INDUSTRIAL PEACE.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 52, 2 March 1929, Page 13

INDUSTRIAL PEACE.

IS IT POSSIBLE IN AUSTRALIA? CORFEBEXOE APPEARS ABORTIVE. (General hold-up threatened. (From Our Own Correspondent.) ? SYDNEY, February 22. • Though It started out under the best of auspices, and with the unspoken prayerp of Australia that it should prove of great value in promoting industrial peace, the Sydney sessions of the Industrial Peace Conference have been most •tormy, and there seems now little likelihood of any permanent good arising out of what seemed a brilliant idea. An •arly collapse of the whole affair seemed imminent on Tuesday, when three of the nineteen employees' delegates withdrew, two of them being Victorians. Mr. N. Jeffery, Communist delegate from the New South Wales Labour Council, intimated that he would withdraw as soon as the conference opened. He attempted to make an explanation of aw reasons, but. was prevented by the chairman. As he rose and left the hall obviously looking on his withdrawal as a "dramatice gesture, he was cheered from ithe galleries by a crowd of unemployed, who demonstrated to such purpose that the chairman announced he would have the galleries cleared if there were any further interruptions from that quarter. Mr. James McDougall, leader of the Employers' delegation, indicated that the conference would not get far unless they determined tof maintain the atmosphere of mutual goodwill and tolerance which characterised the whole of the first session. He was au+horised publicly to pledge every member of the employers' delegation to a policy of patience and reason. He made a spcech along those lines, and at its conclusion pandemonium broke loose in the gallerv, where one of 90 men attempted to make a speech on industrial peace, to the accompaniment of catcalls and other interruptions by his fellow's. The outcome ®f the interruption was the removal of the offenders; but not before they had delivered insulting remarks to the delegates. Mr. W. J. Duggan, leader of the employees, asked the conference not to judge the men too harshly for their demonstration which simply indicated the ffame of mind to which the men were likely to be reduced by adverse economic circumstances. It was, after all, to discover the underlying cause which had produced that effect that the conference brought into existence. He drew attention to the grave problems in industry deeiring immediate and practicable solution. Subsequently the conference sat in camera, and the proceedings were quiet enough until on Wednesday about 50 militant women stormed the Town Hall, rushed past the attendants, and, filling one section of the gallery, sang ' Solidarity for Ever!" before they Were ejected. It required the presence of Eolice to finally send them outside the all, and' their intervention did nothing to assist the deliberations, for it was recognised that they were mainly wives •f the striking timber workers.

, Uncompromising Demands. . The strike of the timber workers, and the impasse in the coal industry, have done much to spoil the conference, and •n indication of the way in which it would finish was given on Wednesday night'when the employees' delegates delivered uncompromising demands for the settlement of the timber workers' dispute; the withdrawal of notices of dismissal to approximately 12,000 miners; the removal of free labour from the wharves; the repeal of certain Federal legislation, and the release of Jacob Johnaon, who is at present incarcerated in Long Bay Gaol for an offence under the new Federal Acts. The employers withdrew, intimating that they would spend the night considering their reply to the demands. These they made on Thursday, and their action produced a definite deadlock which threatens to prove the conference abortive altogether. Their reply substantially rejected the various demands submitted. Their view that the matters submitted were extraneous, and not wholly within the province of the conference. Mr, McDougall's opening speech epitomised the employers' viewpoint when be said that delegates must very definitely counter the tendency in many directions to saddle the conference with responsibility for the accumulated legislative and industrial mistakes. Conference, he said, should not be placed in jeopardy by 'misconception and inaccurate interpretations of its part in, or influence on, current industrial and political happenings. "While the conference has been proceeding, timber companies have been working with free labourers, and no fewer than seven of these have been attacked by union pickets while they have been travelling home from their work. Two of them Were so badly beaten at Parraipatta on Thursday that they had to be taken to hospital for treatment. The Prime Minister had, at latest advices, taken a more active interest in the coal situation, and invited representatives of the owners, miners, and State Government to meet him on Monday to discuss - a new coal plan. The proposal is for an immediate reduction of 5/ a ton in the price of cosl, miners' wages and owners' profits to be cut in accordance with the scheme propounded by the State Premier Mr. Bavin. Simultaneously, a joint Federal and State Royal Commission will probe the coal industry from The whole industrial situation in Australia just now is fraught with the cravest consequences. There is threat ot » oeneral strike, several sectional strikes, which threaten to spread at any time, are locking up industry on all sides, and unless i something can be done to clarify the position otice and for all immediately, trade losses will be tremendous markets will be lo=t for ever, and the Commonwealth delivered a staggering blow from which it will take.many years to recover.