THE. .PREMIER AND THE ARBITRATION ACT.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 192, 8 May 1908, Page 4

THE. .PREMIER AND THE ARBITRATION ACT.

Sir; —In'"leading' a report of one of the. Premier's ' speeches ' I , gather- that ..he, has . niado 'the discovery'' that'it '.brought every man- wh'p-'ivas working'for'a living .uiider • an award to' a 'dead ]evel.". ;, ;'Eyery intelligent observer in the country knew this from' tho . beginning, evory 'employer ! of' labour from, end t-o end of' New Zealand has'liad the fact' forced': upon ' him '.bjr tho'v'operation of that' stupid miscalled'law.' ' ; . , Its ' preamble should Ihavo : stated,- that' it was. ",'aoi Act" to -eiicourage trade' unions, to. iiianufacbui'o industrial disputes., by. legal' process/ to' create';and' aggravate' ill-feeling between; parties, to'; the dispute, .and, finally to tyrannise over all employers."' . Its' thirteen years', working': would most 'certainly' have- justified such ; title.,; Of oourse, I feel that l'. ought to compliment; tho Premier onmaking his' discovery,: belated, though it" be. Then' : we are told " tlidt the law. required amending; : and I '' improving.".. Has not tho great Liberal' party" -been botching: and tinkering and amending the Act 'ever'■ since, 1894 ? Did not tho late 'Premier boast of two- Acts especially', tho Lands for Settlement Act and ' the .Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, as being triumphs, of legislative wisdom, the vary acme of statesmanship ? The former has been knocked on the head -by his own following, tho latter has been, condemned' by all ana by none 'more -than by .the very- unions for whoso benefit it ;was ostensibly passed. - . But, Sir,'l have a-shrewd suspicion that its ulterior object was political, to muster the labour crowd into the. Seddon ' fold. Prior' to the passing of that enactment strikes' wore fewer than since its' inception: The . Maritime strike, engineered; so skilfully by a. certain J. A. Millar, would not have been , felt but for" his careful nursing/ As for lock-outs, I don't even remember such a thing, consequently no law \yas requisite or jiec&ssary to' meet a cafes' that .practically had .no existence. , . Clearly, it was a- make-weight, a- mere pretence to. deal'with'a class'of persons who between 1894- and tho Greek Kalends or tho crack of doom might be guilty of such offence. But hero J would ask, has not any British subject a perfectly constitutional right.'to discontinue the business in which ' he is engaged if lie finds this precious conciliation too aggravating for endurance? No British ■ law will find- him ov.orstcpping the bounds of British liberty in so ascertaining his right. In- making that statement I feel sure that I am nearer the truth than was .tho Attorney-General whon lie astonished the world with his .high legal opinion "that a strike/vm not continuous.'' As won as the strikers resume work it is certainly at an end, but not as Dr. Findlay ■pould luive us believe: that as scoii ns strikers have .made their protest, bowled their last' bowl, laid down. their last used tool, it is all oyer. That flimsy contention could only bo, misleading, because if tho striko were at an'end tliero could be no aiding or abetting of .'a matter' that" had ceased to'ho —a shallow, excuse for not proiooding against', all' thb tniAsßVcssing' unions just "prior .toVtho' general election. . This quibble was eagerly soiled upoii by tho Minister for Labour to' justify his inaction. If tho opinions of those, worthier were sent abroad to the world ' it, .would soon bo evident with what little. jvisdom Now Zealand is governed. Thanks be, wo liavo one straight, cloor-headod ma.n—Mr, -Slierrot't— ivhoso opinion on thia question will meet

s with almost universal acceptance, just as 1 t-ho opinions of those political legal lumi- ] liwies will meet with almost universal t condemnation. I If ono' may judge public opinion by ini dividual and collective expressions, the Ars bitration Act is simply a nullity, or its x authors ami supporters, as well as-adminis--0 trators, arq nonentities. As to tho Ijiboral party "amending and improving,", the country can do very well without any n amendments from such a source. Their past - effortsaro conspicuous failures, more a, proof s of legislative insanity than otherwise. ■It may be, however, that such may bo allowed - by an all wise Providence, just to fill up t their measure of-iniquity. You 'know tho t, old saying, "That whom God.wishes tn de--1 stroy He first makes mad." It would be very much better to repeal tho whole thing and then endeavour to learn from countries where industrial concerns are -.(successfully carried on, adopting such means as are suit- - abk> to our circumstances, and for ever f abandoning tho pretence of leading the f world, which won't follow; as well as the i farce of " a working-man's paradise," Mr. . Greenhough put tho interrogation—" or a f fool's, which?" Tho latter would certainly j bo the verdict of al.l intelligent observers. . It certainly/was tho expressed opinion of , ono English manufacturer whom tho .writer 5 invited to start business in New Zealand; ; his reply was, "A man Would bo mad t-o l bring a largo'capital'and an extensive-plant ) to New /Zealand) and be at the mercy of f three men • who knew absolutely nothing' . about the trade. But," ho added, " keep on j. '.vour fooling, you can never becomo a nianu- < facturing country under such circumstances, . bnt while you are fooling wo can supply you with all that you want, and can pay for." That man knew his 'business, tlTc, authors of tho Arbitration, Acts did not.—l am, etc., .• ' 'agricola. '-'May 6, 1908. . .