N.Z. INDUSTRIAL SYSTEM

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26517, 4 September 1951, Page 8

N.Z. INDUSTRIAL SYSTEM

OVERHAUL ADVOCATED An overhaul of New Zealand's industrial system so that workers and employers might work out their problems together was advocated by Mr W. Rosenberg, a lecturer in economics at Canterbury University College, in an address to the Christchurch Accountant Students’ Society last evening. Unless the Arbitration Court gave way to" some such system, Mr Rosenberg said, he believed there would be continuing discontent among the economic groups and that a form of police state might develop in New Zealand. He said that at present the State set itself up and over the two parties and sought to dictate to them. This system could only lead to trouble and inefficiency. The Judge in the Arbitration Court, he said, was in no way bound by the weight of evidence of the parties and he ought or might not follow the policy of the Government of the day. He in fact legislated. In England, Norway, Sweden, and the United States of America the two parties got together, but here it was thought that the State must do this job. Asked by a questioner what would be his solution to a dispute where the parties could not come to an agreement. Mr Rosenberg replied: “A strike: there is nothing wrong with a strike.’’ He added that between 1944 and 1948 there were 634 industrial disputes in New Zealand, causing a loss of £BOO,OOO. In the same time industrial accidents caused losses amounting to between £3,000,000 and £4,000,000. The cost of a strike, be said, was largely recouped by increased effort afterwards. The workers had to find out ho-v far they could go. Freezing workers had gone on strike on some occasions, but they had a record of having the highest output in the world for their industry. Mr Rosenberg said people had to get out of their minds that all strikes were a tragedy. They only became a tragedy when, in the case of the waterfront dispute, the Government interfered and 4rhat might have cost the country £150,000 cost the country many millions.