LABOR QUESTIONS

Evening Star, Issue 18729, 3 September 1924, Page 5

LABOR QUESTIONS

ARBITRATION NOT STRANGLED.

CONTRIBUTORY SICKNESS INSURANCE. [From Our Parliamentary Reporter.] WELLINGTON, September 2. Many interesting questions affecting Labor were raised when the annual report of Hie Labor Department was tabled in the House to-day. Mr Anderson, Minister of Labor, gave a good deal of information iu reply to the discussion. He showed that the Conciliation Councils are doing good work, 92 per cent, of the disputes being settled through this medium, except for points such as wages, leaving only 8 per cent, for the Arbitration Court’s attention. There was, he said, a growing tendency towards national awards, the largest case of iho kind being the watersiders, now under consideration. He understood that the Conciliation Council had settled all minor points, leaving a few for the court’s decision. Thus it could not he said that tiro Government was strangling the Arbitration Act. On the contrary, it was in a firmer position than it had been for many years. _ What the Minister called the “ joyriding of some Conciliation Council members _ was referred to ;is the result of criticism of his regulation that a council must be composed of persons selected from the district where the dispute exists. Mr Anderson justified the regulation by stating that h<{ was sorry that some Conciliation Commissioners were not treating the position as it should be. Assessors were having joy rides around New Zealand, and his regulation was based on the assumption that if a dispute arose in Auckland there were men in that district just as capable of dealing with it as those who %vere brought from Dunedin or Invercargill. A recent case, where a dispute was national, resulted in the assessors travelling throughout New Zealand, and he was looking into this matter. He denied that the department was backward in instituting prosecutions for breaches of award. Last year’s total was 590, of which eighty-four were dismissed. The cases against employers numbered 359 and those against workers sixty-seven.

Mr Montieth : How many half-crown fines?

Mr Anderson : You cannot blame the Labor Department if a. magistrate imposes half-crown fines. The cases must have been exceedingly trivial. TRADE UNION ACCOUNTS.

Tho Minister explained that the circular to trade unions regarding the system of keeping accounts had nothing to do with the method of spending their funds. Ho did not interfere with disbursements, hut unfortunately there had been a number of cases of embezzlement of union funds, though this offence was not more frequent among unions than anywhere else. He secured tire advice of skilled iccountants on the question of the best method of bookkeeping, so as to protect the average trade unionist, and let him know how his dues were being spent. He could quote cases where accountants had the utmost difficulty in seeing where the money had gone, and one case v'here it was impossible to find out the state of a union’s accounts. CONTRIBUTORY INSURANCE.

" I have considered unemployment insurance in connection with the general question of pensions and accident insurance,” continued Mr Anderson, " and I ;annot see that unemployment insurance is necessary in a country like New Zealand. This is also the opinion of the experts I have consulted.” Mr Hanan ; Will you deal with sickness ? Mr Anderson ; If we deal with sickness it would he from the general contributory scheme which I hope to be able to deal with more fully in a week or two, when I introduce the Bill now in the law draughtsman’s hands. Referring to the question of the lia hility of an employer where an accident happens to scaffolding approv’d by the inspector, the Minister said ho proposed to make this point clear, and :o show carpenters that their fears were unfounded, when he introduced an amending measure in a few days.