ARBITRATION.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 102, 1 May 1936, Page 8

ARBITRATION.

debate continued.

" INLAID WITH DYNAMITE."

PROTECTION OF CONTRACTS,

(By Telegraph.— Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Thursday.

The afternoon sitting of the House of Representatives was again devoted to day to the debate on the second reading of "the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Bill. Maiden speeches were made by Mr. IT. E. Heiring (Government, Mid-Canterbury) and R. Petrie (Government, Hauraki). Mr. Herring provided a bright spot in the proceedings and amused the House and the galleries by his refreshing stylo Ho caused many outbursts of laugntei and was given an extension of time. Making his maiden speech, Jlr. I'j- J- ■ Meachen (Government, Wairau) drew attention to the difficulties that hau been made for workers who were paying off their homes owing to the reduction of wages brought about by the action of tho last Government. Many of them were unable to meet the payments as they fell due, lie said, an" met with j severe hardships as a result. it was the desire of the people to get back to the standard of living that obtained prior to tho so-called depression. The policy of the Government that had gone out of ollice at the last election had helped to fill the mental hospitals. Parents were unable to give their children dental treatment and that was affecting their health. He knew of numerous cases also where the parents could not afford to have their children's eyes attended to. It had been said that unionism was to be made to control the individual, continued Mr. Meachen. He could not see anything wrong with that. The Government was anxious to get everybody back 011 the job. Union Officials.

The contention that the bill was | "inlaid with dynamite" was made by ] Mr. W. .J. Broadfoot (National, WaiJtomo), who said that written into It were the rabid desires of the trade union officials. The country, he said, was greatly in need of men who had the initiative and courage to start new industries, and carry them on, and these were the type of beings wTio were to be eliminated from the social structure. "The pressure from the trades union has been great in the past," said Mr. Broadfoot, "but now that their desires are written into the bill the pressure will be greater still. It is a case of the tiger tasting blood and wanting more blood. "With the power that is in the bill, the virtual control of industry will pass from the leaders of industry to trade union officials." ilr. R. A. Wright (Independent, Wellington Suburbs): The union bosses. Mr. Broadfoot: Yes, the union bosses. J hat will not be to the interests of anyone in this country. Union bosses have ne\er shown themselves capable of running businesses. I suggest that the members of trades unions should put in a pound or two each and take over some difficult industry, say, the coal industry, and show the people they can do the' job. If they can do that *we will have a great deal of confidence."

Mr. Broadfoot declared that the bill under mined the present social system. Private Industry. He went on to say that the bill was a step towards the elimination of private industry. There would be lack of incentive to make profits, because they would go to the employee, and nothing much would be left for the employer and shareholder, and these were the people who found the capital, took the risk, and in most cases found the brains. It was class legislation, and the greatest economic gamble tried in New Zealand.

Mr. J. A. Leo: G-a-m-b-o-1 ?

Mr. Broadfoot: I know the hon. gentleman is suffering greatly at bavins; to keep silent.

Mr. Lee: It is harder to listen. Mi\ Broadfoot: Some people never like to swallow facts.

Referring to the basic wage, Mr. Bi oadfoot said that there was no provision for protection of contracts, and a contract that was a payable one might become one entailing heavy loss to the contractor, who was entitled to some protection. The Court also was to fix the basic wage in three months. In Australia they worked at it for ,18 months and brought down a report, and that did not cover wages for adult female workers. The Court would have to guess at something in the nature of a basic wage.

Mr. Broadfoot pointed out that it | would not affect Government employees, land said that this represented unfair discrimination between the Government and private employers. Was it another little way of quickly extinguishing private industry ? He criticised the provisions relating to trades unions, and said that they would become close corporations.

Mr. J. Hargest (National, Invercargill) said the effect of the bill would be to placc industry almost entirely in the hands of the trades union movement. He knew that the Opposition could not stop the bill going through, but it could register its protest, and it intended to do so. They intended to fight the bill clause by clause. New Spirit of Humanity. Mr. C. R. Petrie (Government, Hauraki) said' that the bill proposed to retrace the steps of the last Government and to introduce the new spirit of humanity into the community. Th-j bill was not only setting up machinery to deal with disputes, but was also removing some of the causes of industrial unrest. The Opposition still clung •to the age-old fallacy that the standard of living was dependent upon overseas conditions and its attitude to the bill could be traced to social conditions that ■ had been handed down from the days of semi-barbarism.

Mr. Petrie reminded the Opposition that his presence in the House was due to the fact that people realised that the last Government's strangling of industry was forcing primary producers into bankruptcy, traders into difficulties and workers into a permanent state of idleness, with, consequent misery. It was not the object of the bill to destroy private enterprise, but employers were asked to co-operate in putting into operation a policy that would benefit industry and at the same time improve the conditions of the workers.

The fears of th» Opposition that the fixing of the basic wage and the shortening of hours of work would increase the cost of living were referred to bv Mr. Pet 17c as all moonshine. He believed that so long as New Zealand concentrated on the production of wealth for consumption by the people the standard of living of the people could bo independent of the London market. 1