The Daily News TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25. THE ARBITRATION ACT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 56, 25 February 1908, Page 2

The Daily News TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25. THE ARBITRATION ACT.

'lTit Afbiuutiou Act is beiug lulled year. | by year, and its 9 tn'iigUi and its weak- i ii'u-'s are becoming more apparent as lime a" I '' «"• Ei "- 11 >»eeessive dispnle' ol' an iiniioitanL nature se.'ins to | ii;l., jooniinenie some feature not no- j liecd before, or. it Uno.vu, al all eveaU ii..t heeded. The laie-t point I into iii.iiiiiii.niv bv leienl events ii t'leI'aet thai il is p..<-ible i'.,r the worker,' union- lo tree tliem-elves from 'lie iipel-iilion of Hi,- Ael il they rlioo-e lo do -o. Kniploier- have hw,» aware j from the ineeplioii ol the Art that it j w.i, mi Irainvd liiill worker- eonld take I advaiit;i"e of il or not u- they plea-ed.. j ~,,,1 i, t'l'iey ehu-e I" lake aihaiit.i ;: e of

I, provi-ioii- that they could, when I liev so de-ircd. with alnm-1 e.|ual fa- ■ iliiv place tliein-eive- outside its operii,„i. So far a- workers are concerned. . i- ..nlv iniluslri.il unions of workerl'„|v ly'i-tered that can bring the A.l, [,„;, „,;,. ra iion: individual worker- or j linre.'i-tered s,„.ietles i-.imlot do so. .ill"! | l; ,,e no -landing before the Court. S-niihirly employer- '.m cite indu-trial individual wc.rl.vrs ,„■ hodic-of workers not ive.i-ierc.l. s., far as the employers ;1!V ~;„.,erued. th.-v may be cited individuallv or oiledivcl>. whether ineni-b.-rs of a duly registered industri -il union of employers or not.

A- the Diiuedin .Star, which lias been uiviiu: this matter attention lately, point's mil. the employer i- in the po-i----tion 'of being "-hot at" al any lime, lie has no way .it freeing himself from, the operation' ol the Act when once brought under it. and, of course, he is

liable to be brought under it althoughl he has had uo dispute with his own, worker-, and not even a difference of any kind; nay, even if his employees would prefer lo remain without being interfered with in any way. In his turn, however, the employer ha- no means of dealing with employees notmembers of a registered industrial .imio " if they should go out on strike. If lie ile-ire- lo tix up a detinue agreement binding on them for a period and lhay choose lo refuse lo meet him he has no remedy. Whether, therefore, from the |Hiint of offence or of defence the employer is at a di-advautage. This ha-i always appeared to us an injustice. It is clearly a one-sided arrangement, and Ihe unfairness of it is brought out mure, clearly when we learn that frequently, when workers' unions do not obtain from the Court what they desire threats of cancelling their registration and statements that they will free them selves from the operation of the A.-t become bruited abroad. If the law U to have control so as to lie able in case of a strike- to step in elfeetively. th ■ Act uin-t oe amended in the dim-lion I of providing means of dealing with cma ployeus. whether members of registered I industrial unions or not. when they •-> I cm strike or take -tejis tending iu thai 1 direction.

There' seems qui;.e an unnecessary amount of machinery about the present Act in the way of industrial unions. Why should provision not lie made lor; labor disputes to be brought before the Court or some body of conciliator- with, out all the formalities of registration and the subsequent procedure'; Thei nutter that requires t„ l„. settled i- alabor dispute. What does it signify io the country whether the parties disputing are unionists or unattached workers'; What does it matter whether the unions are regi-tered or not'; Thcrti is a dispute between einplover and e;u , ployed, ami it has to be settled, "be.-ause it i- dangerous to the interests of the State to allow the parties 1,, fight it out. regardle-s 0 f m,, ~|ra . t , 11( .|,' ~( |l|. tests will have on the rest of the community. The Act now includes under its operation every worker working for an employer bound by the awards made by the Court, whether the worker is a member of an industrial union or not. Only one step further is requirednamely, to allow the employer to bring, a dispute before [he Conn for settlement, irre-pcctivo of ivlctlier his ~aipUv,,'..s are li'.iioni-i- or not. If cith-r employer or worker can ,-i.nn- before the Court, iheu both parlie- will !,.■ „„ ~„

There is al-o nrpi-itt n.vd for 01 in :■ nforii!-. Take only olio di' these. I;' the Act is t<j fulfil its purpose ni.'ans u'u-i lie found wlii-.vJiy di-mules nil! |, e dealt with when they arise, not one. two or I hive years afterwards. The dekivs Hint linvi- occurred have tended more limn anytliiii" el-e to rai.-o lii!tcrm>-s of I'i'ilinK on l.otli sides. A reference is filed, mid the parlies immediately stand in antagonism, for <-a<-h thinks that the other i~ unreasonable. This position or' antagonism is prolonged for a 1.-n-l !i .1 period until the. Court lias time to hear the dis|mlo. The'result is tlini a feeling is aroused tliat probably is never allay" ed. for liy tlie time the award is inauV and in operation for a short time conditions have changed, and fresh of difference arise. TmmedialelV the term of the award has run another reference is filed, ai ,d thus it [joes on. As our contemporary trulv save, such a condition of affairs does not make for industrial pcaee, nor does it conduce to the maintenance of the fricndlv. cordial relations that .should exist hetween employer and employee. The effects of these delays fall heaviest on Hie workevs. who are least alile to hear the hurilen. The prompt bearinjr of disputes would remove one of the chief oh'lacle.to the -iic-ces-ful workim; of the Art