OUR INDUSTRIAL LAWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 130, 23 May 1908, Page 2

OUR INDUSTRIAL LAWS.

AX (EXPOSITION BY THE ATTOIi-XIOY-fiEXERAL.

Per Press Association. Wangamti, Lust Sight. At tlie Opera IJonse to-niglit, Dirt l-'indlay, Altorney-Ociieral, delivered a speech On labor and tile Arbitration Act. lie gave a scholarly resume of tlie world's industrial sysle'ins. ,Speaking of New Zealand's Arbitration Acts, jjr. Eimllay said it bad entirely eradicated sweating, and so long as it was on the Statute Book it was the best protection tlie weaker body of the workers had against oppression, excessive liours and insiillicient wages. It had for many years prevent ed strikes, and secured industrial peace, and, if properly used in a spirit of conciliation, it would always prevent strikes. The At-lorney-Oncr-.il said thai tlie discontent with the Aet was partly owing (a) to a declining lack of appreciation of its benefits through thci,- long unbroken continuance; (b) !o the irrecouciliable discontents of the revolutionary school who d' in'd to abolish and not improve our wages system; (e) to a tendency which had grown up under the Act to dead-level or uniformity of wage for all in each trade, a result largely brought about by the way the Aet had been used by those whu ; >e interests it was inLedcd to serve; (it) to the mistaken opinion Unit the increases in wages tin- Act has secured have been nullified by the Act causing a corresponding increase in the cost of living.

l)r. l'imllay said that as strikes and lock-outs vitally allccted tile whole people the Stale was entitled to prevent them by compulsion, whether the workers and employers liked compulsion or not. He was oppo.e.d to imprisonment of strikers, for tl'e reason that imprisonment, miles-- r uHi'lered a disgrace, was not a deterrent, but rather glorilied those whom it was intended to punish.