THE ARBITRATION ACT.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13638, 4 July 1908, Page 4

THE ARBITRATION ACT.

It must be'a bitter disappointment; to a Labour representative like the Hon. J: Paul to be obliged to admit iu the'Legislative Council that there'has been even a partial failure of the Arbitratioii Act. Wo are beginning to doubt, however, whether'. one is any longer justified in claiming, as Mr Paul asserted yesterday, that the failure has been partial only and not coiiiplete. ;In the past we',have been among, : those >vhb regarded an .'occasional strike as inconclusive proof of the'breakdown 1 of the Act. - We have listened to the- argument) that, other offences. continue to<>be'.perpetrated in spite - of . repressivelegislation, . but- we - are. obliged to•: admit now.* that- there is » wide distinction . between/a ;breach of any.- ordinary- .law,, ailii a.breach •of.--.the Arbitration . Act' by/ a strike. ■ In >the former case, punishment follows surely/and swiftly -upon-'-'the 6 prool,

of a breach of the law against an individual or a grntip of individuals. But in a strike, as we have seen iu the case of the Blackball miners, the law is ludicrously incompetent to enforce itself, and the workers know it. '1 hey are willing to appeal to tlw Arbitration C'ouit which can compel the employer to respect an award, but the Court hat no longer any terrors for them when they think they can exact for themselves better conditions than it was willing to give tbe.ul. The Wellington bakers went first to the Court, and if it had granted 'their demands, they ■would have been quite ready to invoke its authority against the masters. But ■when they got less than they waD'-ed, they went on strike, with a total disregard of the obligation that lay upon them to accept loyally the decision of the tr.bunal to which t.hey submitted their cast*. Obviously there is no use iu relying upon a law which depends for its observance upon the good-will of the great bulk of the suitors under it. Public opinion will not tolerate a system which can tie the master bakers hand and foot, but which can give them no security against the interruption of their business by the other side to the dispute?