Ramsay Macdonald and Arbitration Court Awards.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1942, 26 November 1906, Page 2

Ramsay Macdonald and Arbitration Court Awards.

(To the Editor Gisborne Times.) Sir, — In Monday’s issue of the Times you dealt editorially with the above subject. In doing so, you stated that the Arbitration Court (or Act) treats all men as of equal value. This, Sir, is an answer I cannot let pass unchallenged, and must respectfully refer you to clause (3) of our award, and I think all (or nearly all at any rate) of the awards given in New Zealand are the same. Now, clause 3 (A) reads similiar to this: “ Any worker, who considers himself incapable of earning the minimum wago, may have his wages fixed according to his capability, his past earnings, etc.” Clause 3 (B) fixes the time at which such permit shall remain in force as six months, at the end of which time, it expires, and a now one is to bo issued under tho same conditions. It is needless for me to quote the whole of the clause, but that is the essence of it. You say there is as much 'difference between two carpenters, two engine drivers, or two labourers, as there is between two blankets. It is very evident the framers of our awards think that too, when they provide such a clause as I have quoted above. I am doubtful—in fact, I am sure, the Arbitration Court awards have not forced up the price of living to tho pitch it has risen to. 'We need not go farther than oar town to dispute it, Circumstances over whioh wo have no control have boon the cause of forcing op several commodities, suoh as potatoes and onions, Then again, there is moat. What has tho Ooutt had to do with tho rise in the price of meat ? You oould say with as muoh troth that it is rospon> siblo for tho rise in the price of wool. Then again, if we in Gisborne have to pay three pence for a bundle of carrots, the Court has nothing to do with that. They ore produced by man uneffjoted by uuiouism or arbitration laws, and there are lots of other things also Shat I could pluoe in the same category, No, sir, the majority ef the things that have risen in pdeoio Gisborne are totally unaffected by unionism, nnd havo simply risen in price in harmoDy with the general prosperity whioh ha 3 prevailed in our colooy of hie years, and I am quite satisfied they would havo risen if we had had no arbitration laws, I oould go on still further, but must ourtai! my remarks on account of trespassing too far on your valuable space, I have been waiting io see if an abler pen than mine would take up the subjeot, as it is a subject I cannot give full justice to ; but, as nobody has dono ee, I decided to try and fill the gap,—l am, etc., 0. OATTON, Secretary Carpenters,’ UniOD, Gisborne, November 23rd, 1906. [The above 13 referred to editorially.— Ed. G,T.|