The Timaru Herald WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1909 WANTED—MORE ARBITRATION.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 14065, 24 November 1909, Page 4

The Timaru Herald WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1909 WANTED—MORE ARBITRATION.

Australian papers to hand yesterday contain long accounts of the proceedings in regard to the coal strike, and of its effects upon industries. The coal famine had not, at the date of these papers, become generally felt, but many individual industries had been compelled to close down, in consequence of their rolianco on steam power and the absence of a stock of coal in their yards. The most interesting news regarding the strike, in a paper of the 17th inst., is that the Newcastle miners were beginning to show dissatisfaction with the -autocratic methods of Mr Bowlin the president of their Federation. They did not object to his high-handedness towards the employers; but they were inclined to resent similar treatment of themselves, by his keeping them in the dark concerning the progress of the negotiations he and his executive had in hand. Last Saturday week, he went from Newcastle, to Sydney to attend a conference, the lodges assembled on the evening of his return to receive his tidings, but he did not vouchsafe them any information. The men are advised to " trust their leaders " ; but many of the men seemed to be of opinion that their leaders were straying far beyond the region wherein authority had been given them to act.' They were authorised to secure removal of grievances relating to their employment. They were not authorised to engage in cooperative mining, or to agitato for nationalisation of the mines; and apparently they had no interest in the mysterious "deal" which ;Mr Bowling makes so much of as a reason .for striking, notwithstanding that ho claims to have killed the "octopus" before the strike was decided on. Mr Bowling appears to bo quite a Napoleonic sort of democrat. The discussions in the State and the Commonwealth Parliament at the date above mentioned disclose the pitiable helplessness of Government intervention. All that the State Premier could do was to endeavour to act as a voluntary conciliator, and beg the parlies to hold an open conference, in the hope that an amicable settlement would be arrived at. The Commonwealth Prime Minister confessed that ho could do nothing. '-Two or three necessary conditions -must lie fulfilled," he said, "before the Commonwealth had any legal status whatever for taking action, and lie was advised that so far those conditions had not been fulfilled." The whole matter was deadlocked by the obstinacy of the leaders of owners and meii. The. owners insisted that the mines were open, and the men must return to work before they would agree to a conference; the men insisted that the conference must be held first. The State Premier proposed that it should be agreed •that the men should go back to work, and the conference sit, on the same day, but this was not agreed to, each party being determined to show 'ts mastery of the other on that point. The public, the sufferers, have ro means —no ready means—of asserting the mastery over both of them. Th-re is evidently required an amendment of the industrial laws, introducing a principle of compulsion applicable to both parties to a dispute at once. Such a case as this, even the smaller oases, of the Midland railway strike, and the present trouble at the State coal mine at Greymouth, show the need for some moans to bring the parties together before a tribunal competent to adjudicate noon their differences, and possessed of adequate powers of inflicting penalties for .action in restraint of trade. It should not be left to the disputants to choose whether a dispute shall be settled by strike or lock-out, or bv appeal to an Arbitration Court, But 'as has been previously remarked in this column, disputes should not be allowed to grow into an industrial war in which the whole community must be sufferers. Arbitration should become compulsory, at the first appearance of a grievance. There are sometimes heard complaints that too mnnv trivial cases are brought before the Court in this country. Better a hundred' times more of them, than one such disturbance as now afflicts Australian industry.