THE COLONY'S INDUSTRIES COMMENTS AT THE EMPLOYERS DINNER.

Evening Post, Volume LXX, Issue 59, 7 September 1905, Page 2

THE COLONY'S INDUSTRIES COMMENTS AT THE EMPLOYERS DINNER.

A COMMON DANGER TO CAPITAL AND LABOUR. Delegates to the annual conference of the New Zealand Employers' Federation were last evening entertained at Godber's by the Wellington • Employers' Association. The Piesident of the Wellington Association (Mr. Thomas Ballinger) was in the 'chair, and there were present — the President of the Federation (Mr. William Cable), the Premier (Rt. Hon. R. J. Seddon), the Minister for Railways (Sir Joseph Ward), the Mayor of Wellington (the Hon. T. W. Hislop), Messrs. J. G. W. Aitken, John .Duthie, F. M. B. Fisher, and James Allen, M.H.R.'s. The Secretary of the Federation of 'the Association, Mr. Henry Field, after attending to the work of the Conference all day despite an attack of influenza, was taken ill and was unable to attend. The proceedings were very enthusiastic. "The King" having been honoured in the usual way, The President of the Canterbury Employers' Association, Mr. G. Anderson, proposed "Parliament." Mr. Anderson did not hold the view that the Government was to blame for the labour laws, which, he thought, were passed mainly at the instigation of the Trades 'and Labour Councils. The unionists had showed the employers a splendid example. They had got fifty-three Acts passed in ten years, although they were only twenty to thirty thousand people out of a total of 380,000 workers. It was a lesson to 'the empibyera in 'organisation and in putting forward their views. No doubt the Government and Parliament would have liatened 'to the employers as 1 well as to the employees. There was too much overlooking of tlie consumer. Every advance in wages came out of the consumer's pocket, not out of the employer's. The worker thus found that he put a burden on himself, the workers being 75 per cent, of the ' population. Referring to the absence of strikes, he considered it an open question whether strikes should be stoirped by Act of Parliament or left to the. judgment of the ' unionists themselves. Though some of the labour legislation was good, much of it antedated its usefulness. The Industrial Association of Canterbury -had succeeded in getting unionists and employers to -work jointly on a committee to consider the position of local industries, their relation to the labour laws, and how to face outside competition. It was good that the labour people in Christchurch had recognised that there was sonictEuigrbetE.' ter than"exploiting-the' capitalist §1, th£; cojony. Being was before wjelHjeingr.and' they should remember, before increasing wages, that our industries were scarcely established yet. Boot-nvtnufacturing, for instance,- had not increased in proportion to population. Our industrial increasesin the last ten years had" chiefly been in industries that could not help progressing. With regard to the Monopolies Preven-' tion Bill, it was firstly necessary to combine against the American trusts and outside monopolies that threatened .its, he-, fore looking to internal matters. ,_ , t , TOWN-COUNTRY ALLIANCE" TO ' FIGHT TRUSTS. Responding, the,. Premier remarked that, industries were 'increasing, and he saw year by year their numbers increase at this gathering, notwithstanding the A afflictions Parliament put 'upon them. He joined issue with Mr. Anderson in-saying? that all the labour-laws wer&T"thc".ijesuiX. of the Trades and Labour Councils. The. principal labour laws of -the* colonyantc*" dated those councils. The reverse was the case — these bodies were the result of the labour laws, just as was tho present conference. They did not at all exist when the first labour laws were passed. The laws brought about tho organisation of labour and the organisation of capital — though the latter was rather slow. The organisation of labour and capital made iti&isier for Parliament to^ pass Ja^s and- better "laws: — PitrHa"ment, and, he b'.ievetl", labour, too, were gratified to see the organisation of capi-' tal. The Premiir referred in terms of. commendation to what had been said with regard to the rapprochement between labour organisations and the Employers' Association in Christchurch. There should not only be conferences of employers andi conferences of employees, but a joint conference — a conciliation board, if you like — of both, to be a guide to PurliuJnent in holding tho balance ns between capital and labour. He was confident that tho workers of tho country were intelligent enough to know that it was not to their advantage to cripple industries, and that it was to their prlvantage that the employer should make a reasonable profifc^and that they should work in unison so that both employer and employee might profit. Employers for their part did not desire that their employees should work for leys tlmn a living wage. (H<>nr, hear,) He knew the mpn' he wns talking to, and ho knew that 95 per cent, of those present hud worked themselves nnd were proud of the fact. „It .was, Jrue, that nflejrjjini. ployer and employee had • each taken his return, the consumer had to pay. TTe could not any that, up to tho preienl, too much had been exacted from the consumer in this country. At the rnimo time, the consumer in this country had been rather good-natured. The trouble

that he saw coming fast was from the outside manufacturer, and he hoped Parliament would prove equal to the occasion. He believed in fostering the industries of the colony, because the home maiket was the best for producers to sell in, nnd the more self-contained a country was the better its people would be. Ere long they would have to set aside party in order to deal with this invasion. There ought to be a combination in Parliament, country and town ought to combine, and they ought to go to work to Isee! how best to prevent New Zealand being made the dumping-ground of other countries. (Hear, hear.) He thought Parliament had held the scales fairly as between employer and employee. Where such had not been done, it was because Parliament had not been informed of the true facts. Having an organisation, employers ought not to hesitate to put their views before Parliament on any question of moment, which views, if reasonable, would bo fully considered. As Minister for Labour, he was glad to note the absence in New Zealand of walking secretaries, appeals to physical force, hatred and' bitterness, as seen in America and elsewhere. In the Mother Country, out of every three artisans of 65 years of age, one was on public or private charity.* He was assured on very good authority in the present condition of things in Alnerica — combinations, trusts, concentration of 'capital, and bitterness between ■employer and employee — the time was not far distant when there would be a terrible condition there unless they took a leaf out of our book. He hoped that Parliament, -which was- the people's servant', would always be a reflex of the will of the people. Mr. J. G. W. Aitken, M.H.R., responding to the same toast, emphasised the ivalue of organisation, and especially of- tho combination they had heard of as k ,betMfeen employer and worker in ChristiStaUSh. He thought that, in meeting in Parliament as they did, they were . not doing the work in the best , way. He thought they would do better by meeting in smaller bodies, the members of which would be more in touch with each other. UNIVERSAL PENSIONS AND ACCIDENT INSURANCE. "The New Zealand Employers' Federation," was entrusted to a Napier delegate, Mr. Baxter, who thought that jnuch of the Government's legislation had been to the advantage both of employer and employee. He was glad to note that labour and capita) were coming together. The working man of the colony was no fool, and knew on which side his bread was buttered thickest. „ The President of the Federation (Mr. Wm. Cable), in responding, said they could claim without egotism that the Federation had done a great deal of good for the country, the employers, and the employees. They had never approached Parliament with anything derogatory to the workers ; they had always recognised ths mutual interest. -It was true that 95 per cent, of those present had risen from the ,ianks of labour, and they were not likely to wish to wreck the employee's interest. He emphasised tho value of combining against dumping, and the large influx of imports in recent years. Those who sent these imports hafl far more capital than local concerns. Parliament must be careful to make conditions for local industry that would permit it to compete, and to continue if not to improve. Our labour laws had been well advertised, and foreign capitalists thus thought they would be well able to compete here. Conditions would be very much improved by a universal pensions and accident insurance scheme. He suggested that Parliament should provide such a scheme, nnd for this purpose should replace the duty on tea. He regretted that the Bill brought in against tra'dc monopolies would prevent a combination omong employers in the colony such as would be able to fight the American trusts who were invading our markets. I* was time they considered means to prevent the agricultural implement trade being wiped out, for that was what it meant. (The Premier: Hear, heai*.) It meant disaster, and want to a great many ' workers. He supported th» pioviding of cheap homes in the suburbs for workers, as it was to the advantage of all that the workers should be comfortable and healthy. Mr. Thomson (Dunedin), Vice-Presi-dent of the Federation, pointed out that times had been prosperous, and the labour laws had- still to bear the test of depression, which he hoped waa a long vay off. For years the Arbitration Court used to base its awards on the demands of -the union and on what was said by wie -other side. The Court was now making" its awards on a broader and much UjßEter basis, in that it took into consideration the effect of the proposed conditions on the industry as a whole. This wae a great safeguard. As to what had "15eep said about the advisability of employers and 'employees conferring more, that ir.as needed, but the unions would first need to make a change. As long as they employed the present class of secretary, there would be no hope of coming to agreement- with employers. A union should appoint as secretary a man of its owii trade, not a man who had never ; -worked at it. -DIVIDE THE BURDEN OF ACCIDENT INSURANCE. In*a speech which summed up the advantages of harmony and good understanding between capital and labour, the .Mayor proposed "The Wellington Employers' Association." The President of the Association, Mr. Baliingcr, stated, ijr jesponsa, that the Wellington Associa-■fcton'-was formed in 1899 with a member--ship-of 69, 'and it now had a membership "5T275. He thought labour laws had done much harm. They had caused want of confidence on the part of employers. The Act, it was said, had stopped strikes, but that was true on^y in a sense. The Act, bound the employer, but not the worker. He attributed the increased prosperity of the last ten. years to cheap money, resulting from the Advances to * Settlers Act. As regards compensation |* for "accidents legislation, he drew attennoli""to a proposed new clause that the employer must provide for the "physical reliof and welfare" of the sufferer. They wanted to know what was meant, and they would have to look out when (he Bill came on. So far, the employers had simply been defending themselves. It was time hoav that they asked the Government for something. One thing they should ask for this session wtis a scheme of accident insurance in which the employer, the employee, and t!.s State should joachtake a share of the burden. It would not do to ask industry to stagger under tpo large a burden. In proposing "Trade and Industry," Mr" John Duthio, M.H.R., referred to tho vast'ness of New Zealand shipping compared with population, to tho large-ton-nage Homo traders, to the intercolonial fleet, and tho coastal fleets. Our direct imports, and diroct exports, came from and reverted to many parts of the world. With regard to the Government's pro-