CANTERBURY EMPLOYERS ASSOCIATION.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CVI, Issue 12569, 2 August 1901, Page 3

CANTERBURY EMPLOYERS ASSOCIATION.

After the annual report had been adopted at the meeting of the Canterbury Employ ers' Association : -on' Wednesday- night, several papers were rend, and.various mat-fes;-of importance were;discussed. -:. " ,! 'Mr T. Banks read a paperonthe rela%iU conditions of labour and "material, to: Wfinhhed article, in which 'he-said, that up'.to the present': time t"he ; colony had ; . scarcely had sufficient . cxpedenc* in: sending away the results of its industries or the . utilisation of its by-products. In this respect New'., Zealand could tako, «amplo ■from America, where, tha', Government Icstered the' growth of industries, and, .where they -wore mi. hampered' with ./legislation; which interfered with the law of supply and demand. . To compare, with .the:, world's standard, they must work at a -higher speed, and musb"tu^' y o&t/'*^rf«riorvarticJe.;: l ;.To do this they must- not? be hampered by oppressive labour laws, 'and it' ; was' ■ difficult to see at".present'what would b? the. result of some of the present, legislation. '■'•.' •Mr A. W.. Beaven read a paper on. " Holidays," in which he called attention to the fact that the' proposed legislation was in' the direction of granting more, holidays, than were being asked for by employees, and this would, have the, effect-, of hampering industries, and in tin end must tend to r?-. duceir.wages,'.as an attempt:was being made to rriako employers' pay for days when no work was/done, and on which, of course, there was no .output from, the factories. This must, in time, reduca the general .output of products, and would stifle, enter-' prise. The trend of the present labour leaders was net how to-utilise labour to better advantage, but more how to,abstain from labour. 'The leaders of the Trades and Labour Council asked that as shop' assistants were paid for holidays,, the. workers should also be paid for holidays/ignoring the.'facfcthat shop assistants were not paid overtime, while \infhei case of'holidays for workers there. iwas, no production. Mr R. M. Macdonald gave a short address on ■.accident insurar.'C-?, 'in which he contended that the new Act went.too far. .The :: Acfc was very, cviuk', ar.d as-far as he ■icould see, all accidents during working Svould have to be' paid- for -by cm""pioyers, as the only, reservation was.in the case-'of "wilful misconduct,"'.whatever that might mean. It would.' be nocessai'y for employers to combine and keep down the tariff, which the present' Association 'had really been the ._ means of- breaking' down.' There;,.had recently ,beea,some cutting en. tne part of. insurance companies hei-e, and the rates had to:en. steadily . falling. The legislation on the part of tlie Government was very necessary. He read a bond which had been-entered into by a number of'the members of the Association to'share their liability .in cases of accident. 'He explained the advantages to be gained by joining in such a bond,: and maintained that it-would pay the members better t» join in such a bond than to insure with any outside company, as accident insurance was different to any other class of,insurance business, as the liability to accident was nob great,"and the claim's were mostly small, provided they kept clear of shipping and mining risks. , Mr j\ M. Taylor congratulated Mr Macdonald on having been the Initiator of the scheme which, had really been the means: of breaking 'down the tariff, not .'only in Canterbury, • but in other parts-of the . colony, and this had done good solid work for'the employers. ■ .._ In reply to a question as to whether itwas the "intention of the Association to carry on an accident insurance business, he said that the bond was started in a small way, and it might be'come a big thing in the" future. In the meantime he advised all who were not insured to sign the deed. A. heartv vote of thanks having been, carried to "Mr. Frostick for the able and comprehensive presidential address which he had delivered, that gentleman,' in replying, referred to the accident insurance question, .pointing out that the rates had fallen during the°past. fortnight, and yet the Government could give a large commission and alarge discount, and it would not take risks ,at a rate which would be likely to result in any loss, and, therefore, the members of the Association! ought not. to" be afraid to go into the matter themselves. .He concluded, by urging that the- inembers. should pay a much higher subscription, in order that a thoroughly competent organising secretary might be secured, with the ability and leafniing of a Supreme Court Judge, to watch the'interests of members.