ARBITRATION BILL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 282, 22 August 1908, Page 6

ARBITRATION BILL.

WILL IT BE DROPPED? REPRESENTATIVE MEN INTERVIEWED, THE PRESENT INDUSTRIAL UNREST. It has been seriously suggested-that the Government may allow tho troublo brought by tho failure of the Arbitration Act as it now stands on the Statute Book to continue into noxt year, which of course means until after the next general election. When the exciting industrial unrest is considered it is a serious matter for tho Government to consider the matter of dropping tho amending Bill, which has been circulated, leaving the industrial community of New Zealand to faco another year's' experience similar to that of tho last twelvo months. So serio'us is tho point at issue, that some opinions havo been gathered as to the impression that further delay on the part of the Government would create. A SERIOUS INJURY TO THE COUNTRY. Mr. John Duthie, was askld what he would think wero the Government, to drop consideration of the Arbitration Bill this session! His remarks were brief and pointed. "It would," he said, "bo a serious injury to tho whole of the country if matters were left,in their present stato any longer than can possibly bo helped. Tho workers lave said at different times that the Act is no good to them in its present form, though they do not want it done away with, and the employers aro tired of it," | A CITY COUNCILLOR'S VIEWS. Mr. G, Shirtcliffe (A. S. Paterson and Co.), a member of the City Council, said that ho was not sufficiently in touch with tho manufacturing side of the industrial question to go fully into the matter, but the present uncertainty of the position was intolerable, and called for immediate settle-, ment. The Act as at present administered was one-sided. Breaches of its regulations, by employers, were- dealt with severely, but with the employees it was another matter. So far as 1 Labour was concerned, it was a case of "Heads I win, tails you lose"; the Act should either bo amended or abrogated without delay. CROW INC UNREST. Mr. J. P. Luke, of the_ well-known firm of S. Ijuko and Son, Ltd., ironfounders, was of opinion that the settlement of the question was a, matter of immediate importance, as there was a growing unrest in the industrial world. '; Referring to the friction-which the Act, as at present administered, had created between master and man, Mr. Luke 6aid that while he did not want strikes, there was no doubt that the relations between employers and employees wero much less contentious before tho Act came into operation than they had been since. The Act, in principle, was a good ono, and it had done a considerable amount of good in establishing, the wages of scales of the various trades upon a more uniform basis. The friction which liad latterly occurred was, he thought, due less to tho administration of the Act than'to the fact that certain weaknesses jn it 3 construction had been exploited by labour agitatoTs, and this had really come back upon workers. Labour had lost the respect of the community. In his opinion, tho constitution of the Conciliation Board, to bo effective, should consist of seven members. Tlio President of tho Board should be a; Judge of 'the Supreme Court of New Zealand, of great firmuess and forco of character, and supported, on the bench, by three representatives of the employers, and three of tho employees, selected from the particular trade concerned in the'dispute.

Do you think that the uncertainty regarding industrial legislation has , had anything to do with the number of unemployed workers at present in evidence, Mr. Luke, assuming that the manufacturers wero, so to speak, marking time on future contracts until a settlement' has been arrived at? !

' "I would-hardly care to say that," replied Mr. 'Luke. "So far as the engineering' trade is concerned, there is a certain amount of stagnation, and I, personally, would be very glad to have an excuse for engaging more men. The fact is, the country's natural pro-sperity-is suffering from three depressing 1 influences—the recent : financial crisis .in America, the temporary drop in the price of wool, and the exorbitant demands of Labour. A financial crisis such as has just been experienced in America must hare farreaching effects, and investors are at" present cautious. Tho farming industry is the backbone of >the country's prosperity, and a depression in that' industry is 'ait "once felt in the manufacturing centres. With, the de-pression-in wool, and the collapse of tho flax industry, there was a drop" of something like £2,000,000 in the receipts from -the country's products." Vy • LABOUR. OPINIONS. 'When' spoken to on the subject, Mr. E. J. Carey, Secretary of tho Cooks' and ; Waiters' Union said : "Hotter to drop it than bring forward the present measure "with its repressive penal clauses. I don't., believe the Government intends, to enforce it." "Wo would be bettor without tho Act altogether than to have this," was the comment of Mr. M. J. Reardori, secretary of the Goneral Labourers' Union. Mr. D. M'Laren, secretary, of the Wharf ■Labourers' Union, said:—"We stand by the Act of 1894. We want the Act as it was then. As to the Amending Bill, we don't regard it as making for conciliation at all, but rather as coercion and anti-strike legislation." "SUICIDAL POLICY." Mr. W. Pryor, secretary of tho Employers' Federation, said, when the subject was mentioned to him: —'.'I think that tho Federation as a ' wholo would be astonished to learn that the Government had decided not to go on with the Bill. It seems to tho Federation that they have committed themselves to an amendment of tho Act, and that to bring down a Bill last year and abandon it, and to follow that course in connection with this year's Bill, would, not only bo an extraordinary proceeding on the part of any Government, but it would bo. a suicidal policy. Beyond that, the Federation is of opinion that the Government is committed to a Bill amending tho present Act, the position being forced upon'them by reason of the fact that if the Act is not amonded it must bo repealed. We, however, disbelieve any rumour to the effect that the Government intends to abandon tho Bill." STATEMENT BY HON. J. A, MILLAR. Tho Hon. J. A. Millar (Minister for Labour), when approached, said very definitely that tho Government intended bringing the Bill before tho House shortly, and intended also that it should go through. Ho could say no more than this. Members of the House. generally wero of. opinion that tho Bill as amended in Committee would come before Parliament, though opinions as to the seriousness of tho attempt to have it passed wore divided.