The Star. MONDAY, MAY 22, 1922. THE ARBITRATION COURT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16739, 22 May 1922, Page 6

The Star. MONDAY, MAY 22, 1922. THE ARBITRATION COURT.

The tribute paid to Mr J. A. M'Cullough on Saturday evening by his friends at the Trades Hall was a welldeserved one. It was aptly said that Mr M’Cullaugh went on the Court to the accompaniment of a blaze of fireworks, and that his departure was signalised by a similar display of pyrotechnics. The circumstances of his resignation are still fresh in the public mind, and whatever opinion may be held regarding his action few will care to impugn his good faith and sincerity. Mr M’Cullough lendered good service as workers’ representative on the Court. He was associated with it during some trying periods, and it is not to his discredit that he refused to say “ aye” to the majority on all occasions. It is a fact, however, that the real tost of the Arbitration Court is now coming. Mr K. J. Howard expressed the opinion that the Court would not last much longer in New Zealand. Now that wages were falling, he said, the test would come, but he believed that thepporerw r er of the Court would be gradually whittled away. Mr Howard evidently believes that the Court cannot survive the process of wages reduction which it has already initiated, but that is a rather pessimistic view. It postulates that the Court is only acceptable to the workers so long as it either increases wages or maintains them at the peak. That is undoubtedly the view of the militant unionists, who represent the most aggressive and loudly vocal section of the Labour movement. These are ready to pin their faith to collective bargaining, with the strike and go-slow weapons in reserve. A different view is taken by the workers who support arbitration in the settlement of industrial disputes. They recognise that strikes and other forms of direct action are double-edged weapons, which wound both smiter and smitten. They look back on the welter of the past, and see nothing in it to make them desire to destroy the arbitration system. If the Arbitration Court cannot survive the te«t which is entailed by wages reduction it will give way to some other method of dealing with disputes, but until a better means is shown the Courtwill he supported by the majority of workers.