LABOUR LAWS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 602, 2 September 1909, Page 6

LABOUR LAWS.

ARBITRATION COURT OR CONCILIATION COUNCILS. .'■..:■ , "MAIL FIST UNDER A VELVET ■ GLOVE." IBr Tclcßrapb.-l'rcsj Association.! '■..'..'. . ' ' Auckland, September,l. At to-day's annual, meeting of the land Employers' Association, 'strong resistance was shown towards tho Conciliation Councils being allowed -to ' supersede tho Arbitration Court. , ■ ~■ : ,

The .executive, in their annual report, stated that .the setting-up .of councils , for separate disputes,' and the methods'of procedure under the jurisdiction 1 of commissioners, had a detrimental'effect upon the industries. "Many conditions," the report went on,."have."been allowed to.bo embodied in. agreements, and : thereby, 'subsequently included in awards which are sure to prejudice both, employ'ers'.ahd .workera in tho near future. The, tendency on.tho part of commissioners, is to settle, disputes irrespective, of What tho.. ultimate'.rosults' may he. Hence - the. many; mistake's that are being made for want of moro-careful'consideration of what is ' justly .duo to the employers, lho Court of Arbitration has recently made it quite clearly understood'.'that.the'timo has arrived for 'calling a halt' in tho mattei of increasing wageSi and decreasing hours of labour.. . Consequently, when so-called- disputes now referred to tho Court foi sottlpment; ,tho unions aro'required to pro ; duco incontrovertible evidence to show why any alteration should'be-made to existing awards: .' This wise determination ;■ o'f : . the Court is in ma,ny instances entirely ignored when agreements are heing made by Councils of, Conciliation. Your executive,-there-tore, feels it: cannot too strongly urge tlie necessity for, extreme care being taken by all employers when .nominating their assessors, and that no agreement should be entered upon which is- not. reasonably satisfactory to nil. employers concerned, it being considered desirable that -all such cases should bo referred to'"tho Arbitration Court. Another cause of complaint arising out of tho administration of the.statute in question .13 the action of t]io Labour Department's' oflidtls in. urging upon . magistrates oho desirability of .inflicting . very heavy paimlt'ics for .comparatively "trivial offences, many employers, by these means, hcini* fired as high as £10.for each so-called brta'cli." ■ Mr.' Charles Rhodes (vice-president) sneke. in a someivhat similar strain. '-'It has ,bf:cn susgcsierl," ho said, "that the Arbitration O,ourt may, befovo long, be superseded in favour., .of conciliation, commissioners, but I think that any., such proposal should be resisted, to the utmost.. The conciliation commissioners'.may bo successful in settling many disputes,, but if it wore decided to haye.no cdurt-of appeal they would instantly Snd , ■their, positions a thousand"titf.es more difficult, '.and litigants-would feel that, in-siead-.of a conciliiitor, they had in a laymanKor.imis.sioner nn embryo Vdictator, '•■■ whoso niaikcl fist, could . rarfly bo disiuised under a velvet .glove: During the-present period of (lepressioh it would, in "any case, he an ill-jitdgeri.' , timo ,to ' abolish the Arbitration Court unless.the.wholo Act wont with it."

HIGHER: WAGES AND EXPORT TRADE. , Mil/ Tclecrapli.-i'rcs.v AMnc'lktlaii i '. ;' _ • .'■■.; . I'.,''. _ AuoWarid, : Septembor.l:'.' . Soipo mt-erosting remarks fell' from Mr. (31m: Rhodes,''vice-president -of the Auckland . Fihmlojera , .Association', and-.local director of th'o.-Woihi Gold Mining Co., at tl^amiual . mooting of-. tho s former body toUiy, concerning the- effect:of the increase:in wages, duo to. our-labour, legislation. •' "In tho Dominion," said Sir. Rhodos. ''higher wages result-in an increased cost of living.as well as, I think, in a better standard of living in many cases. I am convinced that the wage-earners now save no , more than formerly', in spite of.their.greater oarnirig capacity,', but .'in a country produc-' ing raw material for export it is certain ihab ovory-rise in .wages 'affects.-.mir ability'; «> compot-e in the. world's markets whore prices arc governed by, an outside standard, as with gold and .silver, frozen meat, butter and cheese, etc. In the.,ktter. cases;.' increased .cost of production simply hinders our commercial and coonomic progress, ;while distance and Customs duty prevent -outsiders underselling Us locally. I donH suj>'poso these facts will appeal to the.worker," added Mr. Rhodes, '!but ■ undoubtedly the} , affect the community generally." ■"' ' ■