SOCIALISM AND ARBITRATION.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 244, 12 October 1907, Page 7

SOCIALISM AND ARBITRATION.

OKi-GO EMPLOYEES' VIEW. (By Telegraph-—Press Association.) BEnScEDIX, Friday. The annual meeting of tlie Gtago Employers' Association was held this after- j coon, Mr. J. C Thomson (president) in the chair. 'The annual report contained the foUorwing:-—'"The one - enemy which| :tlifeataia..ilie : interests of the Dpininion generally, and employers ia- is' 'the growing socialism oi the Labour party. It is manifest that before long the independent socialistic Labour party, whose »"" '-wall be to exploit Parliament in the interests of one class to the exclusion of all others, trill have to he contended with. It therefore behoves employers to strengthen their organisations ajid to maintain their finances so "that they may be ready 'to meet all

emergencies." i The chairman's address dealt mainly | with the Arfartration Act, the speaker! contending that the Act could never fulfil the purposes for which it was created.) It was an Act tha* was to be used for intervention when a strike was imminent. They knew too well to their cost that it had never been used in that way, but in totally different directions, to the de-| moralising of the working classes and tbe weakening of the friendly relations that ; should exist between employers and employees. Ii bad been a very expensive experiment, and stood condemned &s a failure. The position reached to-day was that persistent efforts were made to prevent yonng people from learning trades and to "prevent elderly nren arid those unable to claim first-class rank from e_rning a livelihood, to seriously reduce the efficiency of labour, to lower effort, to destroy ambition, to repel e_pital, and to widen- tbe breach between capital and labour. -

Mr. J. C. Thomson was re-elected preside—— and Messrs. K. Chishohn and J. W. Henton reappointed vice-presidents. Messrs. H- Chii_olni, J. W. Henton, C- "W. Rattray, and J. C. Thomson were elected to the Federation lE—eeutive-