HOW TO MAkE THE LAW EFFECTIVE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 159, 30 March 1908, Page 8

HOW TO MAkE THE LAW EFFECTIVE.

'' ( A SniPLE WAT OUT. v - .j..'(To the .Editor.^ . Sir.— I Tlio Government is at present face to faco with an exceedingly difficult problem, viz:, how/to compel a" Union registered under the Arbitration Act to respect decrees of > tho ■ Court Established • under said Act'. We are told that the Union of Blackball miners:Jias l refused to pay \the fine of, £75 imposed by tho Arbitration Court, and it is 'affirmed .that 1 tlio''only-course' now, open to; ."'the : Government,, under 'the. Act/ is to pro--■ceed 'against-the of said Union individually. If . theso m turn; refuse to pay, they, may be 'imprisoned.:: '■/' | Now; I:: in "common'-with' many othors, ['consider-''that imprisonment in .suoh cases' is worse;.than !"an ''absurdity'.: , It 1 - is absurd, because although you can imprison a few men, •you cannot; imprison < hundreds! _ 'It- is, worse 'thah'/,absurd,';becau'se..after, all it means imprisoning . men -Mr :rcfusmg to work under Conditions, which..rightly, or wrongly, they disapprove of.' 'This, to my.'mind, smacks 'top''strqngly; of;slavery. ' • About twelvo months ago" I suggested* in tho columns 'ofithe ."Otago Daily. Times" the following method by whicn tlio decr-eos of the Arbitration Court could: be enforced. Had; Mr. Millar's Bill ;of : last year, to establish Wages' Boards; not' been withdrawn, /I' tfoiild have endeavoured to give effect to my .views. The. koystono; of tlio'. arch on which the Arbitration Act rests, is Unionism. (If a. Union refuses to, comply with a . decree', of; tho Court;:then the. registration -of that Union sh6ald:b'e cancelled automatically; Any other Union'admitting -to its ranks even one member.'of-the .defunct Union should at.once" thoroby; become liablo for said decree, or,'in :.'default,Vihaye '.its;'registratibn ;also 1 cancelled.; If.'individna^s,without, /the consent; of < the Union>to;which.thev bolong (as in. the caso of. the■' refuse"* to -pay. finosijmppse'd^.by l ,the;,Arbitratiop ! Cptirtj then said individuals • should thereupon automati-. cally 1 cease, to bo .members .of their. Union. Nor could any other. Union- admit, them

.'into .its ranks ,without assuming the 'liability of; haying to;atonce-pay' said-fines.- Unionism,with all its-privileges of', preference, etc., should not-continue to bo granted to those .who decline,to-obey the dccrees of the Arbi-. tration-Court; i.: , ' : : :.- ■ . .''..lt .may..,be urged.'that: if..my suggestion! ;.'jfciye.ri; '.'it might'.'result: ,'in so many. Unions; electing to incur cancellation of registration, that tho Arbitration. Act would become inoperative:-vis-it'not-a fact that this Act is practically mopexativo at present? Perhaps .rt is moro correct/to' affirm l that the Act. is operative only in-a most mequit,ab|o mariner. Employers aro bound with' bands of.steel, whereas omplovees aro prac-' tically freo to,'do what ithey/please. 1 ' ; 'I' : ,;am< ■..confident'that :I.i have not: overestimated, the':; importance; of' Unionists j ',asi aibody'! are intelligent men,: and : value - too highly;, the' benefits the 'Arbitration Act has conferred ;on' them; to -voluntarily and "lightly: place' themselves beyond tho palci ' , • - fraser, m.p. Mjirch 28; 1908.'" v*