ARBITRATION ACT.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 263, 30 July 1908, Page 6

ARBITRATION ACT.

DISCUSSED BY FARMERS' UNIO . REPEAL DEMANDED. NO COMPROMISE. s The Conference .of the New Zealand Farmers' Union yesterday condemned to death the arbitration laws "of Now Zealand. Mr. D. Jones (North Canterbury) moved a Wellington remit:— . "That in view of the failure of the Conciliation and Arbitration' Acts to prevent ' strikes, and the unfair aud weak man- • ner in .which they are administered, it would bo in tlio best interests of every- ■ body concerned if these Acts were re- •" pealed or amended.' Mr. Jones asked leiwe to omit the last two words, and this was agreed to. He said tho arbitration laws as they/ now existed could never bo of any hoiiofit to the country. They were an heroic attempt at.the impossible, arid succeeded for a. timo Mcause the workers had up to a certain stage obtained concessiouß from tiie Courts.; The' Act instead of settling disputes had created, them. It was simply : a regulator of hours,, wages, .and conditions of labour; a sort of machine for State regulation of labour. The Government declared they would no longer imprison for breach of tha, Act, exempt where food supplier were jeopardised; the farmers did notkdesiro to eniorce imprisunment, but desired-to see this inoperative law repealed. ■No lpw could ba oM'ercod without the power of. imprisonment. The. poverument was weakened because of the pressure of the demands of tho workers." The proposal to punish by cancellation of regis-: Iratioii was useless, becauso a Union could, make uso of tile Arbitration Courts so long, as liiey woro gaining by it, but so soou as they- became no longer satisfied they could cancel registration' and strike without penalty. .Dr. ji'indlay's.statement that tho tiiies could be collected through the agency of tho next employer was absurd, 'i'liey could not force a man to work against liis will; it would mean that the employers would pay tho hues out of their own pockets. -But there would bo a great reluctance 011 the part of empUiyersvto employ a man over whoso, Lead : •there Jiung a line, and tho Government would have te ship'the men away to prevent them from starving to death' through refusal of oniployers to, collect the Knes.' ! The Unions had been preacning what h6 could not. help calling tho "damnaule heresy"—, (hear, liearj—that work was degrading,' and, the less a man did of it the better man ho was. Dr. ■ Findlay's proposed amendments aud criticisms of tho arbitration law were au • overwhelming condemnation of it. The lioii. Mr. Millar formerly proposed legislation that would do away wjtli the professional agitators, but withclrow'it, becauso apparently ho was too weak to withstand the resistance of tho labour Unions. Tho Arbitration Acts should bo swept, off the Statuto Books altogether, and tho Farmers' Union ought to take, iv bold stand and say so. THE ONLY SOLUTION. Mr. F. F. Hockley (Hunterville) expressed appreciation of the efforts put forward lately in the interests of 'jtho farming community by Messrs. Jones, Evans, and Acland. (Applause.) Ho agreed that the only true solution of the Arbitration 5 law difficulties .was. tho ending of the whole matter. • They had not -promoted industrial peace, but created perpetual friction. • Mr. G. W. Leadley (Ashburton) referred to . a capitalist who intended to invest £50,000 in a new industry in Now Zealand, but who, immediately he read our,-, labour laws, dropped tlm idea like a hot brick, The progress of Now Zealand's farm industry was being retarded by tho labour'troubles, and good grain-growing country was going . into grass becauso the farmers were fearl'ul ot what was. going to. happen.

PRESSURE OF LABOUR LAWS. Mr. J. Beatson (HawkoV Bay) said th{ pressure of tlio labour laws had caused farm ers to be careful to employ not a shilling i 'worth more of labour than 'was absolutely necessary. He agreed with the regulation of tho hours of labour wherever possib e, and' perhaps accommodation. But, on whole, ho bolioved the country would be better'without "tho Act at. all. • • Mr.' W. B. Matheson (Eketahuna) strongly supported the motion. _ . ' 'i'lio President (Mr. J. G. Vi llson) said considerable'odium had been heaped upon tlio heads of recent Judges of the Arbitration Court, chiefly.perhaps because previous judges had the earlier work to do and tho recent ones had come in at the more difficult finish. But lately thero had been less said against Judge Sim, possibly , through tlio Judge's own action. Lately some resolutions reached him from Farmers Unions, and. lie expressed his disapproval.

A MISTAKE. Mr. Lcadlcy (Ashburton): That was a • mistake, sir. Tlio gentleman who had the ""ndui"" out of tho resolutions, instead ofsending thorn to Mr. Jones, sent them by . mistako to the Judge. , ' Mr. Wilson said ho was glad to hear tins .• explanation, .lie knew Judge Sun slightly, and regarded him as one of tho most suitable and fair-minded men that could Do found for the position, (Hear, hear.) Mr Wilson: That's not Judge bim. Major Bell said it might sound extravagant to hoar men suggesting that farmers should take a stand and resist the laws, but it was only a few years ago that their own kith and kin in America took up arms for something of minor importance ill comparison with what tlio New Zealand ..farmers. had to light to-day. (Hear, hear.) FURTHER DEPTHS OF TROUBLE. r Mr H. J. Middleton (Southland) believed if tho Legislature amended!, the Act they, would reach still further depths of trouble. Tho progress of arbitration seemed to bo in thrco stages: (I) the sta ? c when workers got all they asked for, (2) tho stage w;hen their demands were refused, (3) the stage \vhenemployers- would bo demanding reductions of tlio existing wages. '. Mr. S. Forsyth (Taranaki), said wages of city men had not been increased so much under tlio Act as-tlio wages of good farm hands had been increased voluntarily. Good farm hands' when -the. was passed could be p-ot for £1 a week, but they now received £1 "lOs. Tho workers therefore would not lose by the repeal of tho Act. . . Mr. Jones considered repeal would benefit Finally it was unanimously resolved:—v " That it would bo in tho best interests of everybody concerned if the Arbitration and'"' Conciliation Acts were repealed." ANOTHER MOTION. About twelve other remits were then, withdrawn, but some discussion took place on a Nbrth Canterbury. lemit"That, if Arbitration Act is to remain in operation, it . should be amended-so that no case can bo brought before the Conciliation Board,' or tho Arbitration Court, until a majority of tlio workers in an industry vote in favour of it." Sovoral members considered that, though they unanimously desired total repeal, they could not bo stiro that tlmir wishes would bo fulfilled. In that caso .they should express themselves on the quostion of amendment.. Major Bell and others, however, believed it would be the best and straightest courso to confine their decision to tho motion already passed. Mr. Lcadley warned the farmers that tho workers' would soon be able to "hold up" the wliolo industry. They claimed already to possess 1500 farm labourers in it. Mr. Jones moved: —"That the North Canterbury remit ho withdrawn," and suggested that the motion already carried should be made a leading political question. This was' then agreed to.; ' v