RESTLESS LABOUR.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 251, 26 September 1912, Page 5

RESTLESS LABOUR.

EMPLOYERS' VIEW

WHERE ARE THE CONCESSIONS TO END ’

CEASELESS WA TC HIN (<. [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL.] Wellington, Sept. 26. The tenth annual report of the j New Zealand Employers' Eedera-i tion was presented at the Conference in ellington yesterdaj and adopted, It described the year as , "one of great anxiety to employers: of labour and all who have any m- j terest whatever in the welfare of the Dominion. The prevailing industrial; unrest has entailed ceaseless watchi ing on the part of those controlling i the affairs of the country, and the various movements m the Labour world have received the earnest consideration of the advisory board in order to keep members of the federation in touch with whatever movements have been apparent.” i "The 1911 session of Parliament! was responsible for amendments to. the Industrial Con jtliation and Arbitration. Workers' Compensation,! and Mining and Seamens Acts.. Several amendments, which were strongly opposed by the federation. J became law, and while representations to the effect that some at least of the altered conditions would prove impracticable, were ignored. Subsequent experience has proved the correctness of the views then expressed. The conversion of industrial agrements into awards and Dominion award provisions had proved inoperative, and will require to be considerably altered before they can be put into effective opera-; tion. !

WORKERS' LEGISLATION.

"The amendments to the Workers’ Compensation Act providing an extension of the definition of "worker” : liability for medical attendance to the extent of £1 in all cases of accident ; the liability of an employer notwithstanding the serious and wilful misconduct of the worker, and the inclusion of domestic servants under the Act have resulted in accident insurance premiums being increased by 121 per cent. —a

further tax upon employers of Labour of at least £l5OO per annum. "The Mining Bill included a clause aimed at the contract system in mines and its deletion was only se-i cured after a long and strenuous fight. Indirectly this clause affected the farming, flaxmilling. sawmilling, and coalmining interests. "The Shipping and Seamen’s Bill i did not contain any provisions seri- 1 ously detrimental to New Zealand! shipowners, but as it contained a! clause affecting the rates c-f wages, io be paid cn foreign-going ships: while on the New Zealand coast, it had to await the Royal Assent before becoming law.” THE ARBITRATION COURT.

“Proposals contained in the Budget dealing with amendments to the Arbitration Act were received with considerable concern by employers generally. The proposed alteration let the constitution of the Court was ' i such that the federation could not j do other than oppose it. Represen'jtations have been made to the 'I Minister cf Labour in this conneci tion. and the appearance cf the Bill 'j itself is being awaited before de- ' i finite action is taken in connection ' therewith. ’ "The Minister has intimated his intention to amend the Shops and | Offices Bill, and it has been decided j to take advantage of the proposal to make representations to secure some ' very much-needed alterations in the interests of employers and shop- | keepers generally. UNREALISED HOPES. “It was hoped that the new Parliament would have recognised the necessity for a rest from the continuous changes in industrial legislation. and the imposition of further burdens upon the trades and industries of the Dominion, but the indi-j cations that it is proposed to intro- j i duce several measures beyond those I before mentioned seem to afford reason for the fear that the 1 expressed hopes will not be realised. The continual tinkering- with our industrial legislation and the ever-in-creasing burdens being placed upon employers is having a detrimental effect upon the expansion of our industries and the investment of capital which, is needed for their development. and it is strongly recommended that representations should be made to the Government that assurance should be given that, for j some time .at any rate, only amend-! moots necessary for the better ad- h ministration of the present- Labour! laws of the Dominion will be made. '] PEACE AFAR OFF. ' ] "The wave of industrial unrest ! which is passing ever the world at | the present time affords scope for much consideration. While it has to be conceded that in ether countries there is room for considerable'! improvement in the conditions of i Labour, it would appear as if the ; remedies of these evils in New Zea- < land has brought us no nearer indus- < trial peace. During the year the 1 tear the Couociliation Commission-' rrs have a 1! been kept busy dealing with so-called disputes, and there, has been no appreciable diminution of the number cf cases dealt with by the Arbitration Court. "A rt view of the industrial situ-’ at ion in New Zealand shews that although practieall.v nil the disad- t vantages workers labour under in '' the Gi.l Pierid countries have been ! made impossible by the Dominion’s-' humane and beneficent (if net in J s.mtc measure grandmatherly legislation). there has been comparative- ‘ ly more real industrial unrest in this' (-..marry during the past year than'a in other countries where the same 1 amount of so-called ".advanced’’: c legislation has not been effected. s Such a state of affairs makes 11:<• question "where are concessions to j end very apropos at the present t juncture cf affairs.’' CLOSE UP THE RANKS. :i "In conclusion, the report states ; x that : "The organised forces arrayed a

i against us which aim at the comi plete annihilation of the employing | class make it quite evident that , more money and more men must be provided if employers’ interests are to be adequately protected. That being so the call has come to effectively dose up our ranks, and the Advisory Boaid looks with confidence for a response that will enable the federation to do even better i work in the future than it has been ] able to achieve in the past."

The Advisory Board does not attach much importance to tiie report of the Cost of Living Commission. Those employers who did give evidence in most eases tendered statements under compulsion, and in these circumstances the value of the reports must be considerably diminished.

The levies made at the last annual meeting have been sufficient for all requirements. The net income for the .year was £983, and the expenditure £927. The present credit balance is £3lB.