THE ARBITRATION BILL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14002, 7 September 1907, Page 9

THE ARBITRATION BILL.

Tn?. Minister of Labbur displayed admirable forbearanco on Thursday when \e answered tho objections that havo been raised hy leaders of tho labour organisations 'against the proposals of tho Bill lie has Jiad, prepared for the amendment of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration .Act, Not only has tho Bill been most intemperately criticised. .by tho unionist' leaders since it was circulated last week, but Mr Millar himsolf, as its author, has, if not directly, at least by innuendo, been'the object of attack by them. - And since tho deputation ■that waited upon him included some, if not all, of the signatories to the most violoutly-worded protest that has been published against the Bill, the Minister was afforded an opportunity, if ho had cared to avail himself of it, of speaking his mind veiy freely to those who havo not hesitated to donounco his proposals

in unmeasured terms. ;Mr Millar, however, 1 replied calmly and argumentntively to the .deputation, meeting fairly and squaTely tho objections to the Bill and showing clearly, We think, that it is by no moans the monstrous measure it lias been represented to be. We aro unable to hold that ho succoeded in justifying the clause whereby' persons wornd be disqualified from holding oflioo in a union unless .they are actually connected with the industry in respect of which tho union : is established,, and apparently ho admits hjmself that ho may have been hasty in inserting suoh a, provision in tlio Bill, while he does not seem to havo discussed tho. proposal to require unions to, .devote a proportion of the funds' they would secure, under the oporation of tho Bill, to benevolent purposes. Mr Millar spoke strongly, however, in defence of,tho provision with wilicH the proposal concerning the unions' .funtls is linked—namely, that non-unionists; may be required by the Arbitration Court to contribute, equally with unionists, to the unions in their rospoctivo - trades, , The provision has been roundly condemned by the unionists,'and' it haa not Been received with any degree of favour by employers. It represents th? reply of tho Government to tho demand, frequently repeated, for tho extension to unionists of a statutory, unconditional preference of employment. .The proposal goes as for as a unionist Minister, who has been himself an officer of a .trades union and an'organiser of a labour movement, feels himself warranted, in his responsible offico, in going. And Mr Millar emphatically told the members of the deputation that it was idle to look for anything more.. Ho assured them that Parliament ,wouicl never be. prepared to logialato upon lines that would at onco grant a preference of employment to unionists and enable unions to impose, conditions of membership such as might deprive competent workmen of a right to i claim tho privilege of unionism. For what does statutory unconditional preference■ of employment mean? Mr Millar, who is in the best position for

knowing what tho mind of the respon-

sible leadcra of the unionists is,, says .it means that the unions, enjoying tho preference, would be granted the power to niako rides taking away from, any other body of men the right to live. , This confirms the- view we have taken that the aim the unionists who have been foremost in the demand for preference have'set before them is to convert their unions under parliamentaly authority into- close corporations,, of which tho members shall, to the exclusion of everyono olso,, share the employment available in. their respective trades. It is

satisfactory, however, to have Mr 1 Millar's assurance that, in seeking any' legislation. that woul3 admit U their becoming a monopolistic combination, tho unions are asking for the unattainable. . Mr- Millar discu&sed somewhat pihnnstivoly hia proposal for tho institution of Industrial Councils, against wliioli, -the unions have rather unexpectedly manifested so much opposition. The.idbjections to the establishment of these councils have been exaggerated, as Mr Millar showed, and tho argument that the onds of true conciliation can best lie met through men who are thoroughly conversant with the details of a trade meeting together, on behalf of the employers and the workers, and earnestly deliberating concerning tho points in respect of which an amelioration of the workers' conditions is sought was fully developed by him. The Minister pointed oiit that his proposal, to establish Industrial Councils represents an effort to preserve tie element of conciliation, to which most unionists rightly attach importance, - in the settlement of industrial disputes. As things are at present —and it is nowhore. known better than in' Wellington—a member of a Conciliation Board may employ his spare time in organising unions and in stirring up strife in order that business may be created for the attention of the. Board, and it is this- sort of thing that has rendered the continued existence of Conciliationßoards impossible. If, through ,tho acts of unionists, tho destruction,'of tho Conciliation Boards •is being brought about, the unionists

should themselves readily accopt the Industrial Councils as being tho next j best tiling and ns, at aujTato, being ' worthy a trial.