THE LABOUR LAWS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXII, Issue 50, 28 August 1911, Page 8

THE LABOUR LAWS.

SOME EMPLOYERS' VIEWS. The committee of the Hawkea Bay Employers' Association, in its annual report, says that the Conciliation and Arbitration Act, originally designed, we belieVe, for the purpose of the peaceful settlement of feal disputes, and mci dentally the formation of bodies of Workers into industrial unions, ha* really been the means of fomenting what might be termed fictitious disputes, as in nearly every case when an award has expired the Workers create a fresh dispute, whether the award had worked satisfactorily or nofci- in the hopes of gaining some further advantage. Whilst the conciliation portion tit the Act is now running fairly smoothly, and, many more agreements have been arrived at than was formerly the case, still it has one serious diaadvalntage, and that is that assessors are naturally prone to regard tho matter undef die cussiott as it affects their own personal business, and not from the broad standpoint of the general welfare of all industries. This has had the effect of allowing clauses k> creep nto .agreements, which, while perhaps not particularly affecting the -business of the accessors, have borne hardly on other employers. The hearing of breach of award Cades by atipefldkry magistrates ha« had the one merit of getting disputed points more 'quickly disposed of, but, on the other hand, this has been more thatt i ( counterbalanced by the varied decisions given by magistrates in different parts of the Dominion. It would be satisfactory to all parties if mote unanimity in these den'sioira could be arrived at."

The fact that the Hawkee Say Employers' Association ia not stronger numerically is deplored by the committee in its annual report. "Dnring the year;," ea,ys the committee, " members were elected, but from various cause.* our msses have exceeded our gains. It is found that a number of persons will join while there ,J9 a dispute affecting theit own particular industry before the court, but who do not continue their subscriptions after the court has made its award." Ti e ?lai'? llaira i'? r « of Wellington (Mr. T. M. Wilford, M.IM Ml f m ' the South on Saturday night, a tid *iU U *«*/ fc* I abgut m te&isi± '- ~ ~ -