INDUSTRIAL CONCILIATION.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 159, 7 July 1899, Page 2

INDUSTRIAL CONCILIATION.

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —As the Conciliation Board has become a permanent institution, I would with your permission point out the serious effect* its decisions will have on our foreign trade. Every trade which itpf.t-als to it is ordered a ris'i of wages, that «s a greater share of tbc produce of the whole labour of the community ani a correspondingly less share to tlscs-e workers who do not appeal to it, J. should say the whole workers of the comunity, town and country, will in self defence be obliged to appeal to it, and as our farm labourers are said to be the worst paid the Board will be expected to order a greater rise than others. We shall then require a half million additional money to pay these wages and to buy and sell the commodities whi^h thfy produce.

ThougD all foreign trade is practically barter, it is done on a money basis, so when cvi sawmill, farm, and other labourers wages are advanced the produce of their labour, must be offered to foreign purchasers at a lik« advance; thus in wool, meat, butter, wheat, timber, etc., we shall not be so well able to compete with other countries, and this injury is to be done to our trade to gratify the folly of the ignorant, who ere pleased to 'handle a little more irohey though its purchasing power will only be thfi same as the smaller quantity.—l am, etc i "' JOHN JOHNSON.