BACK TO 48 HOURS.

Waikato Times, Volume 97, Issue 16001, 2 June 1924, Page 5

BACK TO 48 HOURS.

RETROGRADE MOVEMENT. LABOUR PRESIDENT'S VIEW. ASSAULT ON ARBITRATION. By Telegraph.—Press Association. WELLINGTON, Saturday. The president, of the Trades and Labour Council's Federation, Mr J. Lead, stated this monvng, that following on the recommendation from the Wellington Council, the executive of the Dominion Council had given consideration lo the attack that was being made upon the 44-hour weak, it seemed to be fairly widely assumed that the attack had been confined to the Government in the Railways Department but that such was not the case was quite apparent when it was found that the attack upon the same principle was coming from many directions. In addition to the action of the Minister of Railways, as representing the Government in breaking away from the 44-hour week so far as railwaymen were concerned, claims were also being put forward by employers in the engineering and furniture industries in the same direction--11, must also be noted that, this followed on a determined attack upon the same principle by employers in Australia, who had been able in a few cases to enforce the lengthened week where the 44-hour week formerly operated. Taking a wide view of the matter the Federation could not but conclude that this was an offensive by the Employers' Federation, and that the first step was taken in the case of railway workers after their recent trouble, aad that it was intended to follow" this up if possible by generally enforcing a longer working week, where the 44-hours week had been operating. It appeared to the Federation that if such action was persisted in it must, have at least one unl'oi lunate result —to throw back social progress by 20 years, and raise a bitter spirit throughout the working class, which would reflect itself in very troublous times until the evil was done away with. "While the Federation is disposed very favourably towards arbitration," declared Mr Head, "it must be understood that we mean just arbitration, and if it should happen that any undue dominance is exerted on the tribunal by the Employers' Federation, there is not much doubt but that it would grayely endanger the system of arbitration, which has led to comparative quiet in industrial matters in this Dominion during the last 25 years."