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Hokitika Guardian, 21 April 1928, Page 2

lx the course of an analysis of the industrial problem referred Lo above, the ” Lyttelton Times ” in passing comment says the employers' views can he reduced to a quite precise statement. They approve of the compulsory reference of all industrial disputes lo conciliation councils. They would throw on the councils the whole responsibility of agreeing on the terms of settlement or of referring the dispute to the Arbitration Court for settlement or of leaving the dispute unsettled. The work-

ers’ views are not to be expressed so precisely, because Air Hoherts’s statement was a little vague, hut we have a definite approval of compulsory reference of disputes to conciliation councils, and a plain indication that some substitute for the Arbitration Court is desired. .The Labour movement is not in favour of tlie Act in its present lorm and it sees “no reason wliv other methods of adjusting industrial disputes could not he put into operation.” The substitute suggested is a system ol disputes committees, or industrial councils, which would he on all lours with the existing conciliation councils except that, while these are called specially to deal with disputes ns they arise, the disputes committees would presumably be permanent institutions. Moth proposals, obviously, would leave the parties with freedom of action. .subject to reasonable restrictions or precautions if the councils, or committees, failed to arrive at agreement. Both employers and workers, therefore, are prepared to give the method of conciliation a trial ill the maintenance of industrial peace, abandoning the compulsion that has of late come under such continuous'''criticism. It is as well that the public should understand the trend of events, and particularly important to our mind is the positive evi-j deuce that all classes of employers are united in demanding tlie elimination of the element of compulsory resort to the Court of Arbitration, and that the ( workers are also ready to entrust their interests to methods of conciliation.