THE SOCIAL PROBLEM.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVI, Issue XLVI, 26 January 1911, Page 3

THE SOCIAL PROBLEM.

PESSIMISTIC OUTLOOK. INDUSTRIAL LAWS KEVIEfWKT). EXPERIMENTS THAT HAVE -FAILED. In a .pnpcr Toad before the Social and .Statistical Science section of the Australasian Association for t!• *-"* -<^ f ~ vanceaicnt of Science. Mr 11. Y. Braddon, (Dalgety & Co.) discussed in a comprehensive fashion the working of the compulsory, principle in the settlement of industrial disputes in legislation passed by the Commonwealth Parliament.( and by the Parliaments of New South Wales, Victoria, and New Zealand. Mr Braddon said that after experience of the compulsory principle, extending over about 16 years in New Zealand. 14 i n Victoria, and nine in New South "Wales it should now be possible to make some definite statement as to it s utility as a solvent of industrial strife. If the relations between employers and employed are distinctly less happy than they were 20 years ago. we must search for the reasons in directions other than a change of the human nature on either sice. TSIED AND FOUND WANTING.

The compulsory Arbitration Acts had been passed, and had had a material effect in altering industrial relations for the worse. The transition from Freetrade New South Wales to the Federal Customs duties in 19GU had added verj' greatly in thi s State to the cost of living, and this in turn had. naturally enough, led to repeated demands for increased wages. Higher prices for many commodities were, no doubt, world-wide . but for this State the change had been sharper than, for instance, in Victoria, where heavy duties prevailed prior to federation. Under the spread of education, mostly compulsory and free, many of the children of the manual worker were acquiring ideas trhith rendered them uneasy in the hurrbler roles of life; and the spread oi; Socialistic doctrine was adding t.i the general feeling of discontent. The idea was growing among the employees that their share 0 f the wealth produced in the industries wa s disproportionately small. The political successes of the Labour Pjirty had encouraged more insistent demand? frcm. employees; and if these demands had been sometimes overdone, it was only because, as Von Bunsen ■jut ft, "there is an inherent tendency in man to drive his .pretensions to inordinate lengths.''

EMPLOYEE'S POSITION. On the other side stood the employer, aghast at the increasing momentum of the workers' claims — frightened to make any concession, because experience showed that ii would be construed as weakine'ss. leading to still further demands. The employer resented the one-sided action of the statutes; in that Ire must obey, while the men, if their numbers were considerable,', frequently declined to accept an award which they deemed insufficiently ous. To the -argument that the" em ployer. if tire conditions did not suit, eould give up hi s business, it migh.. be replied that, in the average in dustfial concern, that was not prae ticable. There were current cpntracts for raw materials and ' for output, and the employer's capital was sunk in hi s buildings, plant and stock. He could not suddenly determine to close down, without facing ruin; whereas the men, in an -undersupplied labour market, could usually find employment elsewhere —or, '.at rhe worst, subsist on "strike, pay" ur-til the difference was settled. The reputable employer -also felt some ir.-justice in the consciousness that "compulsory" arbitration legislation was brought in mainly to check the "sweating" practices of a few employers—practices the reputable nien had always" condemned, and never himself .permitted. Ready to deal directly and reasonably with* his own particularly employees, he found it difficult to accommodate himself to negotiation with the foreign union s.-eretary—who, rightly or wrongly, was regarded a s a paid agitator. ARBITRATION MACHINERY AND ITS RESULTS. Mr Braddon proceeded to review, .'n outline, the arbitration machinery of the Comomnwealthr, of New SoutlWales, Victoria, and New. Zealand, and to show the results as actually experienced. Dealing first with the Common wealth legislation, he said the decisions recorded during a .period of increasing prosperity Had been in favour of the employee in the sense > uf increased wages. The question" therefore arise s whether the Act had •under the circumstances been really tested. Probably not. h: Experience other directions led to the inevitable conclusion that the penal provisions of the Act would not deter nien from striking—as, for instance, the slvearers—if an award should prove adverse to their claims. No Act or penalty would hold any considerable number of employees to their Courtdifined task, if they quarrelled with the terms. ..... The outlook in New Zealand was distinctly gloomy: and on the industrial horizon of the Dominion loomed a cloud larare as a man's hand. It looked as if the period of'expansion was ended; and it was said the industries could not stand added burdens. Meantime the unions, led bySocialistic agitators, continued to insistently make demands. Nothing was more likely in the early future than nt; open defiance of the Act, and a leneral resort to strikes. Already ~uany unions were cancelling their registrations under the Act —in itself ar ominous sign. On their side the BUILDING THE HOME. HOW YOUNG WIVES GO WRONG. In the first flush of married happiness mistakes are often made —mistakes that it is difficult at times to rectify, and that may do far-reaching injury to promising young lives. The wife newly wed is sadly prone to forget how mucn her happiness "will depend on her cooking. She has troubled her head so little about domestic science that she doesn't even know poison from food in certain cases. Sne does not know, for instance, that to use inferior or impure baking-powder in her cookery is to embark upon a career of slow poisoning.

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employers would almost welcome ar. upheaval—in th e hope that some unknown good might come out of it-.. 1 They were tired of the restrictive conditions, the multiplied awards the redueed output per man, and th't continuous s-Tir.veillance by Government inspectors and union secretaries. Both sides seemed to be girding foi a fight on a large scale. . . . ATTITUDE OF THE UNIONS. The awkward features about the present position was the attitude oi the unions. In order to preserve the spirit of unionism they discouraged the preference of tire individua c worker; -and they desired that employees should negotiate through tht uhion rather than direct with the masters. iWhile coal-miners, slvear-; ers, type-setters, and some others were satisfied with the piecework basis, in other directions unionism work--•d hard to «et it aside, probably because of the latent fear that i! ■night lead to pace-setting. THE OLD BASIS OONE. Any reversion to the oleler basis of Freetrade in labour is unlikely. 'Che unions were here, many of tlvem created under the Arbitration, ; Acts; aid they were here, to stay, ~ with their collective bargaining. To-day ihe unions had political power behind them; but even if they h-ad not. it was doubtful whether the old basis could be restored. ■ In ah oversupplied labour market a proportion cf the masters would be certain to re--s;:jne something" in the 1 nature .- oi "sweating,'' taking advantage' of the men's necessity. In an under-, supplied labour market a propcrtior of the men were bound to pres s their claims unreasonably far. Tlve situarion to-day wa s one of under-supply. The unions knew this; and while tl.ey retained political power they were unlikely to allow anything greatly to x change matters.