JUDGE BACKHOUSE'S REPORT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11724, 5 August 1901, Page 6

JUDGE BACKHOUSE'S REPORT.

in We have already given by cable a summary jg of the report of Judge Backhouse on the JS : working of the Conciliation and Arbitration i- Act of Now j Zealand. From the report pub--3S lished in the Sydney Morning Herald we a > make the following extracts: Commislt sioner says that the evidenco . could not be 'e taken with that strictness which prevails in a is court of justice, and it took more the converse sational than the recognised form, matter d being frequently introduced which - had little i- f,o do with the inquiry. The notes taken ran into over 2200 folios. He called upon about i- 150 people in all. It was his desire to get n opinions from representative men in all walks (1 of life, and amongst those whom he saw were d members of the Ministry, legislators, judges, ■r members of the Arbitration Court, members 0 of Conciliation Boards, Government officials, >, chairmen of chambers of commerce, bankers e and managers of financial institutions, manu- -. facturers, solicitors, mining managers, and the i- representatives of labour in each town where i s he stayed. The experiencfe of the shipping d companies was favourable. The clothing ine dustries, although awards regulated them, s were in a high state of activity. The boot t trade, however, was an exception. Here there e had not been the advance which one would t have expected from the general expansion in > ; other industries. The boot manufacturers s had been working under an award for some i. years. This expired last year, when there h' was a fresh reference, which finally came beta, ford .the Court in April last. It would cert. tainly appear that the conditions imposed had ~ been such that this particular trade had not g shared in the general prosperity. The conj I: elusion of the Commissioner was that the a ' conditions under which the industry was |_ worked were such that, notwithstanding the J. protection given to it, it was not able to ° hold its own with foreign competition. u The Commissioner, .speaking of the effect (> of the working of the Act as far as the genes' ral public is concerned, says: "The effect e of the working of the Act has been ung doubtedly to make the public to pay gener- .. ally more for the products of an industry s which has been regulated by a Board or the . Court, when the tariff is high enough, or . other conditions occur to prevent foreign , competition. I have already pointed out that a in the boot trade the conditions imposed are . such that outside producers are able to leap t the tariff fence, and a member of the House 3 of Representatives said to me, 'If the pre- .' sent duties are done away with, the Act may i as well be repealed as far as raising wages t in #he manufacturing industries is concern- , od.' The coal mine owners agreed upon an 1 advance in price when the cost of hewing , waa raised, and the flourmillers noted simi- ; larly. Building has become more expensive, and in this trade the contractors at first made ; very little opposition to the claims for ad- . vance in wages, secure, as they considered . themselves, in the ability to pass on the . extra cost of construction to those who rer quired their services. Now, however, they . arc of opinion that the •tendency-of the , awards is likely to narrow the scope of their . business, and they are making efforts to op- ; pose more effectually the demands of the men. Cost of living, particularly rent, is . becoming dearer, I was informed; but I : should say that my experience of hotels was . that they are no more expensive than those . of New South Wales."