LABOUR PROBLEMS

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 508, 15 May 1909, Page 9

LABOUR PROBLEMS

-~ 1,1 NEW ZEALAND AND AMERICAN ' I WAGE-EARNERS. fßi TBi.MEifa.—si'Kcur; rmiur.srounnxtV Auckland, May 13. In an address to tho Trades, and Labour Council. Colonel H. Weinstock, the Californian Commissioner, now studying our Labour legislation, said that lie had been asked, I'Wliat in your judgment .would bo tho. result if you returned to California and advocated the adoption.of compulsory arbitration?" His reply was that if lie did so his mission would have practically proved a .failure.' The reason was that the conditions in tho two cmintries wero widely different in regard to the attitude of wage-earners. ■ There - were two reasons why compulsory arbitration was not 'likely for some time to come to succeed in ii country like America, (1) The wage-earners thero believed that tho most effectivo way of settling industrial disputes was through the medium of strikes;(Hear, hear, and No, no.) . (2) There existed less confidence in the judges of America, who woro elected to office for fixed terms. For this reason both employers and' workers repeatedly refused to place their; destinies in judicial hands. If compulsory arbitration was not to succeed it appeared to him as tho result of his study of tho methods adopted by various countries that it was time for the State to intervene, but how could they get 'the State to intorvone in such a l , way as to ensure both sides retaining reasonable confidence in the,adjudications? He invited tho views of members, of tho council as. to whether 'the- American system was likely to work 'more satisfactorily than the' New Zealand system. Ko saw that differences of opinion existed among both the employers and workers of New Zealand. The speaker asked: "Do the unions of Auckland advocate dimJnished output?" and was answered by a 1 chorus of u Nocs." Colonel Weinstock said he was glad to hear their answer, because he disagreed with Socialists on this point. Employers had told him that because the unions denounced the-exertion wage they advocated diminished output. (Voices: "Oh," and laughter.) : New Zealand had given to '■the world an object lesson in limiting, the hours 1 of labour. (A voice: In some instances.)