THE LABOUR UNREST.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14930, 1 March 1912, Page 9

THE LABOUR UNREST.

, A DIFFICULT, PROBLEM. uSM'M^Mp' : "- : ':- : r''^ : ' ' ■-'.■■■'■ : ■:.'.'' . <" : -'■ ■ >■ ■' , HOW CAN IT BE SOLVED? ;!i";WS'.' ; "7^-,-. '-"'■'■■ ! -' : -"- ;... '■''.. ■ .■■.:.'■'.■■ . ■; DEFENCE OF ARBITRATION. I s . DEFENCE ARBITRATION. PUBLIC OPINION AS JUDGE. Ay important pronouncement upon the - industrial problem was made by, Mr. Leo - Myers (president of tho Auckland Chamber of Commerce) at the annual meeting of .' tho Chamber yesterday. . In introducing the subject Mr. Myers said that reference - - thereto at the present moment required no ' apology, from him. "The constant throat of strikes and consequent dislocation of business in every tort of the Dominion compels our.earnest attention," said Mr. Myers. At the last meeting of your council I took the opportunity of bringing tho matter up for dis- j cussion, and on my suggestion a resolution . i' was unanimously passed to the following-effect:-—'That this Chamber of Commerce, I having regard to tho frequency with which • serious disputes ariso between employers and employed, views with alarm the future f"-"''''y development of tho - industrial and commercial life of New Zealand, and requests * the Government to set up a Royal Commission, composed of representative men andleaders of labour, whoso duty it shall be to investigate the problem as it exists ■in New Zealand, and to endeavour to find a' solution of it. Such Commission to take , ( evidence throughout the Dominion, and to " report to tho Government within a reason- ,' able time.' • - '• I appreciate the point of view of those who assert that the history of Royal Commissions in New Zealand has not been such as to justify a request for. another," Mr. Myers continued, "but the value of a , Roval Commission depends almost entirely upon its personnel. If the Government accedes to the . request of this Chamber, and appoints such commercial men and leaders of labour as possess those qualities which command the respect generally of their fellow-citizens, then I do not hesitate to jay that the findings of such a Commission will carry enormous weight in tho minds of 'the general public. Such Commissioners must not be appointed because of their political partisanship, but because they havo special qualifications of experience, judicial mindedness, and I thoroughness. The Right to Strike. . "lam convinced that a thorough investigation carried out by such men into the industrial problem which is ' just now pressing so hardly upon New Zealand will more than justify tho expenditure of time ' ahd of any money that may bo required. It appears to mo that if we ; sit idly by, utterly obsessed by the immediate de- - mands of our businesses!, -wo can prepare lor a time of stress and strife with which ' nothing that wo have experienced so far ; .'in this Dominion can be compared. ' "There can be no objection, I: venture ,to |»y. to granting men the right to strike provided they are not thereby breaking an . avard or agreement. No man can be com- . piUed to work, but at the same time those • win strike must not bo permitted to preveil* others carrying on their duties. 1 We have no right to say to any man, 'Thou shall rot work," and , the responsibility is then cast upon the municipality ■ or. Government of the day to prevent any • disorder or Intimidation. *' . i ' i Arbitration ■ Act and Sweating. When our compulsory Conciliation and Arbitration Act was passed,'' continued • ..Mr. Myers, "it was welcomed with open arms by the employees of the Dominion, ; f ■whilst the employers adopted an attitude of either open or veiled antagonism. There existed at that time a certain amount of sweating in some trades that a spirit of , iinnardtarianism demanded should bo im- ■ mediately abolished. ' 'The Act, for which Mr. Reeves was . generally held to bo responsible, very soon ahv»3»<i that by increasing wages and improving the conditions of labour throughout ■New; Zealand, and it should now be conceded that whilst wages may not' be as high in certain trades as could be wished by those engaged in them, sweating is unknown in the Dominion. ' "In the consummation of this very desirable end the various labour unions &;Khave • played an important and creditable \ . part.' In giving credit, however, justice demands that the generous, fair spirit in , which many employers < met . the requests of ■ their, employees should also be recognised. Gradually on the part of the em- . ployers a spirit of tolerance towards the Act changed: to one of loyal support, whilst the attitude of a certain section of labour towards compulsory conciliation , and arbitration altered to one of dissatisfaction and subsequent hostility. - '•'-• ■ ■ ■•'," Cancellation of Unions. " So soon'as the courts failed to con;£Ktcede the demands of labour than these sections commenced an agitation for the cancellation of the registration of their unions to 'enable them to use the strike as a I weapon against, employers. !!!£!■':'Now; whilst the strike may be fully justified under the conditions that exist ,m'older countries, I feel that here under . the more' favourable circumstances under ;i??'-}. ca " labour carries out its duties the ' strike is as uncivilized as it is avoidable. "Recognising, however, that the strike ~.. should remain in the hands of labour. A3 a • final argument, I am convinced it should .-."only be availed of after every possible . . effort has been tried by investigation and conference to avoid it. -~' The Canadian System. Si'iS/A--'*'"' ''"■'■'"■"-■"■.. '■■■.■■■ ' '■'••.'■" . ' " t being my view," said Mr, Myers, . v 'I venture to suggest for your considera- ... tion, and that of the Government of the " ; day, the adoption of some system similar to that in existence in Canada, which recognises public opinion based upon sound 1 r. knowledge as the final arbiter in all industrial disputes. "Whilst as a last re- , source, strikes may bo permitted, the strikers must not be allowed to involve ' the city in disorder, nor must intimidation - of non-strikers lie countenanced for a mo- ■ /* ment. ." - " here disorder and intimidation are , rampant cliaos must ruleand then what 0* our. boasted civilization ? I am confident," the president concluded, " from my association, with the labouring classes that the great bulk of them are as averse to ... the undersirable conditions just referred : , «V as any of use here." )'<T : '"" ■■■■''.'. ' ■ —. — '■■■ VIEWS OP OTHER SPEAKERS. THE CONCILIATION SYSTEM. - ■ Mr. p. G. Ewington said Mr. Myers was ... .to be congratulated on having brought tho ;- great question of the industrial unrest so forcibly before the Chamber, both at the «at meeting of the Council and at the present meeting. There had never before :-..- l »ea«uch'a critical time in the relations ot capital and labour in the world as there v a?>to-day, , New Zealand probably enjcyed better -conditions industrially and commercially than any other part of the #$**,** T'.' but even this Dominion was not free -"em industrial strife. It seemed possible mwl i something more than the appointment « a Koyal Commission ' could be done, and IRS W&& '■ that " they should t follow the ffi&jffiUnple of the London Chamber r of ) ComIffireSn. b? appointing ■ a:• voluntary concilia- ■: v' 0,l + v board - Such' * body had been set up iI&ZL- - •™nployers* Association in Auckland ;; • ttl *ing •' tho ? maritime. strike of 1890, The 4\ I'', ' .. J

co-operation of organised: labour was enlisted, * and ; the scheme was approaching fruition 1 -when :it '.: was superseded by the passing of the Arbitration Act. Ho beJioved that if the .Chamber ' would at the present time- tako such" a "step as ho had suggested it -would bo welcomed by; both sides. It was, of course, only to ibe expected that so long us wages went up, and everything was favourablo to labour that the Arbitration Act would bo supported by it, but of the ■; men ' would not respect, the law. nobody, of -course, could compel them to. They could not put 1000 men in gaol; and it was impossible to; compel men to work against > their will. It- was also impossible, to compel employers to expond money in carrying on- aiw business. Any ; measures brought forward must commend themselves to tho employees if they were to have any effect. He, therefore, believed that voluntary conciliation boards could still do a great deal of good. Since the Arbitration Act had been passed, they had had 42 strikes, involving a known loss of £35,000, as well as over £1700 in fines. Theso wore the direct and visible losses, but tho indirect and invisible losses (caused by tho disturbance of ■ trade, illfeeling _ between parties, and the general uncertainty) was possibly even far greater. Ho urged that they should not wait for a Royal ( Commission, ; butr that they should move in the direction of the appointment of a voluntary conciliation board.

~ A Royal Commission Supported. i Mr. G. L. Teacocko said ho supported the . president's recommendation or the appoint- ' mont of a Royal Commission. It had been ' said that such commissions did very little 1 good, but there •were different kinds of i Royal Commissions, and ho thought that , one composed of the best men available would bo capable of doing a great heal of good. _ He regretted that the Employers' Association, to a certain extent, had" put themselves out of court by tho opposition they had previously manifested towards i tho Arbitration Act. Thoy were • now ap- 1 pealing to the Act, and rightfully so, but it j was a pity that the appeal should be weakened by their previous opposition to the Act. Whatever were tho defects of tho Act, it could not be denied that New Zealand under that Act up to tho present time had had , fewer strikes of any im-* port&nce than any other part of the world. He agreed with the principle of voluntary conciliation, but unless awards wero given legal effect they would be of no use. Ho thought that at the bottom there was a feeling of commonsenso amongst Labour that would yet assist in solving the problem. He approved of tho Canadian system, undor which no strike was recognised as legal until all other means of settling a dispute had been exhausted, v Mr. T. Hodgson said ho was a thorough believer in the Arbitration Court, and he Would bo sorry if anything were done to disturb that tribunal. Employers, he said, were always prepared to pay fair wages for services rendered. He also said that unless the industrial unrest were settled it would interfere with the success of the proposed Exhibition. '• The Burden of Uncertainty. The Mayor (Mr. C. J. Parr) said that he 1 was at one with those who expressed tho hope that the arbitration system would •still ride in the land. It was admitted that the Act had f; its defects, but surely it was not beyond the means of men to remedy them. (Hear, hear.) He had alwavs been a; strong supporter of the Act. If disputes were not amenable to conciliatory settlement, they must go beforo a competent tribunal whose decision would bo binding upon both parties. (Hear, hear.) The days of barbaric forco had gone. It was true that there were still strikes, but the weight of public opinion to-day, at least in this country, was dead against the strikers. (Hear,'; hear.) Employers were not at all unreasonable, in regard to wages and hours. '■■;> All disputes in regard to such could be settled in 10 minutes, but what the employers were groaning under was the uncertainty as to how long a settlement would last. When people were spending thousands of pounds in industrial enterprises ; they \ needed some \ certainty as to labour conditions. r A present settlement was not all that was wanted; they also wanted -.. to know how * long it ; -would be before fresh demands 1 would be made upon them. : A•. Royal Commission might throw some light on the question, but he thought that the arbitration system, must be stoutly defended, and valiantly upheld. (Hear, hear.) !"■ • .