PREFERENCE TO UNIONISTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18562, 24 May 1922, Page 6

PREFERENCE TO UNIONISTS

OPPOSED BY EMPLOYERS NO DISCRIMINATION CLAUSE URGED. GTbOM ODB OWK COBRESFONDENT.) AUCKLAND, May 23. The preference to unionists clause, applied for by the Seiamen’s Union for its counter proposals to those of the shipowners, came in for some criticism from 3lr W. G. Smith, the employers’ advocate, before the Arbitration Cpurt yesterday. He said the em- , ployefs had a serious objection to preference being given in any new award. He suggested that the court should substitute a no-discrimination clause for the present preference clause, which, he said, had been obtained by the union in 1911 by tactics of the most direct action type. Since 1905 the union had refused to agree to disputes , being referred to the court for settlement, • although the employers had pressed for this course on many occasions. Direct action or job control of one kind or another had been resorted to in order to enforce some particular demand, either in regard to additional manning or other matters, and although the union always contended that the men in such cases-wore acting individu- . ally, it was very singular that directly a point in dispute had been settled to the . satisfaction of the union a crew was immediately obtained. Mr Smith submitted that preference should not be given to a ■ union whose past conduct had not shown that it really relied on constitutional methods' for seftlement of disputes. Before . preference was granted. Mr Smith contended, the court should be satisfied that the objects of ,tho union wore really those of the trade union, and were not? political in their character. The union was affiliated with the Alliance of Labour, which was a political movement, having as its objective the collective ownership of the means of production and distribution, and the control of all industries bv the workers who operated them, or, in other words, the overturning of the existing basis of the State, and* its replacement by a Communistic State, substituting dictatorship of one class for the democratic form of Government New Zealand now possessed, under which every adult person had the franchise. It was contended that the granting of preference would be helping to support a political / party, and he was sure the court would not grant anything which would favour or assist one political party against another.THE REDUCTION IN PRICES. FURTHER FALL ANTICIPATED. ' TPes United Pbsss Association.) WELLINGTON, May 25. The effect of the Arbitration Court’s . recent wages pronouncement was referred f to by Mr T. O. Bishop (acting-secretary of the Employers’ Federation) in an interview. “While they are unable to agree . With the court’s decision for, reasons given ■ by Mr William Scott in his dissent, the Bjnployers throughout the dominion are accepting the pronouncement in the best pos- : T sible spirit and are honestly endeavouring to make /the best of it,” remarked Mr Bishbp. “TTie sawmillers, flourmillers. coal mining companies, buiders and allied trades, engineers, carriers, master printers, boot manufacturers, and many other employers have reduced their prices, and in some cases reductions have been considerably greater than the drop in the production, due to the reduction of 5s per week in wages. It .is true that in very many cases reductions in prices have not been announced since -the wages cut, but in these cases it is either because the proportion which wages bear to the total production cost is so small that the reduction of 5s per week has but a trifling effect upon the cost of the article, or because prices had / already been reduced to a minimum. Although ' the amount of the reduction in wages. is so small an honest endeavour is now being made by very many employers /> to give the public the full corresponding benefit in the reduced prices. This cannot but bring about an appreciatble further drop in the cost of living, and more especially will this come fo pass if the leaders of organised labour will recognise that their claims have received a generous ■ recognition by the court, and will advocate loyal and efficient service on the part of their followers. There is a long, stiff climb in front. Industry, commerce, the co-opera-tion of employers and employees are the only ways by which the return to prosperity can be hastened.”