RETURN TO FORCE

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 169, 10 March 1932, Page 6

RETURN TO FORCE

EFFECT OF ARBITRATION AMENDMENT BILL OPEN LETTER TO PREMIER . WELLINGTON, Wednesday, Mr. F. W. Rowley, who, for 40 years was connected with the Labour Department, and for many years was its chief administrative officer, but is now retired, has written an open letter to the Prime Minister on the subject of the proposed amendment to the Industrial conciliation and Arbitration Act now before Parliament. Mr. Rowley claims that his long experience of the working of the Act entitles him to express the opinion that the Act requires amendment, partieularly in the interests of the farming and exporting community, but that the present Bill is drafted on wrong lines and will do more harm than good and cause grave injustice to the large body of workers who have quietly and loyally supported this peaceful method of settling conditions of em.ployment. Mr. Rowley contends that the real conflict which led up to the present industrial condition has lain not so much between employers and employed as between sheltered and unsheltered industries, and he suggests as a remedy that instead of wage rates being "fixed according to the artificial cost of living standard," they should be based on the state of trade from time to time, and that for this purpose the construction of the Arbitration Court should be altered by the addition of a representative of the public, whose special duty it would be to bring the state of trade before the Court. The writer points out that in the past lay members of the Court have been representatives of sheltered industries and those engaged in the great exporting industry, on which the prosperity of the whole Dominion depends, have not had a voice in selecting these representatives. Mr. Rowley contends that what is calljed "compulsory conciliation and optional arbitration" must result in a reversion to the old barbarous systcm of strikes and lockouts, and thise weapons be most readily seized by those engaged in handling exports. "We thus witness a return to the age of force instead of reason," adis Mr. Rowley. For the immediate purpose of meeting the existing depression he considers that all that is required is a temporary measure giving power to reduce all award rates or account of the fall in world priees arc even, if necessary, to suspend any oi the existing awards for a certain period.