The Evening Star THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1927. THE ARBITRATION BILL.

Evening Star, Issue 19722, 24 November 1927, Page 6

The Evening Star THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1927. THE ARBITRATION BILL.

Thk Hon. Mr Anderson is experiencing to the full the thanklessness of the task of framing legislation on a controversial subject. But ho accepts the experience 'with remarkable equanimity .and characteristic' cheerfulness. Ho produced a Bill to amend the Arbitration Act. It has not been exactly torn to pieces by the committee whoso duty it is to dissect such legislation before the House itself gets to serious work upon it. Though the majority of. the original clauses in the Bill have been struck out by the committee, two of the main principles in the Bill have been retained, these being extension of the system of payment by results and 'Exemption of the farming industry from the court’s scope; while the other main principle, alteration of the constitution of the court, has been rejected. Now, however, the Labor Party is feverishly awaiting its chance to tear to shreds what has been left of the Bill. ’ The Minister in charge explains the buoyancy, of spirit by the accomplishment of a great feat—one which is understood to bo the present aim of the civilised world—the bringing together of Capital and Labor.

In New Zealand of fairly recent years Capital and Labor have never been contemporaneously united in condemnation of the Arbitration Act. When commodity prices were rising Capital championed the system, and a section of Labor at least execrated it. Then when prices began to fall Capital complained of the incubus of fixed wages having no relation to output while Labor clung to the court. From all over the country employers’, federations were calling for the,, abolition of the Act or its radical amendment. K Then when the Minister pursued the Jess drastic course of the two alternatives employers vacillated, their ardor cooled, and they began to weigh past advantages against future possible disadvantages. They have adopted the motto of better to bear the evils that we know than fly to others that we wot not of. ■ Perhaps the improvement in the prices of our exportable commodities has had something to do with this changed viewpoint. Nevertheless, it is as well to ask if New Zealand can economically continue to bear tho evils that it knows. There is-still a great deal of truth in what Mr Hawkcn said last night—i.e., that there is a general feeling among the fanners that tho Arbitration Court has lessened tho efficiency and reduced the production of the workers, and for that reason is not a benefit, but a disadvantage to the people. As the Bill stands at present the farming industry is to be exempt from the operation of the court, though whether that exemption will stand when the House divides on the question has yet to ho seen. But other industries remain under the court’s jurisdiction, and what has been said of the country workers’ efficiency and production has also been tho burden of the employers’ complaint regarding tho town workers. It is true that one remedy, tho provision for piecework, has not yet been eliminated from the Bill, but that is not to say that it will ultimately bo retained, for on this point Labor has certain obsessions which may result in the most obstinate stonewall of the session when clauses 12, 13, and 14 of the original Bill are reached. The possibilities are that, despite the criticism of our arbitration.system and the sound grounds on which much of that criticism has been based, it will continue very much as before. ; The all-important question will then remain whether many of our industries will be able to hold their own or will decline to vanishing point. "