LABOUR'S CHOICE

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 58, 9 March 1928, Page 10

LABOUR'S CHOICE

BUILD V OR WRECK? •^MARKEDI CONTRAST . '.'•s WO i CONFERENCES , New Zealand and Australia are both-on the threshold of industrial . cdiiferences. . The Labour attitudes on either side of the Tasman Sea ■ compare interestingly. Mr. Bruce makes important procedure proposals. .-. ' . ■ . According'to a Melbourne Press Association "cablegram dated 24th February, "the Trades Hall Council has decided to ignore the invitation of Mr. Bruce, Prime Minister, to appoint delegates to the- Industrial Peace Conference. One member stated that industrial unrest was their only weapon. The w.orking'class had fighting i'orcf) arrayed ; against it. He said that the proposal'was siraply an attempt to make it easy .to introduce bribes to/ the working class in the form of piecework and. bonus systems." RECONSTRUCTION, INSTEAD OF „■ ' STUNTING. ■ Quite different is. the attitudo of the "New-Zealand Worker" to the parallel proposal to; hold in. New Zealand an industrial; conference on the Arbitration" Act. and related matters. Writes the; "New Zealand Worker" of Bth' February:"We are bound tp/say that the -Parliamentary Committee's proposalsl relating to representation and *b' subjects^ for inquiry at the impending. conference on the I.C. and A. Act ;. and cognate matters offer a very satisfactory means of reviewing the whole question.:.... So important will be its deliberations that Labour, is under the most serious obligation to fit itself for. the duties to be^performed thereat, and if/: ever thero was an occasion when Labo.ur required; the genuine spirit of industrial statesmanship it is in this ■ connection. Its representatives should consist,wholly of those who are prepared to study and inform themselves, to devise policies, and to regard the meeting as essentially an effor.t in reconstruction. Quarrelsomeness and generalities will not avail here, and to ■ think,so will only be an evidence of childishness.... . Some may say that the ■ conference is a political trick to manoeuvre Labour into false positions. This signifies a lack of faith in the Labour movement. Others may raise the cry *f 'class collaboration.' This will be the stunting of irresponsibles. Labour's attitude: must be that it has a policy which;is workable and just, and.go to the conference to,-fight it. We cannot act like petulant children when,faced with' difficult problems. . .Labour wants to; govern New Zealand. Here's a chance, to fit ourselves for this great task. . Let us apply the very best that is in our minds to acquit ourselves well. Oar'efforts then will justify us before the, public, and be our safeguard against any ,;misrepresentation tho possible 'failure of the conference may release." The. constructive tone, of the above article, is;far apart from the class-war tone, of the Australian message, and also from the bickering tactics which are apparent in certain branches of the Australian Labour movement. Tho Australian. Council of Trade Unions, in dealing with the original invitation to»the • industrial conference, fixed as x condition the Commonwealth Government's .withdrawal of the amending Arbitration Bill. Mr. Bruce promptly mad© it known that .he ,would not permit the conference to proceed on the basis of threats, and that he wou^d.certainly give no undertaking to ' 'withdraw r the arbitration amendments. Substantially, however, any reasonable element in the council's attitudo was met by, his announcement that the Government: had given the amending Bill" a low place on, the;business paper of the Housevof/Representatives. He made it plain that -there is no ; intention of thrusting, the Bill forward provocatively. -Thus; the council: was placed in the'position of unconditionally accepting or: rejecting, th c. invitation to the conference. ■ PROBLEM OF PROCEDURE. , How shall such a conference proceed to .deal ; :with its business?. The questions is Inot a simple ono. A conference,,'even with, the best of intentions,, iiiay get nowhere if its business method'is wrong. It may therefore be of interest "to New Zealand to learn what -Mr'. Bruce proposes. In a letter to the organisations that have received his. invitation to the conference, Mr. Bruce suggests that the conference should-adopt'the procedure of the League of Nations, and refer various questions to sub-committees for consideration and report to the conference. "It is imperative," his letter states, ."that the conference should deal with ''definite and concrete suggestions rather than devote its time to general discussions. In that way practical results may be achieved." ; , i The hope is expressed that the conference will survey the entire field of industrial relations, and to enable this to be accomplished-within a reasonable time,-' the following, procedure is suggested:— .-■:...-. '. (1) ' Immediately upon tho meeting of ;th».: conference a business committee shall be-appointed, to "which all questions proposed. for the conference shall be referred. (2) This; committee shall consider the questions submitted and determine ■which are of sufficient importance to warrant, consideration. 1 (3), As soon- as these subjects have been approved by the business committee they shall, be referred to committees appointed by the conference*' for consideration: and report. :'• . (4) The ; committee, to which a subject has'been referred shall investigate it, anoV after' full consideration, prepare a report /embodying its recommendations, if ; any are agreed to, for submission to:a meeting,of the full conference. (5) The report of the committee shall • then' be submitted to the-conference, and a full discussion shall take place 'upon', any recommendation made, and the ; information elicited as the result of the.'deliberations of tho committee. : ';" At' ats . inception," the letter- proceeds, " the Assembly of the League of , Nations was faced with the difficulty that.rth* interests of the member- nations were so divergent that the dis- . "cussionof many important questions in ■'. the full .Assembly would inevitably • haveyended in open conflict and the breaking down of the League. To avoid this .position the system of reference to\ eonunitteies before, discussion in the full, Assembly was adopted, and has • worked• «o-admirably that many diffi- . cult- and- delicate international questions, in some cases involving centuryi.old racial!antagonisms, have been suc- \ cessfully handled without any serious, 'difficulties-.having arisen. I trust thax' •your: organisation . will agree that the ■adoption of. the method for the conduct of the conference which I have indicated above is the one best calculat•ed to lead-to.practical results." •• QUESTIONS FOR CONFERENCE. 'On the subject of suitable questions for i the. consideration of the -.-confer-. erice,-.'the letter continues: "As to the ' class of questions which should b» considered, I would point out that the ; conference.^is being' convened for ; the ■ puirpp^s,; of:; surveying the entire field of •". indnitrial and their ; ecor homic-effeetß.lt is hopedthat the dis-' caßßion will iesd to a »übstantial mea-

sure of agreement "as to common interests and aims, and tend to a better understanding and more effective cooperation in the interests of all. I therefore suggest that the following subjects should be submitted to the business committee, which will recommend the appropriate committee to deal with each of them, together with any others submitted by the conference: — " (1) The present economic position of the primary and secondary industries of Australia, with particular reference in each case to their ablity to compete in overseas markets. "(2) The increase of production upon a sound economic and social basis. "(3) The present distribution of the proceeds of industry between those taking part in production and methods of removing.any unfairness found to exist in such distribution. "(4) The control and management of industry, and:the question of giving employees a share therein. "(5) Methods by which greater security of employment can be guaranteed to all classes of workers." Explaining that he has "formulated definite proposals because otherwise there was. the risk that time and energy would be wasted if tho conference assembled without any reasonable precise knowledge of the subjects for dis- ■ cussion, Mr. Bruce gives the assurance that he has no intention of attempting either to prescribe or to limit the discussion in any way, but desires merely to prepare those concerned for the work that lies before them, ' • ■ .