ESTABLISHED 1866. The Marlborough Express. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 1914. UNREASONABLE DEMANDS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVIII, Issue 111, 13 May 1914, Page 4

ESTABLISHED 1866. The Marlborough Express. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 1914. UNREASONABLE DEMANDS.

■Mr Massey is to be congratulated upon the nrmness, accompanied, as it vei-y; propel ly was, by all due courtesjj which cliaa'acterised his attitude, >; on the various matters brought^''before liim last weeli by a deputation appointed by the Arbitratioii Unions' Conference recently held in Wellington. As our readers ai-e aware, Pailianient passed last session, by a majority of 54. to 4, a measure known as the Labor Disputes Investigation Act. To certain provisions in this measure grave objection was taken by members of the deputation. Under-the new Act special provisions aro made for dealing with strikes by, or look-outs affectwiifl? workers who a>re not members of arbitration unions. It is ' thoi'ofore somewhat curious, as the Prime Minister reminded the deputation, that* objection should be taken to its provisions by representatives; of the arbitration unions. Allowing, however, that point to pass without further comment, Mr Massey proceeded to declare that the Act should be given .a /fair trial, and although lie did not wa/n-t, lie sadd, to see the opportunity arise, still if occasion did demand the operation of the Act, it would certainly be administered. The Act a-pplies to unions of employees and employers, and to lock-outs as well as to strikes. When .either a strike or a Tock-out is . contemplated a certain number of da.ys' notice must be given to the Minister for Labor before such strike or lock-out takes place. The Minister j may then refer the matter to the ■ Conciliation Commissioner, or may j set up a Labor Disputes Investigation ; Committee, consisting of representatives of both parties to the dispute in question. In oases of inability to settle the dispute a secret ballot of members of the union, or of , employers, is then to be taken. Then, i it' a strike or lock-out, as the case may be, is decided upon by a majority

of those concerned on either side, it' is not illegal. As. may be seen, the object o'i the Act is to prevent a minority of either employees or employers from rushing their fellows into a strike or lock-out without sufficient and careful consideration. The Act does not, as we pointed out at the time of its introduction List year, rob the workers'-in-any trade or.industry of-tine right to.strike, nor does it prevent the employers in an industry from declaring a lock-out. But it does ensure that there slhall \ be no such reckless plunging of hundreds or thousands of workers into industrial strife—-without the desires oif each and every worker being first ascertained by secret ballot —such, as has only too lamentably | and too frequently been the case in the past. It is for this reason that we cordially approve of Mr Massey's plainly expressed: determination to stand by the Act and to enforce its provisions when its ioperation may be found necessary.- ■ Another point :b!%a'glit up by the. deputation had->-■ reference-• to the lnuch-disciissed- question of cancellation of registration by unions registered under..-the'mainArbitration Act. The conference "'Represented' by the deputation had passed the following resolution :—' 'That .where ; a union decides by majority Vote, as required by the Act, to cancel its registration,, it shall not lose its legal status thereby, and it shall not be competent for that union or any other union in the same industry in the same district to be registered without the consent of - the said union." Mr Massey pointed out that; what the deputation suggested was that if a union should camcel its registration ..under the Arbitration Court no other union should be allowed to, register without ifche consent of a majority of the members of the union which had just cancelled its registration. One of the leaders of. the"deputation • having stated "that is practically the proposal," . theJPrime Minister remarked : "f thiiiik/you are going rather too far when you suggest that no other set of men should; have the right to register without the consent of the men who have decided to cancel tiheir registration" ; -and a long* discussion ensued, in the course, of Which Mr Massey made it clear thaifc he Was not in favor of allowing one set of-•men. engaged in any 'rparticulair industry and who chose to cancel their registration and coase: work,.' to prevent others in the' same iindustry from forming a< new union.-.1 a hd'' concluding ,a new agreetiient ivith the employers. To ihis-decision^ we; trust the Prime Minister will 'staiid:-fit'm during the coming session/ Another proposal by the deputatiori to Hvhibli exception was taken by Mr; Massey related to the employment of, Union funds ' for political purposes. '.. The proposal was .that a--union should' be permitted to engjage in political action subject to the control of a ballot of its members. Mi Massey :'What does political action mean? J Does it mean the expenditure of funds? Mr Read: Necessarily so. A related proposal ,was- that unions

might give; financial assistance tc candidates: if & majority of those members so desired. He submitted that Labor aspirations would thus be afforded a legitimate pwtlet, and further that the funds of a. corporate body were no longer to be regarded; as-;,individual property. / Some union might desire to 'support the Reform pairijr; ' , '.''' '" , ■ Mr Massey,:;,Quite likely. Mr Head: A'n«i<some members of the Union. mi^t*: 'Be Scfoial.'Demo- . , eratv '■■•.';'■.-"' '** >'''■'■":'■■■ ' '":' '■'■.'' Mr Massey: Quite likely. Do you think it would be fair that the money these; Social Democrats have provided should be used1 to support the Reform party? •• .:-- Mr Read.saidi.vhe.- thought it fair that a majority should decide the matter. IBYom the attitude of the Prime Minister on this.'''question, of permitting union funds to be employed tc further political vqa;mpaigns we gather •tihat there is little chance of the deputation's . vi?M rs•',.. receiving the favorable oodisideration of the Government. We Should, certainly be niucli disappointed if it /sere to prove otherwise.. For what; the /deputatjoTi 'desires to' see brought"about is nothing1 mos-e or'-legs'.'.-thain a..system tinder; which a mifld^ity of the workers in any lndusifa'y-^migM I>e compelled by a majority to subscribe fundls for the furbherjuice of. pplitioal objects tc 'whiqh that minority' might be .most Htteirly 6pposetl. ..This was the point which Was Gettled in Great Brita in 'by-the famous Osborne Judgment, by which it was laid down that the principle that a majotrity. could compel a minoritVi to subscribe moneys to a political (^mpaigii| of .which it disapproved was utterly vicious and legallj untenable. A Wellington contemporarj points out that "while the law thus rocogni^es the benefits of trades unionism, it i@ quite another matter to claim that privileges granted' to trades unions should1 be made a means of political tyranny and oppression. A man might %villinglv contribute his weekly payment-i to the funds of his . union for trades union purposes, and yet; resent with all- the forco of his manhood the diversiqiti of those funds to serve a] political purpose entirely alien to his sympathies a/nd convictions. A Labor■ union, as its name implies, is an industrial, not a political orgainisaition, and no imipnist should be deprived; ;of the privilege, which every ojher member .of the community enjoys, of exercising his individual judgment where his political convictions are concerned." The Prime Miaister is, We feel certain, in perfect "syniriathy with all legitimate' and reasonable aspirations of. organised Lab^-r; but he rightly takes up the position that minorities hp,ve their rights^ and also, which is equally important, that in dealing with vindustrial' matter's 'Ministers and Pnirlk.ment must "properly give consideration to the ■ rights atnd interests and general welfare'of the community n.t la.rfto, rnt merely of one section thereof! The- Prim'^ Minister's firm yet courteous' attitude on ihe> various questions referred-to''by the deputation is one of hiappy augury for the future. - ■ ■ ._^ jmll ~ u