ARBITRATION COURT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1714, 3 April 1906, Page 2

ARBITRATION COURT.

DISSATISFACTION OF UNIONISTS'

B HTI e The disposition of the trades unions (says the New Zea'and Herald) fo oome to terms with the employers in connection u with several of tho disputes set down for • hearing at the recent sitting of the Arbitration Court, instead of fighting them to a finish, has been viewed with much favor in oommsroial and other oirolee, but it now transpires that there is more behind the unions' actions than first appeared. The aspect presented now is far from beiDg favorable. The unions’ reason for oomiog to terms reoenfly, it appears, was not because they wanted to conciliate the employers, but because they believed they oould get more concessions from the employers than from the Arbitration Court. The trades union leaders are more than disappoioted with recent awards, and threaten that they will cancel registration, ; and resort to what they describe as “the* good old method of etriking ” for what they want, “ Murmurs are arising from one section of the oommuDity, as the result of a recent award,” said one of the labor leaders when interviewed, “ whioh presage ‘ a storm that will make those in authority realise thit the winking classes will not be trod upon too much ” The unions also complain bitterly of the long delays in bearing the disputes, which delays, they say, prejudioa their interests to a large extent. Mr Arthur Rosser, the well-known

labor leader, when asked to explain the reason for the making of the reo.nt agree, tnents, said :—“ Tbe real position is this: We have no iced by tbe recent decisions of 'h-* Court that they have practioally, by a majority, at any rate, arrived at the ooni elusion that thi-re shall bs no iooreasss in wages. This forces us to meet the employera on tho give-and-take principle, and we are satisfied we can got more out of tho employers by showing a disposition to conciliate than if we took tho oase before the Court.”

" So there is really no wave of conciliation sweeping over tho northorn industrial district?” queried our representative.’ “ Quite so,” assented Mr Rosser. '• We only find that we can get better resqlts by ooofer.ing with the employers than we can hope to get,from the Arbitration Court." “ The Conciliation Boards,’’ said Mr Bosser, in conclusion, “ have been a failure. They are like the white Leghorn hen—they novor sit."