THE ARBITRATION COURT.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20045, 29 September 1930, Page 13

THE ARBITRATION COURT.

(TO THE JSDITOB Of THE SUBS Sir,—ln the r.eport of the deputation ; that interviewed the Minister for ; Labour and the Acting-Prime Minister on the subject oJ! workers' wages, the | Acting-Prime Minister is reported as r , saying that "wages are by no means the k most serious handicap with which, the producers are faced." Certainly, it is V-, a. most, serious handicap to ,have .an pi -; effet. Government to face the situation. To tell us that other countries are in R * •worse plight is no answer to the sound §p '■ arguments'of the deputation. The Arbi||v.'. (ration Court could continue granting increases of wages when the Dominion's K exports were of sufficient value to meet frf \i demands. But awards are largely reef sponsible for the ever-increasing num--5 " bers of unemployed. There was a time » when the Court declared: "If an indusI? try could not pay the cost of 1 living r f. wage, as declared by the Court, it had * better go out of business." I happen to P . know that high costs and poor returns raf 5"" haveput many capable farmers off their [>;* farms, and it is no secret that many ;• farmers are now kept on their farms on ' sufferance. Yet the present Party in office ara making further demands upon '$ their scanty resources. I have previi ously that the Arbitration Court « ' is uneconomic, in so far as it is ' a class J' institution. It now finds it cannot go %' on as usual, because the money or credit L supply is not at hand to pay out, just | as the Lake Coleridge supply is short 1 > to meet the demand. Economy of light 1 ; and power is forced upon I. * o ar export values continue to decease, ■II; Tiqminion retwnchment sooner or later Hp will be forced upon us. A short time ji 8 8°» w ken education was befyg discussed ■jft in .the House, the Leader of the Labour iyr party was reported to have said, "Hands 1 off the Education Department." Of ■course the ordinary man takes that as gesture for votes. The price level to the primary producers is now practically down to the 1914 level. - It is time the 'country awoke to the fact that "Hands the farmers" is a wiser policy than increasing the burdens of taxation, Irhieh ultimately., fall; upon. him.. Vic[iiupation is a mild term to express the tinner's standing among those ,poli-: foana Vho count heads and pocket rmdples in these Says of degenerate jgmocracy. —Yours, etc., j i> f September 27th, 1930.