ARBITRATION COURT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18298, 15 January 1923, Page 6

ARBITRATION COURT.

WORKERS' REPRESENTATIVE. MANIFESTO BY ALLIANCE.,..- ' MB. REARDON'S DEFENCE. ' % ' ' [BY TSMGRAJH.—OWN ;, C«BRES"POOT)ENT.] ' " "•'.; ; v WEIiLIN&TON. Saturday. vj Two interesting manifestoes relating Id :'. r the candidates or the position of the : >,: : workers' ■ representative and the "workers' ■■; ■'-[]'';. deputy Representative on the Arbitration. ~, ,". Court have/ been issued to unions,, The '~•>' first is a circular sent out by the Alliance , of Labour urging the: unions to accord [< 'their support to Messrs. •■ Hiram Hunter ..-, and W. E. Sill, who are proposed "for the ••'," first and second positions respectively. ".. :'.,:■' : The alliance says:"' During the past. 12 months, J not; only has the Court em- ' . : ; barked on .a policy of drastic wage reduc- -.' tions but, when making new, awards ;in .-■ ■~■■..■. many : :; instances, ■it > has so altered ; the .' .;;; working ;conditions, that the earnings of • , - the "workers Tindery theaward havS.been..;. ' .:considerably reduced. In this way a .: double "reduction lias been imposed an the / workers affected. This is especially so in '.';';,';/ tne cases of the miners, the. waterside workers, and the seamen. s " > " As* a result of the , reductions by _ ; '"general, 'order under, the • legislation of ' ■a921'?22 J / there; is a deficiency, in':the';pur-: ;-;;: chasing power of the present, day wage. , as compared with that of 1914, of from ' ■ '1Q to 20 v per cent. ' These - things -. / have ' been ; done by" the , Court with- ' . ; outgone word: of. public protest _ being- .' made by' the ; -present representative of -the workers on the Court.'- For -this; . -;.-, reason this; alliance urges' that. a change ;-..:• ...■;■,,. should b<* made in the constitution of the. -. ,• Court .vis!;, far' as the workers'; represents-- :'v tive is coiieeraed. ■■*■".. , ~ ', -: % 'Failurethe part of the, workers . ■.;.; to; make this change .can only be. taken/: as ■ an endorsement •of the ; past, actions of . v. t .■_ the Court,, and an invitation to' it to >. , make further wage -X 'cuts,', and -.to; ~.■.,;,.-> ; further ; mutilate the working conditions -.. _, of awards.''V- ' . ■ , ..■, ■•■:.•' - ■;.''•>: Jlr/'.'.M- Jv-Besifdon, who is tne work-; ~ Vs' reoresentatice on the Court at pre- ;:, sent, is Uu> author of the second mani- v . ~..-.:, festo He announces" his intention of be- ! coming a r candidate for " re-appointment, and justifies his claims with the following ~~ . statement: —' ..''.' -' V X'.am .aware," he-wry.., "that it is- / ' 'thought': in some: quarters 'tha,t the. Court ■ ■■ has deal ■ somewhat. harshly with' the work- , K* ers in the matter ,of wage adjustments.- , (! It is only fair that X should point out -_£ that,during .my.term of office no genial .' reductions >■ have/, been made • except in acy ■ cordance - with the downward movement in ■'the-: cost-.of.'-living.' ...... ,'*;, .: : '<^\. M Only ,in one or two cases where a '■ '. higher- 'rate- than the Cost's standard : '.rate': had been temporarily' attained was . _ _■•-.■ _, -nnv further reduction ordered, and. even , then the Court's standard , as maintained -;:■£; : .in'-spite of s strongly pressed claims by the .- *,; employers for further redactions .on the - :grounds of financial' stress. . As. against- f /these there, -have'been'scores-of cases m. ' '.■?•; which applications to redute, the Court's ~ standatrdhavfevbeen..rejected and -scores -/ .->" : of cases in which the rates and conditioife ... have been raised to the Court's present ' .'standard, .which.l; am safe in saying,, with ■, ! ,a full- knowledge .of current' ..wages and .' .-conditions in other -'countries, is as high ,' ,">, • as; and probably higher than, any -other , ~,-; ! in: the world, " V'-sf " This, lias not been attained without --;, such a degree! of as the work- jj prl of New Zealand can have no concep- '/-> tion, of-'" While ,1 arc naturally loth- to sec - / ;/|| .a :fall, in money .-vyoiges,"' yet, generally ; '■-? • j speaking, lam fprced lor conclude that I.hs : _v: ■.cost of living adjustments made up to the -. -11l present vvere/uhavoidable, and I consider ■■ ': '~... that I would serve, the- wvvkers best by v\ opposing ,;'ariy.-'..reduction": of' the . Court s ~, ~.■■;...; standards uind "".doing my best- to pre : --'- serve" the ! purchasing power of the wage,?;,, paid, 'rather' ilmt by making a utile at- ,■ | • tempt to"-.-oppose a cost of: living adjust- ~-■. ment which was provided for by law, and - . ~.; which,-still, maintained "-\ the. purchasing..; |;';.-y power of the workers' wages.'' - _