.

(3) The Governor in Council may make rules

(4)

regulating the procedure of any Court of Inquiry including rules as to the summoning and payment of witnesses, quorum, and the appointment of committees and enabling the Court to call for such documents as the Court may determine to be relevant to the subject matter of the inquiry.

A Court of Inquiry may, if and to such extent as may be authorised by rules made under this section, by order require any person who appears to the Court to have any knowledge of the subject matter of the inquiry to furnish,

in writing or otherwise, such particulars in relation thereto as the Court may require, and, where necessary, to attend before the Court and give evidence on affirmation.

Inquiry

into trade disputes.

Constitu- tion and procedure

of Court of Inquiry.

to

3(1)

,

A Court of Inquiry may if it thinks fit, make interim reports.

Reports

(2)

(3)

Any report of a Court of Inquiry, and any minority report, shall be laid as soon as may be before the Legislative Council.

The Governor may, whether before or after any such

report has been laid before the Legislative Council, publish or cause to be published from time to time, in such manner as he thinks fit, information obtained or conclusions arrived ɛ t by the Court as the result or in the course of their inquiry:

any

Provided that there shall not be included in any report or publication made or authorised by the Court or the Governor any information obtained by the Court in the case of their inquiry as to any trade union or as to any individual business (whether carried on by a person, firm or company) which is not available otherwise than through