LABOUR AND COMMERCE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 167, 29 June 1912, Page 4

LABOUR AND COMMERCE

THE NEED FOR AN UNDERSTANDING. REMARKS IN THE CHAIRMAN’S REPORT. In his report to the annual meeting cf the Hastings Chamber of Commerce last evening, the president, Mr. E. H. Williams, in the course of his address referred to the labour question as follows I referred to this question in my last address to yon. Since then labour unrest has become more acute nearly all over the world, and no sooner does one strike die out

than another is commenced, causing bad blood between employer and employee and great distress. The fact that strikes take place shows, as far as New Zealand is concerned, that the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act is no protection to the public, as, for some time past strikes have been allowed to take place without any proceedings being taken under the Act against the strikers. In New Zealand wc have at least two advanced schools of Labour, namely, the Federation of Labour and the United Labour Party, and I believe I am right in saying that the following are the respective plat-

forms : —The first-named body supports what is known as syndicalism, which favour strikes and the en-

forcement of the demands of the party by force. The United Labour Party, though opposed to the. capitalist, does not favour the methods advocated by the disciples of the Federation of Labour, but hopes by legislative etaactment t’> secure for all the fruity of their owa industry and enterprise. It appears, therefore, that tilo Labour Party- itself is not agreed as to its policy or procedure; but. though we may differ with .its aims, all must respect the attitude of tfeie United Labour Party, which, according to the published utterance, q>f Professor Millq, seeks to obtain what it asks for by constitutional means qnd not by force., , This question ig an important into for all of us, and must not be shirked. Both the capitalist and labpuf . er must dp his sharp .toward* betterment if the existing state things is unsatisfactory. If one resists the other no immediate benefit will result. ‘ . What then does the future ho)d for those who desire to. carry,.oil their avocations in life in a P«K!®able manner? Is it possible to.W?-. rive at a fair basis of settlement Mt ‘ tween capital and labour, or -Wjh those fighting under , the banner « each to continue the antagonism, that is so much in evidence to-day l Some of the mischief may be caused ■■ by the fact that in<. the .UMUft some employers and employee# know little of* each other, and employee ia taught to leek upop,.hia. employer as his natural enemy. . , , Much is being written on the labour question by thoughtful men. of the day, and some hold the view , that the only means by which industrial peaee can be secured is by. A system of co-partnership under proper safeguards between employer and employee. Whether this is to be the solution I cannot say,. but is it not worth trying it as against the -. □resent system under which large bodies of men strike and in effect terrorise the community for the time being. Strikes seldom gain the end- of those responsible for them, but on the contrary result iri much economic waste and great misery for those dependant on the strikers. This must be so, for the strike system is e system of pulling down—fi destructive system, not a constructive system. Whatever the remedy may be, I suggest that Socialism, as it is popularly understood, will not be a cure for the ills we suffer from, and 1

venture to assert that Socialism will not take deep root in New Zealand if the people of New Zealand, are wise enough to develop the country by subdividing the land and putting on it as many bona fide settlers as it will carry. If that was done, it would be well to grant settlors the easiest possible terms, so that the land should be occupied and brought

into profitable use as soon as possible. I venture to think that by this means, and by this means only, will a stable Government be obtained in New Zealand, for useless fad# will find no support from the man who makes his home on the land, and who justly claims that if he works and uses energy and ability in bringing his allotment into profit he is entitled to. all the benefit he can derive therefrom. That class of man is worth his weight in gold to his country. He is engaged in constructive work as against the destructive methods adopted by the man who will not work and endeavours to prevent his fellow man from doing

Mr. A. L. D. Fraser said the labour question was the most important subject referred to in the president’s address and was one which would have to be grappled with with firmness yet with charity to all sections of the community. He took the opportunity of expressing his □pinion that in the immediate future there would have to be a drastic amendment to the present Conciliation and Arbitration Act. In the past the great mass of the people had been amenable to the Act, but the workers had not, and those unions who had come in and taken advantage of the munificent provisions of the law had turned round and struck the hand that gave them. If the Act was to remain on the Statute Book, it should be amended in the direction of providing that anj- member <if a union who went on strike should be disqualified from voting at any municipal or Parliamentary elections for a period commensurate with the gravity of the offence. Punishment by fine or imprisonment was not the way to meet those who defied the Statute. The" matter had now reached the snapping point and needed serious consideration.

Mr. Eustace Lane thought the workers would continue to strive to get as much as they could, and no law or arbitration act would stop them. They might stop when thej,could get nothing more, but disfranchisement would not, in his opinion, have any effect.