ARBITRATION BILL

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19149, 4 November 1927, Page 10

ARBITRATION BILL

EVIDENCE BEFORE COMMITTEE.

CONFLICTING VIEWS. (PRESS ASSOCIATION TELKGBAM.) WELLINGTON, November 3. The taking of evidence regarding the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act Amendment Bill before the Parliamentary- Labour Bills Committee was continued to-day. W. J. Poison, representing the Farmers' Union, said that while his organisation approved generally of the Bill, there were points it did not approve. It would prefer a judge alone, or three judges, preferably the latter. Assessors were invariably violently partisan,' subject to re-election every three yearß. It seemed that the principle of roplaciag men who did not give agreeable judgments at the end of their term was subversive of British justice. The Court already admitted the provision of experts when necessary, so that three judges would be a suitable arrangement. They were not seeking abolition of*preference to unionists, which he considered desirable, but if there were preference there should be no striking. He asked that preference should automatically cease where any union had committed a breach of the law. In disputes in which farmers were substantially concerned, they should be permitted ,to appear as a body at the Court. The shearing industry affected the farmers to only a trifling extent, as compared-, with the effect of all awards in which they were interested. The chairman: You condemn exemption of farmers' industry, including shearing and freezing fc^-Yes. Charles Henry Chapman, secretary of the Wellington Typographical Union, said he was instructed to ask for the withdrawal of the Bill on the ground that it would cause an industrial disturbance. Unions were opposed to the limitation of the choice of assessors, while there had been cases where it appeared that the Court had favoured one side more than the other, In the light of the evidence, weight of opinion in the Typographical Union was in favour of its retention in the present form. In regard to piecework, witness said he neither favoured it nor was against it, but, he did say it would only work well under collective bargaining, and that individual ' agreements would make trouble.

W. H. Nicholson, secretary of the New Zealand Sheepowners* Federation, said the Bill would only give partial relief, and did not go to the root of the matter, because indirect charges through the tost of production in the Dominion wero a bigger burden on the producer than any direct charges through awards of the Court, which might apply to factories, but not to the farm. The Court should be entirely independent of outside influence, and its judgments should be purely on the evidence. He believed the ctost of every article had increased because the Court had increased wages. The Court should be Abolished because it was, uneconomical. Last year, in spite of the cost of living having gone down, the Court increased shearers' wages at a time of depression. Asked if an industry that could not pay a. living wage should not cease to exist, witness said that could not be applied to a primary industry.

CHANGE UNDESIRABLE.

OPINION OF EMPLOYERS' FEDERATION., (rRHSS ABSOCIATIOX TELEGRAM,) WELLINGTON, November 3. Delegates from all sections of the New Zealand Employers' 7"'deration considered the Arbitration Amendment Act. It was agreed tl at .some form of arbitration was a necessary feature of collective bargaining. Success must depend upon the goodwill and loyalty" of both employers and workers to the system, and this could be secured only while both employers and workers had confidence in the system, n The present - arbitration system had won ie confidence of the majority of the employers and workers, and any amendment should bo designed to increase this confidence. It was essentia] that the utir-DSt care bo taken to avoid anything likely to endanger confidence, or anything in the nature of party, or class legislation should be absolutely ruled out.

The meeting examined most carefully the seven different new constitutions, but came to the unanimous conclusion that none was an improvement or even as good as the present constitution. The only alteration suggested is that the term of office of i. inated members be extended from three to five years. As to exemptions of industries, it was resolved: "That this meeting is strongly of the opinion that statutory exemption of certain industries is illogical,, and unsound in principle, and further, .that the present proposr-? are not in the best interests of the farming community, or of employers and workers generally." It was pointed out that it might lead to serious industrial trouble. It was also resolved in regard to the preference issue: "That inasmuch as the inclusion of preference in the award under the present statute is not compulsory, but wholly within th 6 discretion of the Court, this Federation is of the opinion that nothing in the present circumstances of New Zealand industries calls for any statutory action in this matter of preference, consequently the executive protests most strongly against that passage of the Bill which, however bona fide the intentions of its supporters, simply amounts to selling the farmer a pup."