DOMINION OUTLOOK.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 785, 7 April 1910, Page 2

DOMINION OUTLOOK.

HON. J. A. MILLAR IN AUSTRALIA.

A VEKY CHEERFUL ACCOUNT.

Upon his arrival in Sydney the Hon.*.' J. A. Millar (Minister for. Railways) was interviewed' by a representative of. tho "Telegraph," who Records that he was given a very cheerful account ofaffairs in the Dominion. The report continues:: —'Teople avo doing well," Mr. Millar says, and any depression tliat existed— "it was very slight at any time"—is at an end. "A very fair criterion of the spending power of. a people is usually furnished by the railway returns. The indications are, the Minister says, that the present year, which will end on Thursday next, will prove to have been, in point of railway revenue, one of the best New Zea-' land has experienced. The receipts from" both passengers and goods have -been; ex- ■ Cellent. It is too early yet'to give any figures, but he is able to say that while his estimate at the beginning of the yea f was ,£3,050,000, the actual result is likely to be something in the neighbourhood of •£3,250,000. '

In respect of industrial arbitration, Mr. Millar gave some interesting ■ information about the work done by the conciliation councils, which have in existence for two years. These councils resemble the New South Wales Wage 3 Boards, except in the important point that they have no power of final jurisdiction. Any agreement arrived at must be confirmed by the Court before it becomes law, but as in actual practice this confirmation is a matter of form, tho difference is not so great after all. ""New Zealand,' Mr. Millar explained, 'is.divided for. the purposes of this Act into three districts, and, each one of these is under the charge of a ConciliationCommissiqner.. When' an industrial, dig-' pute .occurs, the - commissioner goes to tho scene, and; ineting the parties interested, endeavours to restore peace between them. If these efforts prove futile, he invites them to form a conciliation councils tribunal comprised of one, two, , or three men; on each side. These must be directly engaged in the trade affected, either as employer or employee; and they get to work (the commissioner being tha. chairman, but without a vote). If they arrive at an agreement it is duly drawn 'up r signed, and.sent to the Court 'to be declared as an award. Of course, if it is objected to by either one side or the other, the point in aisnute is referred to the. Court to be settled.

"We. find that , these cbuncils have im.niensely relieved the.work-of the Arbitra-. tioii'Court—so much so that the judge is able now to take a sfyare of the ordinary Supreme Court work. About 78. per cent, of the disputes which have occurred since, the councils were established have been settled without the intervention of the Court at 'all,'and- in many others its assistance has been sought only to'decide one or two problems which, have been found difficult of solution. . "There v is a great deal more satisfaction in an agreement entered into voluntarily than in one which is enforced compuls'orily. Both sides, possessing >;a knowledge of the trade affected, are able to meet and talk over their grievances,' -and settle, them amicably; and this course is certainly much to' be preferred to compulsion." . . As to the enforcing of . fines', the. most important case of this kind . was the slaughtermen's dispute some / time ago. The fines levied in all to ,£I3OO, and the total .sum so far .recovered /is .£9oo—"and they . are still paying," said the Minister, in reply to. a question on the subject. He added'that, since "the institution of the Arbitration Court'B4 per cent, of the penalties inflicted been recovered from the employers, and 81 per cent, from the 'employees. Those em*, ployers who have not paid were, in many cases'.at ; least, small men; who were .unable to 'meet'the fines, and the'employees were those, who .had left the .country or were unable to pay. The Court has power. to attach wages—all over £2 in .the .case! .of a married;m'au, and all. over .£1 in 'the case of. one who is ! unmarried;"and the fines run until the instalments are all paid, no matter by whom the man'- is employed. . -'

Land settlement is going on very sati&i factorily in New Zealand, says Mr. Millar, 'Indeed, the difficulty is to get'the land; there is no scarcity of people , ready to' settle on it." Regulations are now being prepared under the Land Settlement Finance Act, an important law placed on, the Statute-book last session. Under thia new; legislation any 10 or 12 men can arrange to acquire a largo estate and have it subdivided amongst themselves, upon agreement with the owner. All the Residential clauses of the Land Act-will:apply to such an area, and the Government will guarantee;the owner the payment of. his money. Meanwhile, those who propose to settle upon the estate put down a certain amount, and take up the land at once. There is a law in New Zealand restraining a man from holding more than 640 acres of Crown land, and last session it was proposed to reduce the limit to 400. acres; but the Bill did not get through. : • Mr. Millar will visit Brisbane and then Melbourne before his return to' New Zealand.