The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1908. THE WORKERS AND THE ARBITRATION COURT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2127, 28 February 1908, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1908. THE WORKERS AND THE ARBITRATION COURT.

To see ourselves as others see us may not always be pleasant, but it is frequently useful, and under the circumstances it may be well to note some comments that appear in the last number to hand of the Australian “Pastoralists’ Review.” It should first be mentioned that the journal in question is one of ultraconservative tendencies, with a strong antagonism to most of the progressive legislation that has been placed upon our Statute Book. This attitude, liowovor, does not debar tlio “Review” from pointing out some of the weaknesses in our industrial conditions. The article in question reads us follows;

All pretenco of judicial behavior has been thrown off by the workers’ representative on the Conciliation Hoard and Arbitration Court of Now Zealand. The sheepowners of tho Wellington province have been given notice of a claim for higher pay and less work in connection with shearing, and having consideration to tho fact that tho dispute was fostered, if not promoted, by Mr. Andrew Collins, a. member of the Conciliation Board, the employers very properly resolved not to defend the case before that board, but to state the reason for allowing it at that stago to go by default, and reserve their evidence for the higher tribunal, the Arbitration Court. From his place on the Bench, Mr. Collins admitted having organised the union, but denied having taken any part in formulating the shearers’ demands, and declared that had lie been consulted ho would have advised tho men to demand 2-le per 100, “the same as in Australia,” instead of 20s per 100 (the New Zealand rate is in addition to accommodation and food). So much for the primary court. But what better prospect has the employer in the Arbitration Court? To this there has recently been elected Mr. R. J. McCullough, one of the promoters ot the Canterbury Farm Laborers’ Union, which is just now, under tho guidance of another agitator, making such a poor showing in its dispute with the farmers. One of the firstpublic acts of this newly-elected judge has been to send an incendiary message to a gathering of the Political Labor League—the most extreme of the New Zealand Labor organisations —practically proclaiming irreconcilable antagonism to everything _ but tlio claims of the 'Labor unions. “Labor c< aquors everything” is the garbled quotation which Mr. McCullough takes, and gives to the union. ,as a watchword. He further exhorted the conference to demand freedom of speech for sill public servants, including, it may be assumed, the Judges of the Supreme Court as well a? the members of the Arbitration Court. These exhibitions should furnish the New Zealand Minister for Labor with valuable suggestions for his Conciliation and Arbitration Act Amendment Bill which he -has announced will he one of the important and urgent measures of the next session of Parliament. To allow matters to'remain as at present would be a graver scandal than that of such utterances as we have quoted being made by persons occupying judicial positions. Without approving the bitterness that our contemporary invariably displays against tlio employees when touching upon labor matters, we must admit that the “’Review” has

hero touched a weak spot in the administration of tllo Arbitration Act. Ic. has been claimed that in the Wellington case the employers also were represented by a proved partisan, but this does not nullify tlio objection raised against Air. Collins. It is in every way desirable tli.it the members of our Conciliation Boards, and still more, those of our Arbitration Court, should be non-partisans. Tlio provision under which they are selected by one side or tlio other is supposed to provide men who are fully acquainted with the facts as they affect the side which lias selected them, but this knowledge should not necessarily be confined to men of the Collins and McCullough typo. To specifically deal with the member of tile Arbitration Court, Mr. AlcCullough is a man respected by all who know him, both for general capacity, honesty of purpose, and fearlessness of cli iraeter, but be lias been known all his life us a most pronounced partisan on the side of labor. AVo shall be agreeably surprised if the now member of the Arbitration Court takes to the deliberations of that important body the judicial faculties that are necessary in the interests of our various industries, and it must ho remembered that once the spirit of partisanship is allowed to dominate our industrial Boards and Court, their usefulness will be almost entirely lost.