OTAGO EMPLOYERS' ASSOCIATION.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12933, 12 October 1907, Page 5

OTAGO EMPLOYERS' ASSOCIATION.

■ _4 -■ ANNUAL MEETING. (SFZCLU. TO '*TH« THKBS.") DUXEDIN, October 11. At the annual meeting of the Otago Employers AseocmUon to-day, the report etat*d th»t tho Association wan to-day th« largest, beet organised, and most rigorous association of employed that Otago had yet sewi. The Preeident, Mr J. C. Thomson, in his addrese, said he would confine his remarks to the Conciliation and Arbitration Act, The period which had elapsed eince the last annual *neefa«B hadbeen the most important in tlit history of the Act, because the Act had been put to the tc«t for the nrst time, and because the proposed amendment* now before Parliament constituted a remarkable departure from the methods of administration in rogue up to the present time. He had always affirme.i. end. still maintained, that the Act oould never faiai the purposes for which it was created. It was an Act that was to be used 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 demorahsinc of the workins; classes and the weakening of the friendly relations that should exist between omployens and employees. Af> they were aware, they had been repeatedly threatened with a general upheaval. Did anyone suggest that it would be possible for ono moment in that event to enforce the Act. He said emphatically No. Therefore, lie contended that an Act which could not be enforced absolutely, and which owed its existence polely to the long continued prosperity of the colony, should no longer cumber our Statute Book. It had boe-n a very, expensive experience, and stood condemned tie a failure. The principles of the Industrial Councils was good, but no dispute should go before them until after an abortive conference liad taken placo between un employer and his own employees. Hitherto few such conferences had taken place. The first intimation employers had received of a eo-callod dispute had not come from their apparently oontentod employees, but from the secretary of the Union. It was small wonder that such proceedings had been resented, and antagonism at once created. A striking and recent instance of this was the Canterbury Agricultural Labourers' dispute, in which over 7000 farmers were-cited before the Court, the first notice of the matter bein|£ the oitation. In the majority of districte there were no unions; the mon wore not consulted, and both men and employers were opposed to the proceed- l--ings. They had the extraordinary cane of en Act introduced for specific purposes, but diverted to entirely different purposes. He was of the opinion that the less they had of legislative interference with our industries and commerce the better. (Hear, hear.) The position reached to-day was that persistent efforts were made to prevent j'oung people from learning trades, and to prevent elderly men and those unable to claim first-class rank from earning a livelihood, to seriously reduce the efficiency of labour, to lower effort, to destroy ambition, to repel capital, and to widen the breach between capital and labour, instead of promoting their working in harmony. The widening of the breach was being steadily increased, and wan being accentuated by the tactics of the Labour party and the propaganda of the Political Labour League, and employers must see the necessity for ever-uioreated vigilance. Hitherto bodies like the Empiovere , Association end the Finnere , Unfoir had avoided politics, but it had become apparent that owing to the aggressiveness of-the ftooialist element, it wouJd be imperative to use every individual and combined political power to stem the further progress of the noisy, selfish and tawdry Socialism of the day.