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Hokitika Guardian, 21 November 1927, Page 4

Other countries which are nt least as prosperous as New Zealand, and in which the condition of the worker is at least as pood as the condition of the New Zealand worker, have not found it necessary to maintain a tribunal for the fixing of wages or even machinery for the settlement of disputes. in those countries the skilful and industrious worker and the skilful and progressive employer receive; their reward and this would happen in New Zealand if statutory wagefixing was abolished and the State contented itself with only so much, power of intervention as is conferred upon it by the Labour Disputes Investigation Act. In the meantime the conference of Chandlers ot Commerce,- if it does not care to advocate the abolition of wage-fixing. Might to support the Bill now before Parliament and urge- the Government to provide that no award of the Court shall direct that preference be granted ,to unionist's; Christchurch ‘ ‘Press. ’ ’

When all is said and done, we fear that no Arbitration Act or Court can overcome one of the great causes of the present industrial trouble, which is the wide discrepancy between the wages that can he made in rural and urban industries. While the Dominion has a tisrol policy which shelters certain industries and cannot shelter others, this difficulty will continue. This policy, assisted by the Arbitration Act, has the effect of attracting labour to the cities and driving it from the country. A very big question indeed is here involved. Confining ourselves, however, for the present to the Arbitration Act we feel strongly that instead of repealing it and abolishing the Court an effort should be made to revise it and meet tlie objections that have been raised.— “ Taranaki Herald.”