POSITION IN AUSTRALIA

Evening Post, Volume CIII, Issue 57, 9 March 1922, Page 6

POSITION IN AUSTRALIA

The employers' proposals. ! '„' ' During the discussion on the first question, some startling figures v/ere given. by one of thf> employers'' ■ representatives.' He stated that the quantitative roaso production'of Australia Had fallen off since 1913-14 by more than 20 per cent., and that, allowing for increased population, thS pi'oducti6h pgr-hend had fallen' oft' 28 per cent. He added that,' generally, two-thirds of the expenditure on industry went in wages. In Australia, fuelj administration', and depreciation absorbed about 28 per cent, of the total proceeds of industry.-'lf the whole profit of distribution were taken by labour, the.result would be to yield oniy a few shillings a Weak to each worker.

The position of particular industries. The employers 7 proposals arising out of the conference. , :

The general economic and industrial situation in Australia. ,

EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES. CONFER.

(rP.OM OUR OWJf CORRESPONDENT.)

SYDNEY, 28th February

The rqund-tabje. conference between representatives of the employers and ti)» employees, convened by t^e Prime Minister (Mr. Hughes), which was opened in Sydney this week, is probably without precedent in Australia, and for that- roa-. son it is being looked upon with a good deal of suspicion by Labour generally. So much co, in fact, that many of tiio invited organisations, iricl'uding fcho Trade? and Labour Councils of Melbourne, Brisbane, and Adelaide, refused to attend, alleging that the conference was merely part of a. huge conspiracy on the part of the employers to reduce wages.

■'- liowever, those who attended-the conference might be said to be fully representative of both sides. On behalf of the employers there were representatives of the Central Council of Employers, Commonwealth Steamship Owners' Association, Broken Hill Proprietary Company, Mines and Metal Association, AssociatedChambers of Manufacture, Collieries Proprietors' Association, and the Graziers' Federal Council. For the employees there were representatives of the Trades and Labour Councils of Sydney, Hobart, and Perth, Amalgamated Society of "Engineers, Coal and Shale Employees' Federation, and the Australagian Society of Engineers.

At the outset it appeared tlwt there would be trouble because of the employees' objection to the nomination by the employers of Mr. Hughes as chairman, but eventually his appointment' was agreed to.

Some interesting facts were given \>y the Prime Minister in outlining' the reasons for the calling of the conference. "There ate," he said, "two parties to this conference—partners in production they have been described by one section —the, employers and, the' employees. The functions of the former are, broadly, to supply necessary plant and machinery, to direct the operations Of the industries, and to carry on their various activities in such a manner as to leave a margin over tile coat of- production. Before a, share of the Margin can be divided, o? before it can be determined whether the share will be .greater or smaller than at present, there must of necessity be a margin. At the present time there is in many industries no margin at all. The employees say in short that the businesses are not run in the most efficient and up-to-date way.' Whatever the reason) many nileh have beeD discharged, and the ihdidations 'are that it is proposed to dismiss -.marc. Ate we to sit down until these and other industries are overwhelmed in the; morass that threatens them, or are we to meet tko situation frankly?" ■'

Mr. 'Hughes uttered a timely warning to the extremists: "if we are't'd deal us practical men with affairs ss~'they are,' 1 he "saiti,. " V/e' have to recognise', it is qvlita Wi'onjg to say, to an unemployed man, ' the, remedy for your trouble is revolution*—it rests in eomMunirm 'or syndicalism.' Those who say this know very well that .before the workman can get into the paradise offered by ravoluuoii and syndicalism there is a long and bloody road 'to travel. Meanwhile \he will get very iiuugry."

■ Dealing, with the economic side of tho question, Mr. Hughes said tfos-fc the wages pad in ftiiy country' Were limited by tho wealth produced. In 1913-14, the production was £218,000,000, arid in J. 31540 3346,000,000. _ In 1907 £!2 2s was considered a fail' and reasonable swige,' -biiii'.tlie purchasing power of the sovereign had.'.so depreciated That what could, bo bought for M 2s in 1907 would' cost £4 4s in, 1919; so that the actual value of production in 1919-20 was £173,----000,000. 'What had happened in this country was that, the rate of production was falling off, and it was necessary it produce*/more wealth; and in order to produce 1 wealth it was not sufficient to find employment, but it was essential that it should be found under such conditions, that would enable industry to be carried on. The ihan in the street wanted increased production, so that lie could get employment. Taking the year 1913-14 as a standard. Australia produced £45,000,000 less 'in 1919-20 than, we did then./ ,

Mr. Hughes intimated that the Government was prepared to create ma-' chiiiei'y wliich would enable the establishment of some'permanent bodieSj with authorities much greater than.those of the .Whitley Cduiicitsf • The question of the basis of discussion 'Was-also the cause of «ome disagreement, but at last the following basis was settled On:—