Nelson Evening Mail THURSDAY, MAY 21, 1936 NOT OBLIVIOUS OF CRITICISM

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXX, 21 May 1936, Page 6

Nelson Evening Mail THURSDAY, MAY 21, 1936 NOT OBLIVIOUS OF CRITICISM

THERE has been criticism of some of Uie Government’s labour legislation on the ground that portions of it will react upon those whom it is designed to benefit. Reduced hours, basic rates of pay, compulsory unionism, and othei provisions aimed to assist the employee, regardless of their ultimate effect upon all employees in the shape of increased prices and more unemployment, may have serious repercussions. This vie*/ lias been expressed by members of the Opposition and by a large section of tiie unbiassed press. It is satisfactory to learn that the Government, in some degree, lias not been unheedful of the criticism although it is insisting- upon the passing of the major provisions of its legislation. First, it agreed in response to strong representations, that the main provisions of its three most important Labour Bills should not become operative until Ist September. These Bills are the Shops and Offices Amendment, the Factories Act Amendment, and the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act Amendment. “We do not want to be unreasonable in the matter,” declared the Minister of Labour (the Hon. 11. T. Armstrong). “By postponing the operation of hours clauses until the Ist September, we will be giving the employers ample time to lodge their objections. There will be ample time, too, for the Court to hear objections.” The concession has been welcomed, but the dice is still loaded against the employer. The legislation is one-sided and the employer is singled out unreasonably as the defendant ail tlie time. Nevertheless, the Government is to be commended for its admission that it was acting with ruthless haste even though the possibility of grave reactions still exist.

Another indication that the Government is not so definitely obstinate as at first appeared to be indicated, is afforded by the announcement made by the Leader of the Legislative Council (tho lion. Mark Fagan), in moving the second reading of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act Amendment Bill, that the Government intends to amend the measure in the direction of removing the restriction of the application of awards and industrial agreements in cases where work was not carried on foj the primary gain of the employer.

This decision, if adopted, will remove . one of the most criticised sections of the j Bill. Then again, in justification, of criticism we have the remarks on the same Bill by the Hon. J. A. McCullough, one j of tlic new Government appointees to the Council, a Labour stalwart of days ; gone by, and a former representative of the workers*the Arbitration Court. While supporting the Bill as a whole, Mr McCullough expressed doubts similar to those we have given utterance to. Io quote the report of his remarks: He was not at all satisfied that the Bill had not rebounded too fast, and too far, and that it did not in its present form, contain clauses that might prove to be inimical t.o those whom it primarily sought to benefit. The honourable gentleman added that iic could see a danger that compulsory unionism might lead to the enthroning of a powerful plutocracy of officialdom that might bo tempted to put their own comfort and the emoluments of office

before that of the organisation whom they were elected to serve. At the same time he hoped time would prevent his fears from being realised, and he said he would vote for the Bill “because it would tend to even up the difference between the good employer and the unscrupulous employer.” There is no doubt tile unscrupulous employer has a great deal to answer for. The good employer and those members of the community who have been alarmed at the Government’s seeming utter disregard of criticism—even if the criticism is friendly and constructive —will be to some extent relieved to find that despite its numerical strength in Parliament, the Government is not completely oblivious of views which might differ from its own.