LABOUR'S WAY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1779, 18 June 1913, Page 7

LABOUR'S WAY.

NO RESPECTER OF BARGAINS. AN INDICTMENT. BY COMMERCIAL MEN. By Telesraph—Press Association—Coprrieht (Eec. Juno 17, 8.40 p.m.) Sydney, June 17. At tho annual meeting of tho Associated Chambers of Commerce, Mr. H. Y. Braddon, tho president, in his opening speech, said that tho chief reasons for tho shortage of gold was probably the adverse condition of Australian trade, duo to the importing of more than could to paid for with the exports. A wave of latter-day personal extravagance had unduly stimulated the imports. Eogarding the labour unrest, tho speaker said that tho employers as a rule had no objection to collective bargaining with labour unions »o long as the bargain was honourably observed. But it was notori. ous that the men in many cases lately had not respected their bargain for a moment longer than suited them to do so. Compulsory arbitration had hopelessly broken down. It had been found in practice that the larger unions could not be coerced into working, oven by their own leaders, if they decide otherwise. One of the worst features in evidence latterly had been the deliberately-reduced effort of workers at a time when they wero constantly claiming shorter hours and larger pay.