THE ARBITRATION SYSTEM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13723, 13 April 1908, Page 5

THE ARBITRATION SYSTEM.

mm | #£* ' AMENDMENT DESIRABLE, m- — f, SPEECH by prime minister. !§!p i "| ' [BT 'TELEGRAPH.PRESS ASSOCIATION". Pr-#;-' • Kaitanoata. Sunday. K . , Tan Prime Minister, at the invitation of the Coal Miners' Union, delivered a political address in Kaitangata last night, the Mayor (Mr. Yates) presiding. Sir : Joseph dealt at some length with ihe arbitration and conciliation system, I > his remarks on the subject being very • much on the lines of his Auckland speech. The whole trouble under the arbitration Iv;. system, he said, was that it brought every man who was working for a living* under ■ an award to a dead level. If a man was a good worker he could not earn more ' than an inferior one, with the result that iv f the man who wanted, in the same time %?;••• by the exercise of his superior skill or : better education, to earn more (ban the f§s" man who was not. so skilled, could not *"do so. For that reason, he considered the country wanted a more perfect system of arbitration and conciliation. The law r). required amending and improving. The £§£ sooner the people discussed 1 lie mat- /■ ter with their representatives and among themselves the sooner would the country f:': / arrive at an improved system of arbitration and conciliation. They could not ! 'f : _ have a law on ;he Statute Hook to pre- ' vent strikes, and side by side with it have strikes going on, notwithstanding the law. In the present trouble on the West Coast ~ the Government had not interfered since ;the decision of the Arbitration Court, and did not intend to interfere. The Government was prepared to improve the system %. of arbitration and conciliation, though so long as the law stood as 't was at pre- ; sent it must be obeyed, and if either side, disrespected it. no one need step in and £v', ask the Government to help. "he Government would not do it because it would be <• dishonourable thing to do. At the conclusion of the address, Mr. J. Mosley moved, "That this meeting expresses its thanks to Sir Joseph Ward for his address, and it.* continued confidence in him and in the Government he represents," tlva motion being carried without dissent.

On Monday the Prime Minister will yisit Lawrence.