INDUSTRIAL OUTLOOK.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 958, 27 October 1910, Page 6

INDUSTRIAL OUTLOOK.

9 EMPLOYERS IN COUNCIL ' PROBLEMS FOR LEGISLATORS. ' ffHE "MIGHT IS EIGHT" ATTITUDE. ' The annual conference of-delegate ro- , 'presenting the various employers' 'associations commenced its sittings yesterday morning. The Hon. C. M. Luke presided, and there were present the delegates from the Wellington, Auckland, "YVanganui, 'Feilding, Maria.watu, Hinvke's Bay, Poverty Bay, AYairarapa, lyelson, -West Coast, Canterbury, and Otagi) Employers'.. Associations... The .bootmaking,. flaxinilling, she'epowners' and builders' associations were-also.represented, as also were the National Dairying Association of Employers. Tlio main business, of tho. conforence . was''the consideration, of the annual import of the . New Zealand . Federation of.- ■ Employers'. Association,' the Arbitration Act -Amendment Bill, and, generally, legislation affeoting labour. ... • The Hon. C. M. Luke, M.L.C., was elected president,- and Mr. W. - Hopkkk vicc-presiderit, and Mr. H. Broadhead official reporter of the conference. : The following were elected to the Finance Committee:—Hon. C. M. Luke, Messrs, D. Goldie, T. Hodgson, J. A. •: Frostick, A. W. 3eaven,;W. Hopkir.t, ,T.' : Ballinger, J* C. Thomson, -E. Chisholm,. H. G.Warron, K. G. Turner, A.'E. Bennett,-- and the, secretary of the federation (Mr. i\V.; Pryor). ■ . J )■; . .Messrs. Wm. Scott and Wm. Pryor - 'were 1 ,: re-nominated for appointment- as •representative 'and .deputy-representativo respectively on the Arbitration Court. Mr." It. • A. ~-Scott was appointed ' ■treasurer, and :Mr.W. C. Stephens auditor, of the federation. . ; . Copies of the Arbitration Act Amendment Bill.' were placed .in the hands of members. The Finanoe Committee and the association secretaries present were ■ instructed to draft a. report upon the • Bill, for to-day's sitting of the conference. THE ANNUAL REPORT. LABOUR LEGISLATION-CALLING A HALT. •: The. annual report' of.. the General Executive of .the federation was then. I>re- . ' sented. .; In the course of an interesting (review of the work of the past year, the lexecutive. regretted 1 that the New Zealand Farmers''.Union had. not yet seen its way to become part of t.ae federation; If the affiliation of that body were se- ■ cured, the' organisation, wofiid then' fully represent, industrially, the whole of the classes of the, Domin--3011, and .in 'that case- representations ; made by the federation would have the whole weight of the ■ undivided; influence ; cf employers engaged iin all the trades end industries.: It . was hoped that this ■; important farmers' .organisation, reaus- .■ ing that nnity. : is. strength,' would .ere 1 : long join - hands' .with -the only combina- < •|tion in: the Dominion which had all the •; machinery in working order for the pur- . (pose of adequately protecting the indus- . . (trial interests 'of employers of:. .labour. jThe strength of the federation lay in the < ■fact that it officially represented at least ; (twelve' thousand. employers, and that it -could, and did, act and speak on; their .; ibehalf. when occasion required. : • ! Insistent and Persistent (Demands. 1 ■. "East year's, expression of opinion that the general. depression in trade .was the ■ 'principal', reason, .for: the. then, experience nf -. comparative industrial ". peace - has," , ,'continued the report, '"been amply borne, j iout by Tecent experiences.' There have .. : inot .been any large industrial upheavals. - ■during the year, nor has there been any cessation .of .th? continuous demands: for. ■higher wages and shorter hours.' On the .contrary, these demands • are becoming : inore'insistent and persistent than ever,; onclsigns . are not wanting, especially ■ amongst the stronger, and better.: organised trade'nniohs, to: show they realise ■ firhattheft Industrial ' Conciliation -and ' (Arbitration' Act-has done as: much for; [them as is possible,' and' that they - are. [now prepared to adopt the 'might is ' . (right' attitude, and to drift back . to. the , teld order of things. '. :j / ' Contempt for the Act. ' "The State Cool Mine strike indicated Ithat the union controlling the workers - iat the Point Elizabeth : mine , was pre- .- jared to adopt ihat principle, and showed clearly the attitude, of that .organisation., . JThe Slaughtermen's Federation showed Sts contempt for. what the. Act ..could do for it by giving the employers fourteen days' notice of their - intention to .strike if.-the rate of,pay for killing sheep mere, not increased by 2s. per 10(h-from ' : S3s. ,to 255. The claim was considered' Iby those interested, : and TatWr thai\ precipitate a considerable industrial upWheav'al, it, was decided .to pay the increased rate demanded, i Whether tl*e . (course adopted was a wise. ono .remains Ro\ be seen: . Flairs' are entertained thatEthe easy, victory'gained , in thiscase will .fact as an incentive .to demands being jmade for higher rates still,. and colourlis lent to the . above opinion being correct (by the recent demands made. •by the [slangEtermen in. Australia' for 275. -6d. \sier. 100. , Survival of the Fittest. . "Just 'recently ' the Shearers' Federa- ; - tion has made a" 'demand -..on the • sheep- , owners of the Dominion, for. an. all-round shearing rate of 20s. per 100, and .has ■ .plainly intimated that if the . demand is - not agreed to steps .'will be taken to pre-; Tent shearers 'accepting.- employment : at 'tender that rote. Unions and federations jof uriions adopting , the attitude indicated tabove; appear; to ignore.'- the fact that to sthe Arbitration Act and its > sympathetic administration they, to a great extent, -.owe their existence. The' Act has nni idoubtedly... fostered industrial trades unionism in this-Dominion, .and has brought it many 'advantages, which would : not have been, secured otherwise.- Notwithstanding !this, it would appear, that Ja day of reckoning is not for off, and that : pre long, t-hn question whether the. Arbitration law is. to remain will have to-.'.There-must either be a, law governing; labour conditions, or. the - workiers must_depend on-.the strength of their organisations to secure'their rights.' The , tpresent '.half and . half position is most and either the workers as ia whole must be loyal to ther Act or the {Act must go. 'Whether the best interests of . the country would be served by (the''.application', of' .the survival of the fittest principle is a: matter for serious (consideration by all concerned—employers, workers,.'and' the 'public; alike—but : ihr.ro can b? r.o two expressed ■about 'the necessity of all affected being loyal ,to .the Act if it. is to remain on ihe'Statute-books.' ...; Veiled - Socialistic Tendencies: , "The platform, of the , New Zealand labour party calls for attention, by reason of the growing, if veiled, Socialistic (tendencies therein disclosed.' The demand for 'the gradual public ownership of all the means of production, distribujtion, and exchange/ means nothing at all , Sf, it does not' mean Socialism, and as . £uch a proposal, is opposed to private in- : terests, and .would,; if any attempt ra>ro made to put it into operation, kill all enterprise and progress, it should meet with the. stern disapproval of all who Jiavo the best interests of' the Dominion at heart.- Other proposals equally revolutionary in ch-aracter are included in the demand consideration by the federation.' Altogether, therefore, the industrial outlook-is not so reassuring or bo satisfactory as it appeare<l to be at the date of the last report, and indicates fhe necessity for, much care and'watchfulness on the part of the ■ federation. Wanted—A Rsst From Legislation. "Although. the 1910 session has been in progress for some weeks at the tiino of writing, not much has been done. Eight Bills, viz.. Shops and ; Offices, Stone Quarries, Tramways, Factories, Workers' Compensation, Education, Coal Mines, Mining, would each, if passed into fyw, impose-further disabilities on onr trades ana industries, many of which are not in a position to bear additional burdens being placed oil them. It was, therefore, deemed ndvisable to make a strong protest for Government against the imposition of further burdens. The action taken will, St.ia hoped, cause the powers that be to.

consider whether it will not be wise to confer on the Dominion a rest from tlie class of legislation indicated if our industries are to prosper' as: they should. ; Breach of Award Cases. "The varying decisions of magistrates in breach of award cases havo resulted in much confusion to employers. Differences .in the amounts of fines imposed, opposito decisions for similar cases, and the consequent absence of definite judgments, make it imperative that a'change should be sought. So many decisions are so directly at variance with each other, and with precedents laid down by tho Arbitration.Court, that it appears to be necessary to insist upon all such cases being heard' by that tribunal. Finance. Tho treasurer (Mr. E. A. Scott) reports that receipts for the year exceeded expenditure by .£23 ss. As tho levies made last year proved sufficient, Mr. Scott suggests that. tho Finance Committee should make similiir recommendations : for the ensuing year. VISITORS ENTERTAINED. ~ TOASTS A:ND SPEECHES. ■At : tho 'conclusion of the morning session of the conference, the delegates adjourned to Godber's Rooms, in Cuba Street, where the"visiting members were the guests of the president and executive of the Wellington Employers' Association at a complimentary luncheon. Mr. W. Hopkirk, president of til© local assooiation, presided, and formally welcomed the delegates. The Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward) and the Hon. J. A. Millar (in nis official capacity as Minister for labour) were unable to be present on account of Parliamentary duties. Several toasts were - honoured, the various speeches, appropriately enough, having reference to the 'raison d'etre of the federation .and its relationship to the community. " In:proposing'the'toast of "Parliament," Mr. E. Chisfiolm (Dimedin) eulogised the straightforward work which had been ' accomplished by Mr. Jas. Allen, M.P., in the House, and coupled his name with the toast. Members of Parliament, remarked the speaker, were perhaps, not all , that they should be, but at anyrate they were what the people made them, for the : peoplo,put tlie'm there. Responding to . the toast, Mr. Allen ; regretted that Mr. Massey had been un- • able to be .present at the function, otf ing. : to his Parliamentary duties. The'speaker, referring to the relationship . between employers and employees,., said i that though it . lay within the power of ; Parliament to do a great deal in the i direction--of improving ; this ■ relationship, the ultimate success of such'efforts rested : npon the individual. It was an ex- ] tremely difficult task to control .this ; relationship," and the moro Parliament ; attempted to solve the problem, the moro i difficult the task became. Where further ■ •enlightenment was to come from he did 1 not know. • • i The president, in proposing . the toast i of the "New .Zealand Employers' -Federa- ■ 'tion," emphasised the fact that its policy ; was entirelydissociated from party.' Eesponding, the Hon. C. M. Luke to- i ferred withvpride to the present strength ; and vigorots 1 activity of- the federation, - which wasiirepresentative -of all classes i of employers. , Their organisation was a ; defensive one, and its existence had sup- i plied the necessaTy balance .which tended ■ to counteract interests which would have been fatal to the industrial welfare of | the Dominion. Continuing, 'the speakeT i drew attention to the fact that , though the country was understood to-be at the I height of its and of its de- ,i velopment,' 1 there were 2000 fewer factory , .hands employed than there were some ] years ago; . This, he said, ought not .to i be in a young country like New Zealand, i .RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED. . ! At the' concision of'the day's pro- j ceedings (which are not open to the , press),, the following ' resolutions : were : authorised to be published, ,Needless and Irritating Citations. With-reference to. the citations of.em- : ployeTs to attend the hearing of disputes, the confer,eqpe resolved:—That the -Government tie requested' that 'in any amendment of the Conciliation and Arbitration Act to provide a remedy against the ■ continual citation of employers who are in no way affected in .the dispute for which they are cited, and so save them from the irritation and expense they' are put to either through the wilful carelessness or-want of discrimination of the ■ secretaries 1 of workers' unions.",; • ; Wages and Apprentices. 1 On the question,cf. apprentices' wages,, it was resolved-—"That no reduction, shall be made from the wages of an indentured apprentice "or,\ an apprentice ■ working under the Arbitration Court's clause of'apprenticeship except for time lost through the apprentice's own default or illness, or -on account of the temporary closing, down-of the factory, for cleaning : tmrp«=es or for the repairing of the machinery." Overtime tfor Shop Assistants, It was resolved to favour the amending of the Shops and Offices Act so that all shops may be kept open during the evenings. of -the week before Chiistmas, provided -overtime be paid to assistants. The conference, at 5.30 p.m., adjourned till morning. ■