THE WELFARE LEAGUE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 142, 11 March 1920, Page 4

THE WELFARE LEAGUE

WATERSIDE THANSFORT DISPUTE A PRIVATE CONFERENCE ON SECRET PROPOSALS (Contributed bv the Welfare League.). When an industrial dispute goes before a Conciliation Board or the Arbitration Court the case is stated in public, whatever course may be taken afterwards. In this way tne public, who have to pay, is given an opportunity of knowiinr what is .being dealt with. If the proceedings before these bodies were held "in camera" there would be howls of indignation raised. Why should it be proper, then, that even now the representatives of the ship owners, the Harbour Board, and the waterside workers are meeting in private conference and dealinir with matters that have never been officially stated to the public. The league published what information it could set of the walersiders' demands, but llieso were not official, and' we have good reason for knowing that thev were not all the demands. What are the employers' proposals, or demands, and why are they kepi entirely secret is what we would like to know?

There nan bo no doubt that what is. taking place at this secret conference will affect the interests of producers and consumers outside, who are not even being allowed to know what the parties complete claims are. The Government, us representing the people of the Dominion, has certain property rights in the wharves and harbours, and in the industrv. Is the Government directly reuresonted at this conference? It may bo said that the recent Coal Conference, though orivate. was successful in settling. That is a different matter. . The. con I dispute claims of .both sides were made fully public, the matter was discussed in public a great deal, and when the conference took place, in addition to the renresentatives of the employing interest and the workers' interest, the Prime Minister presided, and represented the general interest of the- public. It is really a contrast to this to find the waterside employers and workers' representatives .meeting in private on proposals that 'have never been made fully public, and without any representation of the public present as such. It may be all rieht. What is taking place wo do not know. On the other hand things niav be done which are wrong and entirely against the public interest. Is the public to know nothing of the matter until a settlement is made, and they have to take whatever is given them, without even having been allowed tho rielit to protest.

A Labour mini said the other day that "there was no third party." It certainlv looks as if the employers in the instance of this dispute were subseribini to that doctrine. The producers and merchants who have goods to ship, and the bodv of consumers who are not either shin owners or waterside workers mav helieve that they are the third nartv. but evidently that is a delusion— they merely exist to pay what is decided for them. We have heard it rumoured in several auartors that in addition to dealinir with questions of hours of labour, wages, and general conditions of labour this private conference is dealing with auestions that affect tho ownershin and control of the industry. It mav be that here "rumour is a lying iade." but if so, the public can easily be apprised of the fact. The present' owners and controllers of the industry— Harbour Board and shipping companies —are nctinir as trustees for the public, and surely if any radical change is contemplated the public should be made nwnre of the matter before a decision is arrived at. The Harbour Board is a public bodv. and its representatives oueht to insist on the public being made tullv cocnisant of the whole of the pionosals. , We r.rc not urging that matters of detail should be interminably thrashed out in public, but we contend most strongly that tho reuular course should be given effect to. of having tho case stated in public with the Press present, and then lr>t the conference go into committee tor detail work. What we protest against is the holding of this conference entirely in private to deal with matters that are not private concerns.