DOMINION’S PROGRESS

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVIII, 23 January 1928, Page 8

DOMINION’S PROGRESS

INDUSTRIAL LEGISLATION. EFFECT OF ARBITRATION COURT NEW ZEALAND DELEGATES’ STATEMENTS. (By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright). Received January 21, 12.25 p.m. HOBART, Jan. 21. Professor Tocker, of New Zealand, during a discussion by the economic section at the Science Congress of the merits and demerits of the arbitration system in Australia and New Zealand, said that unemployment in New Zealand had been very severe in the last two years, partly owing to the depression caused by the heavy fall in prices and exports. This had added force to certain criticisms of the State regulation of industrial relations. Last year a bill was introduced by the Government to amend the law, but protests from both employers and trade unions caused most of it to be withdrawn pending an inquiry into the operation of compulsory arbitration. Professor Tocker went on to outlino the salient points of the inquiry into the net material production in New Zealand. He said that at least 70 per cent, was primary production for export. The trade unions as a whole had enrolled only one quarter of the wage earners iu New Zealand and these were largely iu sheltered Industrie's not meeting with oversea competition. The system of compulsory arbitration was almost confined to manual workers in sheltered industries, but the standards laid down tended to become standards for many employments beyond the immediate scope of the court, and tho farmers found that they had to give similar rates and conditions.

The court had adopted the cost of living as a basis and had a stereotyped standard of living. It had not succeeded in preventing strikes, partly because certain militant unions chose to remain beyond its scope. The court operated over that part of industry. where it was not required to prevent industrial strikes, but it failed to operate where it was not required. For that purpose it had fostered unionism rather than mutual agreement.

Professor Tocker thought the disappearance of sweating and tho improvement in conditions generally were due to the increase in prosperity, rather than to the court. A critical time had come with a fall of 20 per cent in the prices in the biggest export industries. Professor Fish, of New Zealand, said that the arbitration system to some degree was responsible for the higher cost of living, but it would be risky to make drastic changes in tho industrial legislation in Australia and New Zealand where the system of arbitration was so firmly established. Mr Malcolm Fraser, the New Zealand Government Statistician, said that the object of arbitration in the Dominion was to incroaso wages.—Press Association.