The Dominion TUESDAY FEBRUARY 25, 1919. A DEADLOCK AND A POSSIBLE REMEDY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 129, 25 February 1919, Page 4

The Dominion TUESDAY FEBRUARY 25, 1919. A DEADLOCK AND A POSSIBLE REMEDY

In a short but pointed discussion which took place in the Arbitration Court yesterday, the extremely unsatisfactory conclusion was reached that as' matters stand the Court has no real control over the matters upon which it is supposed to adjudicate. The only point of disagreement was in regard to the immfcdiate duty of the Court. Mr- Justice Stringer on the one hand argued that it was futile to increase'wages when the only result was to increase the cost of living and leave the workers where they were before, while Mr.' M. J. Reakdon, who appeared as representing certain Labour 'Organisations, claimed no more than that the Court must (by taking into consideration cost of living) do the duty which Parliament had shirked until Parliament saw "tie absolute futility of its legislation.'' j There is nothing particularly novel i'i these comments arid contentions, but it surely brings out the urgent need of boldly recasting our machinery of industrial, regulation that the President of the Aroiwacnm 'Court and a Labour advocate appearing before liirn find themselves agreed that whatever the Court may do in regard to wages, the end of its action will be futility. These matters call for earnest consideration with a view to finding some way out of, the blind alley into which employers, workers, Parliament, and the public are at present facing where, industrial regulation is concerned. Any reasonable man, whatever section of the community ho belongs to, is bound to recognise that the system as it stands is defective and incomplete, and cannot possibly promote the settlement of industrial disputes or make for stability and efficiency in communal affairs. It ought to stimulate the search. for better methods of industrial regulation thiat the interests of every man, woman, and child in the Dominion are at stake. With a considerable proportion of * the population increased cost of living is no doubt balanced by increased wages. But many people_a.ro called, upon to meet increased living costs out of resources which have not been increased, or have not been increased in proportion. This apart, industry and commcrcial enterprise as a whole are seriously hampered and limited by continual disputes over wages and cost of living, in which no finality is reachcd, and of necessity the evils which result are most keenly felt by those'who are worst; placed to assert and enforce their individual or sectional claims. With a state of affairs extant which' thus, visibly operates' to the detriment of all, or nearly all, concerned, a national effort to _ devise a remedy ought to be possible. ! Such an effort might very well be based upon the broad facts which were clearly stated yesterday in the Arbitration Court.' What is needed is_ an 'authoritative expression of opinion in regard to what is possible ■ by wav of improving upon the state of affairs outlined yesterday by the President of the Court and Mr. Reardon. In order that such an expression of opinion may be authoritative, it is, of .course, essential that it should be representative. This being so, it seems pertinent to suggest that New Zealand might with great advantage follow the lead given by the British Government in convening a conference of representatives of Capital and Labour, "equivalent to a National Peace Congress for Industry,'to thoroughly think out every question, whether concerning the Government, ■workers, or employers." It is surely not too much to assume that in this country representatives of Labour and Capital, if they meet with that object, are capable of mapping out a policy of industrial regulation which would make for evenhanded justice as between the parties engaged in industry and at the same time safeguard national interests. If the delegates met in the right spirit a substantial approach might be expected towards such an agreement as would give real instead of nominal value .to awards of the Arbitration Court or industrial.settlements arrived at by some alternative method. Experience has shown that no useful purpose is served by accumulating masses of detail evidence, through the agencv of Royal Commissions, and in other ways, about wages and the cost of living. A i real step would be taken, however, towards breaking up the existing deadlock if a representative conference of men versed in industrial affairs was asked, in light of existing and well-aseertainc'd facts, to set out the logical steps by wliicli our obviously incomplete and ineffective regulation of industrial affairs, particularly of wages, might # be completed and made effective, and, if it withheld recommendations so directed, to state its reasons fur doing so. Such a conference would not of necessity reach unanimity even on the broadest grounds, but its delegates at least should have no dilliculty in giving concrete shape to the obstacles th.u impede an effective regulation of industry. To serve its purpose the conference _ would have to be organised on the simplest lines consistent with adequate representation. It should include representatives of organised Labour; of employers (including the Government and public bodies in that character); and of farmers, as an important section of the community entitled to special representation. These limits need hardly be exceeded, and each of the three sections

might be asked to sclect its own i representatives to a number agreed upon. Tho conference, naturally, would have free access to the records and statistics of the Labour Department and other Govcrnmont Departments and the Government Statistician, but the aim would not be to conduct exhaustive researches, but to frankly discuss and negotiate with a view to devising a way of escape from a position which is intolerable to all concerned. Even if negotiations failed an authoritative statement of the grounds on which they collapsed might usefully influence and stimulate Parliamentary action. .But workers, employers, and the public at large have so much to gain by improving upon the present regulation of industry that there is reason to believe that a conference and negotiations on the lines suggested would not bo barren of immediate results.