EMPLOYERS' ASSOCIATION

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 147683, 31 August 1911, Page 6

EMPLOYERS' ASSOCIATION

— — t THE LABOUR OUTLOOK, . . ; iHARASSED CAPITAL. , NEED FOR - ORGANISATION. '-V The tenth annual meeting of the Auckland Provincial Employers' Association was held '"- f yesterday afternoon. Mr. D. Goldie prasided, and 25 other members were present. K • The annual report stated that "The pro-' ' ' visions of the amending Act of 1908 relate ing to Conciliation Councils had afforded J|p ample opportunity for labour agitators' to X create • an ever-increasing 'number' of dis- "% putes, Iso that large employers' of labour were being inundated by awards, each imposing a separate set of working conditions ■ for different sections'of workers. It wad practically impossible for such employ era h' £1 to avoid inadvertently committing technical broaches of these numerous awards. Employers were constantly being harassed, by • charges brought against them in the Magistrate's Court, and efforts should be made,.',. | to have the Act amended so as to remove, the hearing of such cases to the Court of Arbitration, so as to ensure to employer* 1 a mora equitable interpretation of. thg v ; awards." * ; ''-v'*' v;l Preparing to Strike. ' * Many unions had cancelled their registry lion under the Arbitration Act. The t>b4 vious intention of that action was to enable T them, without fear of breaking the law, to resort to the ; barbarous method of strikes i - should the employers fail to grant ail their ; requirements. The importance of all cm-, plovers acting in concert when dealing with j'i disputes 'before Conciliation Councils would.' help to avoid the " insertion of undesirable clauses in the : recommendations of 'th«l|p: Council. ■ • Trouble ,With Apprentices. : "' . In regard to apprentices it was urged '. that the law should bo so amended as real ] eonably to protect employers against having, .1 to pay the apprentice for time lost through L alleged sickness and . through; malingering/|l§| Provision should be made for the Court cancel the apprenticeship for valid reaami|®E notably where an employer was unablo® continue his duty to the apprentice.', .In*' numerable cases were on record in which employers had suffered loss and inconveni* *' enco through thsir inability to get rid ofi g® | malingering and worthless apprentices. Thd continuous efforts made by workers' unions} to obtain provisions in awards - for liinitation in the number of apprentices allowable called for strong opposition from all inter* ested employers. • f? TP»,; An Absurd Piece of Legislation^ ' The Shops and Offices Amendment Acta " 1910, was "the most, absurd piece of legist lation ever perpetrated by any Govern, if I ment." It provideu that after the expire of the tern of any i»ward containing clauses contrary to the statute in regard to extra! "<'< ! hours of work it was over-ridden by the "i . statute, but when the award granted mor&fe holidays than the statute such hoHdaysL •' were to be observed. There was a:croak need for uniformity in. regard to holxdaj*/" and the hours of labour for "related triidttC 1 1 Through the intervention of the Employers* - 4 Federation the original now forms for'thk|?r ; census and Labour Department' returns' hadj £ been somewhat modified, but the executive was still of ' opinion f that"' they wero - ,y i ; needed, Complaint was \ made of overzealous departmental inspection by some I of Y the Sp subordinates of the chiel local officer t of f the - Department' loi I Labour. The extent to which many in-', * dustri'i • enterprises! were suffering from a i shortage of female and boy labour was also referred to, and it. was suggested th;rt 'the Government should be - urged v (nil* ■ arrange for an efficient system of immigr,*tioa of suitable workers'' from the OM Country. ' - The Session's Possibilities. . - In view of the" general:! elections em-,§ !; ployers might» hope v 4: that comparatively' ; little drastic Labour legislation would rhe placed on th<l Statute Book ■ during : the*•',-' present sossicoi, but it wa3 " necessary {a'iA keep a vigilant eye on all Bills introduced",' " by the Government) =as legislation of a drastic character was usually forced **'1 through both Houses when least expected^ An Uneasy' Situation. 7-"; ( C s The President, in moving the adoption of the report, delivered an address covert, 'ing very fully the present industrial situa-" tion, which had many disturbing characteristics. In reference to the shortagel of labour, ho said that no improvement . . " could bo hoped for until the Government 5 was forced 'o 1 adopt, a Vigorous immigra- . tion policy, sis the f Commonwealth had done . with advantage. Referring to tlidj | | demaads of: the; workers for easier condii tions of wc-rk and higher pay, he sai(|'|!£.-|; that they cz,used employers to have made, outside the country what - they would -u much rather have mado hero. He referred , . to the lack of population in New Zealand, and to the ).act that large sums of money/ were idle in . New Zealand, whereas underf > more settled conditions this would air be Vt invested in industrial ' concerns. Capi-".- J talists were now so much harassed by.the) machinery of the State that they would not , put their money .into business corn ' cerns. He : concluded; that there was absolute need for . employers to-stand . to-. . ' gether . in protecting their mutual ini ' teres Whilst at .ill times giving' to •yl'/t those employed all and rather more than all * they were justly i entitled to, they. had t f' at the same time to resist to the utmost of their power the thrusting, of unfair burdens: upon the general public by. re- -' fusing to agree to any unjust demand made by any body of workers!- •' ; "« The o adoption of the report was 1 ?i j seconded by Mr. R. T. Michaels, wha^' l , " ft in the course of his remarks urged the, "'c| more . complete , organisation of 1 the employers. It was not the worker, but the "walking delegate" who caused - . the 'v trouble . between tho employer arid the ■? worker. I . . \ i A Serious Outlook.- . r •' _ Mr. G. A. Green, in supporting thenuy ,/ | tion, said if. > was . necessary for immediate action . towards tho settlement .of 'i the (t i\. industrial position. In his opinion there •' was now looming one of , the i greatest' industrial struggles ever seen, in theDfHl.||g minion. Tho shortage of labour ,in the :: Dominion had given rise to a most serious I situation, and the Government's immigrai tion policy, by favouring fsixm workers land domestic workers alone, did nothing Ito relievo it. ' . . .■ <• , Mr. T. Hughson,' in 'supporting the mot tion, deplored the amount of, work which,',*. f., by the shortage of labour, could not'bfff done in the Dominion, and had to.be: ■ ' I done abroad. \ jv-'Vi' ' Mr. Goldie said, .fin reference to a . statement in the annual report, that >it was • quite a mistake to assume that, because the present session was the last of - tksjga Parliament, and would be short, that' no drastic labour legislation would be put through. The Government wanted votes, and. to secure them it would play into the hands of Labour. ' " . l . The report.was put to the meeting, andadopted. : ' ;; ■ The executive and officers of last _year,^. : .<|y were re-elected, with the exception that r :g: Mr. A. Clark replaced Air. A. ,M. Clark* as one of the association's four delegates to the federation. ' : Mr. Prior moved, "That representations should be- made by tho federation to the Government that, m view of the number of frivolous cases brought . before;.;'. thelMrf Courts, an , affidavit should be required from the persons making complaint, be-,' fore tho inepector took action against. an employe.*." • : ■ , . The" motion was adopted as a remit to •, , the federation. •!.- . A hearty vote of thanks to the execu-t.,. 1 . tive, and a' special vote of thanks to ;thfej&,, president, Mr D. Goldie,V were earned unanimously. : ' ■ Sll _ . ■ ' ' •'