The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED DAILY. TUESDAY, JULY 20, 1920. ARBITRATION ON ITS TRAIL.

Gisborne Times, Volume LIII, Issue 5537, 20 July 1920, Page 4

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED DAILY. TUESDAY, JULY 20, 1920. ARBITRATION ON ITS TRAIL.

r ■.. h b- pfeaslcg to le&rn that stems. 4 i topes are now entertained; Vast- a i se'OtJeci'es! may 6e ee2.ck.ed vrith re- * | lerenee a* the rurtlier grave dispute in the cosil-mioiag radnstry. V* ten. * | the origmal dispute hi coa,f j nection with, the mdosiry _ vess r ; ‘■"sett fed’’ 7 ’ some mnaths ago. it was widely believed that the. “settlement ci wo aid prove to be only a temporary 0 : air air. Ic is. at all even ts, sigmfiL ei£t chat there has already been a c- ■ lengthy series or "local" dispates., afi fleeting, in tarn, practically every ... ; Goal-mining district in the Dominion. , r * The national dispute that has now " ; arisen has. seemingly, grown oat or j j the failure, to secure permanent peace iin oon.nect.LoE with the industry. *- Wriat Is at the bottom of the trouble 7 ; iii the fact that the Owners 7 Federai tion and the Miners' Federation do ri not hoM similar view? as to how_ the j cvatsse in the "agreement granting a x percentage increase should be inter- - preted. It is. indeed. _ suggested - that some owners have interpreted I, the clause to the entire satisfaction :r !of the workers, whilst other owners point-blank decline to be bound by '■ : the action of their confreres iu the eo&i-peodactng: business. Until the fail details are disclosed nothing dofinite can. however, be said on this point. An outstanding fact, with ( .v reference to the big dispute, is that i. both -ides have all along adopted a t very determined and very aggressive attitude. On its part, the govern- £ meat has done all in its power to ext cedlr.e an amicable settlement. Mr Massey, for instance. lost ;■ r.o time in making it clear that, when f ; the parties to the dispute came to * | an- understanding as to what matters : ahciti'lci he discussed, he would, if desired. act as chairman of the eon- : re-tenee. He further suggested that. .if the work of the session should z preclude him from taking the i„ ; p'-i'-itinn. he would be agreeable to ;f the appointment of Mr Hally (Con- * efffatx&n Commissioner) in his stead. . A.% far as can he made out the real 1 difference of opinion in connection 2[i with the dispute is one that should, f, j! not occasion, a great amount 01 *!. trouble. Trie employers, it wouia -eem. 'declare that it is only right : that the clause in question be given a literal interpretation. On the other Land the workers aver that, as new conditions have arisen in several districts, it is: impossible for the clause to cover a!! cases to which they desire the clause to apply. | Wat the Miners' Federation cen- | zeii'i. itt brief, fa that, as new mines | have been started since the war. f "there can he no such thing a> .a j pre-war basis; for all mines." As the ■ pre-seat “agreement" has only a few | months to ran the trouble that has | now arisen indicates that the octs c look, fn respect of permanent peace 1 i tor tjie coal-mining industry, is not 1 rosy. It may be recalled that. last - week, the parties to tie dispute got down to vernal grips. Mr Pryor. s on behalf of the Owners' Federation. F enquired from Mr Arbuekle if the Miners’ Federation suggested that * . the settlement or the dispute should t resolve it-.elr into a trial of strength. : : say by the adoption of the go-slow ' 1 policy, which could only bring about-• r t J disastrous re.-alts, to the rest of the community. The reply given by Mr Arbnekle was. certainly, far from conciliatory. ‘lf." he'said, “the] > only way for the miners to get their rights is by means of a trial of strength, then let it come, for the Federation Is determined to have its i rights!” Surely the government must realise that if ike Owners’ Fed- ’ oration and the Miners' Federation j are allowed to go on quarrelling it ) wIU mean that Vue public will 'coni' imue to be the greatest sufferers? Everything will now depend on the results of the conference which has been fixed for Saturday next. It is. we think, beyond dispute that ,nonr.al i.,nre.—i m far too rife in this Dominion to-day. and is hamper- " ing the reconstruction made necessary j on account of the war. The govern- * menc. we feel, should take a arm i .'tand on rise matter: it should insist ' that the law providing for the settle- : rnc-nt of all disputes by arbitration ■ shall be upheld. It it displays weakness in this matter, it is certain that the doctrine of direct- action in the) settlement of industrial troubles will continue to gain adherents in this I country. Look at what is transpiring in Australia in connection with the shearers’ dispute! 'Whilst both’ employers and workers in every in- : dustry are justly entitled to all that , is right a claim by cither side that'] it will not bo content- with less than ; it demands should not. and is not ; likely ip he. accepted by the public, j But a section of the shearers in A us- ! has had the effrontery ] to declare that it will add 10 per emit j to its wages demands for every week. ( or portion of a week, that the pastor- j aiists delay in conceding their de- j mnnds! The threat by the Miners' > Federation in this Dominion—that it I is determined to have its demands no- : copied—is equally obnoxious. Things .* have, surely not come to such a pass J in this Dominion that a righteous j cause is likely to suffer bv being re- { ferred to the Arbitration Court or a ; special tribunal ? I ■--Lgm.—T: =saae rj~?=r 1