COMPETITION BY IMPORTS

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22430, 17 June 1938, Page 10

COMPETITION BY IMPORTS

arbitration court DECISION GRANTING OF INCREASED WAGES “MATTER FOR LEGISLATURE TO DEAL WITH” Evidence of employers’ difficulties through overseas competition does not justify the withholding of wage increases, according to a majority decision of the Second Court of Arbitration in the New Zealand Clothing Trades Employees’ dispute. His Honour Mr Justice Hunter makes this clear in a memorandum attached to the judgment in the dapute. The dissent of the employs* representative (Mr V. Duff) from this opinion is also attached.

The decision is that overseas competition is a matter for Parliament rather than for the Court, to eon* sider. It is worded as follows: “We have given careful consider., ation to the evidence called by the employers to show that the mdushy is in an unsatisfactory trading condition due mainly to competition from overseas, and a majority of the Court has come to the conduskai that the Court would not be justifled in withholding the wage increases mentioned above, for the reason that competition from overseas, which is assisted by the payment of lower wages than those ram. rent in New Zealand, is a matter for the Legislature rather than for tie Court to deal with.”