TO PREVENT STRIKES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 490, 24 April 1909, Page 12

TO PREVENT STRIKES.

COLONEL WEINSTOOK'S IDEAS.

DISCUSSION AT THE.TRADES COUNCIL.' Oolonol Harris Weinstock, special Labour Commissioner of tho State of California, attended the meeting of the Trados and LabourCouncil on Thursday night to dißcuss methods of minimising and lock-outs. Tho meeting was thrown open to, all unionists, aa Colonel Weinstock' had expresses' desiro to. meet tho rank <and file. 1 : : Tho visitor at tho outset said ho wonted to know what was the attitude of Now Zealand workers on' tho question of "diminishing output," which was advocated by Labour men' and Socialists in'somo other countries, with' the object of making a limited amount ofi work go round a larger number- of workers,, and also of the excessive profits of employers. o Air. D. J. Conchio said there was no such thing as diminishing output here. The hours of labour had boon reduced from SO per wook| to 48, and than to 45, . yet as much Work,, ormore, was still dono ui'tho week. .This was shown by, the evidence given before tho Ar-' bitration. Court.

. Tho President (Mr..W. C. Noot) said.the question had not been discussed by organised ■Labour in , Now Zealand.<'■.:;> ■■■-:.'.-:■•':'• ■ ■'■'• ■Colonel Weinatock said he waniod to know whether the unions hero had tried to" causo workers not to do inoro than a certain amount of ..work,' or- earn more than a cortain rato of wages. '■' ■<. ;.-. .■ :..-.■■. .; .■■■ ■ ■i. '■ ' ■'■,•:'••'■ , The reply came in a chorus of "Noes." ' Colonel Wcinstock said diminishing output was not proachod in America , , and that : was, perhaps, why America paid tho highest wages in the world,;and yet the labour cost to tho omployor was lowor than anywhere eke. He contended that while they ehould trj>'to get ehortor .hours, they must, in their own interost as workors,' do nothing" to diminish ■■ the-; effloiency of labour. Tlio visitor tiien directed the disoussion towards his Echomofor preventing strikes , and ■lock-outs. The scfocmo, which has already been; set. forth in The Dominion, is similar , to tho Canadian Trades Disputes Act, and consists mainly of machinery for investigating disputes and publishing findings, but omitting the clement of< compulsion. Ho in-; vited 'outspoken criticism, and-set an , oxamplo by suggesting that one defect in tho Now Zealand arbitration System wffs that the minimum wages of tho awards tended to-' wards a 'dead lovol of uniformity. ) American workers clung to the power of striking as their strongest weapon. Ho thought tho Now Zealand workers wore wiser in preferring conciliation and arbitration/ but ' it would bo useless for him to go back to tho States to advocate any moasuro for the absolute prohibition of strikes; Mr. Norton said Colonel Weinstock's phili appeared to be very much like the Now Zealand conciliation system, but without the "big stick" of tho Arbitration Court in the background. : ; ■;• ' ,: - ;, : lii tho courso of further discussion, Colonel Weiustock mentioned that a suddon striko was practically impossible in America, because tho oraployers had a complete system of ospionago, and knew tlirough their spies all that was being contemplated'by the unions. : ■.." "_" ■ | ■ Sir. M. J. Roardon said the New Zealand workers had been disappointed in tho arbitration system. If they got a shilling . rise in wages, which was about as much as the} , ever cot.at one time;from the Court, they probably lost tho benefit of it vory soon 'through , rents going up. They were beginning to realise that the whole ' thing was worth nothing to thorn. The Act, though it had minimised sweating, had not abolished it, for in hard times the most competent worker would bo found applying for an ttn-dor-rato permit., . Colonel Weinstock's scheme was criticised in detail, and t' ] o disoussion consequently bocamo somowhat disconnected. At.tho conclusion - tho visitoi was accoixiod a lioart.v vote of thanks. ■ ' , ':- : ■...".