WELLINGTON NEWS

Hokitika Guardian, 9 February 1927, Page 4

WELLINGTON NEWS

TIIE ARBITRATION COURT

(Special to “ Guardian.”)

WELLINGTON, February 7

| That the Arl»itr:it ion Court hail out- ! lived its usefulness is the opinion of .Mr J. S. .Jcsscp. Vice-Chnirmun of the New Zealand .Meat Producers’ Hoard, and he is not alone in that opinion. The Arbitration and Conciliation Act has been a curse to this country, a menace to the development of its industries and a, hindrance to progress. It is a singular fact that although the Act has been in operation in New Zealand for over thirty years and has been amended again and again, it has not been adopted by any otheer country in the world, except Australia and even there it has been applied with modifications. Numerous inquiries and investiagtions have been made- into our system by competent men specially deputed for the purpose by foreign governments. hut lame have ventured to graft on to their systems the “ compulsory ” arbitration, which we all know is a one-sided compulsion, for it is the employer who is compelled and not the worker. The employers’ hands are tied by the Court, and he becomes a sort of Aunt Sally for the worker to shy sticks at. England stands first m the philosophy and practice of arbitration. There can he no doubt that in any sound scientific structure arbitration and conciliation must' play a leading role, anti in Great Britain there is a healthy and well-rooted tradition of arbitration in industry going right hack to the old mediaeval guiicls. There is no compulsory arbitration in Britain, and yet substantially all the trades in England have been formed into self-governing associations doing a liomogcous business, and the organisation of business upon an elaborate and .scientific basis has been brought to a high state of perfection. Unionism in Britain is none the less effective because arbitration is voluntary. The British Seamen’s Union, of which Mr Havelock is the ruling spirit, has not found it necessary to strike at any time during the past seven or eight years, and yet during that period the seamen had their wages raised and lowered. When they were lowered the self-seeking agitators in New Zealand and Australia fomented trouble, the British seamen who were involved were heavy losers, and at no time did they stand a chance to gain their ends. Havelock Wilson’s policy of arbitration and conciliation, of give and take, survived the attacks of the agitators here. Compulsory arbitration as we know it in New Zealand is unscientific and unsound. It has hedged in our industries with too many restrictions, unduly raised the costs of production, lowered the efficiency of the workers by creating a dead level of operative effort so that the efficient and competent worker ! cannot give of his best. It has raised a crop of industrial barristers, whose sole bent is to drag the employers before the Court in the hope that a policy of compromise which the Court almost invariably adopts, will yield some gain to the unions. There is no incentive to the worker to give of Ins best, co-operation is prevented and the workers are taught to believe that the employer is his natural enemy, alia anything that can he done to get the better of the employer is pcrmissable. The employer has no redress, he must submit to the kicks and pin-pricks and the rising costs of production and pass the costs on. The employers, too, have developed some dirty tricks, and that was inevitable, for it could not be that one side should possess a monopoly of elever if discreditable tactics. The compulsory arbitration system of New Zealand has introduced into industrial life a low morale,'and for that if for no other reason it. should be expunged from the Statute Book. The farmers are now feeling the effects of the Arbitration system, and if they do not raise their voices and insist on very great reforms they will suffer a good deal more. It is very probable that a demand for the repeal of the Arbitration Act will come from some of the workers, for they are not likely to meekly submit to unemployment and star vation simply because they must not accept work at award wages. They will defy the Court and accept work, lio-

lieving in the old adage that half a loaf is better than no bread.