NO IMPROVEMENT.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19147, 2 November 1927, Page 8

NO IMPROVEMENT.

ARBITRATION COURT CHANGES. MASTER BUILDERS' OPINION. i ' We do not consider the suggested constitution of the Court to be- an improvement on the existing constitution." Members of the Canterbury Master Builders' Association, at the monthly meeting last evening, cairied unanimously the foregoing resolution. It was moved by Mr J. W. Graham, an seconded b - ** Mr K. C. Jamieson. Mr Graham said .Mr \V. H. Winsor (secretary) had suggested that assessors be appointed from tho industries affect, ed, but it would not work out in practice. No official criticism had been made of the proposed exemption oi the farming industry by the Chambers of Commerce and Employers' Associations, which were prevented from so doing by their affiliations and the quar-■tc-rs trom which they received support. The Builders' Association was therefore one of the few organisations se opinion would carry weight. farmers are shortsighted pressing for exemption," lie said. '*lhey are more likely to be held up at fhe season when they want a group of workers. lr such were threatened, they would y 6 quite powerless to force the workers to accept employment at the wages decided on. The farming industry was peculiarly liable to be affected by small strikes. He did not know that they would not be wise to forward a copy of the resolution he had proposed to the Federation executive in Wellington Mr G. Simpson (president): The farmers are staoking up a lot of trouble for themselves when the crash does come. They do get a certain amount of protection under the Court's awards. Mr W. Glue (acting secretary): The shearers' award iias improved their lot in regard to accommodation. If they get back the old cohditiohs, there will be some fun.

Although a copy of the Bill was gone through, mGmbSrs did not seem disposed to criticise it further, the general opinion apparently being that it would be dropped.

SEAMEN'S VIEW. (press association telegram.) WELLINGTON, November 1. The Federated" Seamen's Union of New Zealand- this morning resolved: "That this meeting of members of the Federated Seamen's Union of New Zealand realises that the proposed amendment to the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act has the following antiworking class placing pastoral workers outside the Court and refusal to grant any further awards covering that industry the amendment is, in fact, wage reduction to the weakest organised section of New Zealand workers. (2) The provision for bargaining between employer and individual worker known as payment by results is a direct blow at the fundamental principle of trade unionism, namely, collective bargaining. (3) The proposal to substitute for a permanent assessor one appointed for a single dispute is a direct attempt _to make the present form of trade union organisation more susceptible to attack from the employing class. This meeting therefore declares its willingness to co-operate with the rest of the trade union movement in a fight for the following as a roply to this manifest emplojtipg class attack on the workers of this country: (1) An agitation for abolition of the Court and struggle for the right to collective bargaining by unions without State interference); (2) an active campaign to ensure full trade union wages and conditions on all jobs; (3) whole-hearted support in a campaign for further organisation of all country workers."