INDUSTRIAL DECLINE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 933, 28 September 1910, Page 6

INDUSTRIAL DECLINE.

CHEERLESS VIEWS. ARBITRATION ACT. CONDEMNED. A. serious '-falling-off. in New Zealand manufactures was noted in the annual report of tho'Wellington'Provincial Industrial Association, and was tho subject of some interesting comment by the committeo which.-was responsible for the docuruent. Labour legislation and the tariff wero treated, as vitally connected with ] the; question. The: reading of the report at tho annual meeting last night was followed by an interesting discus-

More Wages and Less' Business, The committee, in its report, said that it was a matter of serious regret to rc,cord that the past year clearly proved a falling away in the industrial life of the Dominion. Statistics given'in the annual report of the Labour Department proved this. Apparently manufacturers were in. no mood to extend their factories or to invest, more capital in their - undertakings. ~ It. was also proved . that. though ,times were bad the workers failed not to demand; through the Arbitraiton Court higher wages, ahd_ seemingly obtained them. -..It was proved then tnat more had been paid away by the employers....in wages, while the business of the manufacturers had gone back. .Surely never more plainly had' it been shown that it was full time for labour unions- to; cry. a halt.- "It. might-well be asked, 'TVhat, isthe use of all'the labour legislation -which is being cnacted-if,sufficient employment could not be found for our workers?" Did the workers under',tho age'of 21 years see the danger signal ahead? It might'be-so, for the Labour Department's returns here again told a tale, for during.the past year, there were.'l2sß -fewer workers under .the ageof -21 years eemployed in our factories. The -Labour ' Department; considers that' an answer; to this is s the decline in the birth-rate; in' New Zealand.: ' .;:;'-'./ '■:'■'. : :'' .:'The''Tariff.: ■'■\-\- "On the'other hand," continued the,report, "manufacturers say,: that: : the / increased cost of production ,'has, driven many manufacturers to import, 1 instead of :to manufacture. .' It cannot- be gainsaid that' our manufacturers are severely handicapped;in.every way..'They .have.to iimport a great deal of the raw material! and pay something like. 100,: per cent ■higher .wages,than those paid by, the countries with ,whom they haye'-'tp '■.com- • pete. Again, the Customs'.tariff is. in very ,:mnny, cases of'no ;,uso. to them; as a'.'deterrent; to,, importing: the' finished - article. Then, the quick steamship' services-.be-tween the, Dominion'and'the Home Country, brings .us .very close together, and our country abounds with indent agents." : .'There-was.-also a tendency 'on ithe part of. many public bodies to ;import : machinery,, and.-in"fapt.in ,many cases , their specifications debarred .our , own ' engineers from .tendering. .The matter, of 'Customs .tariff'was'at all times a vexed question; The .committee, while not desiring to : be charged with holding pessimistic views/ would not hesitate to -say-that u'full re-' vision.'of;the Customs - tariff should; be. fearlessly taken .in h&nd ; by the, Govern-. • ment,-in,:the interests! of: our .industries, !of our workers, and; in short,: in the interests, of the future prosperity, of the Dominion'.": ',:V • .-'.,:,-,

■■ :■ r A-, Hopeful Sign. '< The committee also''.referred-to. .the Prime -'Minister's., sympathetic reply.to :a recent deputation' which- protested against cheap coloured : labour..oh;ocean' steamers coming to New. Zealand." ''. This was. a cheering'- indication that': the : Prime ■ Minister- must surely'.extend'his sympathy-to our .manufacturers,'..who.'..were, suffering from''overseacompetition,"' which .was: being carried-on'by far''-cheaper,labour than ours., IThe'ehippirifflcompanies: asked for : Prbte.ctibh.- They were "beginning to'.feel what', the 'manufacturers' had been'suffcr-', ing from for'/years, past..: ,■.... :--.- t : : v.'/;;';-: ?:■'?'■■ Increased '.Imports.^\):^:^ : ; :l : The president (Mr. E;.Bull), in! moving, the, adoption of thei report; -said: that a: number'of New-Zealand industries'."were in a bad way, ,and ; sorely..needed; Protection^'The: returns for the'.'six tended fJune. 30,." 1910, showed •'anJincrease. .in the exports of our staple;prbductS('.butthere.had ;dso\'been ,'aVlargo increasovih' the imports/of woollen .goods, boots;, and shoes,- and c'andles,' , and,gas-and oil en-: gines, .which could- be made:in-New- Zealand. ':'!:.'.',' •;■-, '..-,■.:....; :,:':■;'■''/;'■■■ ■■:''■"'.!; .'• ,•./■■ The motion was seconded'by Mr; X.-.R. : ;;.:;.. .';)./.-■, ; -; ;..; ;.■;.•■....>):.;.-,

:> -v.'' 7 V : s 'upidesf Thing,'/ '-' ./'V-// : Mr. :p.',Eobertso'nsaid'he,;did' not-.know i-whatour. industries'were going: to do unless, they got more protection! Tlie'-Goy: .ornment.seorhed• afraid -to': move. •.'Their feeling seemed; to'; be, ."let things, alone, so long ;as we- can hold on, to,' our places."■ There was ho end:' to' the\workers',, ; demands.', /'They,, were /always asking 'for more money and- less work, and the employers .were!getting'';less : .workfrom; them 'all the .time..; The process-of: arbitration was- the stupidest..thing, there; was. '411 men; differed in - 'their /abilities,',arid yet all must be''paid-.alike. 'The. I .minimum wage became alsoaniaximnm, ,and that prevented employers using themehto, the best advantage. The'men'; were, also ting "Ml- charge of the, whole; business, and:were; saying ; :they..must hot;teach-the boys;.. .They.'would debar-, the employers from having;more than one-boy: :to three .men. -This was ,a hardship for the-young people. ■'■■'-.'. ■■■ ;■'.:.-, r'/.-/; - : ','-,, -, ■:'-,:.;■'-//";,,, ; 7 -;'. Industries Being Stamped Out; ; : .;It would, be better, to-abolish 'the' arbitration system'-, so that there would be competition in the labour ma'rket./iust as there was.in 1 business. That would b.e better' for all. Why ;should not the men .compete like, their .'employers,.'who had to'-tender to 'get a contract? -The Arbi : trationAct'was the most unjust.law ever thrust, down the, people's'- throats.. Ah employer: ought to, be, able to /give good wages to a'good.man and- lower wages to an; inferior-man.-. -"Our industries'..are being stamped out. of- the place," concluded Mr. Robertson, "'and 'it', is'the;. Govern-, ment^people: that are'doing : dt.' -The.engineering/industry is being harassed out of ezistence.i'We.ihave no chance to ad-' just, matters so: as to.-meet slack times." (Applause.). /■'.'■'.■ '-.'••'"' '~ Charitable Aid ''Administration. , 1 'The president-said he/had found' that the Charitable Aid Board was giving out imported candles and Mother commodities to the poor.. He thought such bodies and other local .bodies should be among;the first to support :iocal.industries. Yet they seemed to get -the imported-goods, whenever they-could. He mentioned the Benevolent' Society in--the same connection." Mr. J; Smith said that when the Benevolent Society' was; started it was offered the, inferior goods made,in. town, and'it found that'there was.no'ecohomyin that. ■He was a member-of the'.'. society, ana would look into the matter.; ■■ . A Protest Against Pessimism. 1 , - : '- Mr. H. H. Sea ton said he appreciated ability shown'in',the report, but he deprecated, its pessimism,./ Though the engineering'trade'was falling off, other in. dustries were in a better state. ,/ - , Mr.. W.-Crabtree urged that the, engineering industry,, should- receive protection to, balance the high wages paid. In war-time there would bo as urgent a need for..mechanics as'for, soldiers. 'The fall-ing-off •in industry was shown .by , , the number, of empty houses in Wellington. He had not scon .so many at any time in the last twenty years. . The country was going back.to bo purely agricultural and wool-growing. : ,The chairman said-that-the protection needed in many instances was not, a higher .duty, but the removal of duty on -the raw. material. '"'."'.

■Mr, F: C. Crease agreed with Mr. Seaton. They should look' at the brighter side. Some manufactures \vere being extended. ■ The report was adopted. .'.■■/ ';.- . . : ■ ■