The Daily News THURSDAY, JUNE 4. OUR INDUSTRIAL SYSTEM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 140, 4 June 1908, Page 2

The Daily News THURSDAY, JUNE 4. OUR INDUSTRIAL SYSTEM.

An old woman bus an idea that she would like to keep a pie, if she could get. one for about S.s. Another old woman ha- a pig In pari with it by disputing of it she could realise It's. The ■ ild women come together, and, after much haggling, an agreement is arrived at. The pay nl, of the money and the pa-sing of the pig. accomplished in a minute, constitute- the transaction. This represents the primary basis of all trailing and mercantile business. The taking of bills aim the granting of credit is a deviation in the hands of the seller which in no way detracts from the general principle. A man wants to dispose of Ins labor; another milu has work that needs to be performed and requires labor. The parties ] meet ami a bargain i» struck. In this | instance the dillcroncc from the selling ot the pig is that the transaction cannot be begun ami ended ill a minute. The delivery of the good,-the labor - may extend into months or year-, ami during that time new ideas may occur to one or other of the parties us to what were the actual terms of the original agreement, and claims may be set up, arising from a variety of circumstances, for an alteration of the agreement.

A laborer who contracted to sell hihilxir for 8s per day may suddenly throw down his tool, and declare thai he will work no more unless he i- paid the same as Tim Smith in Hie next section, who is getting Ms per day. In the New Testament there is told a verv apposite storv about the observance of labor contracts. Another man employs labor for the performance of purely technical work. Having educated'ihe man I" a sound knowledge of bis duties, suddenly the employee—knowiie.' that no mail can lie found to lake his place--turns round to extort .•ondilii.us and lay down laws to the employer. Of course, no high-minded man.'no man with a spark of honor or a M'n-e of fairne-s. would ever contemplate anything so mean, but there is reason to believe such things have been actually perpetrated. In matters of labor there is really no security that tlu. conditions of contract will be taithfuily ob-erved for any length of time. When coming from one direction, ilr-would'-he employer encounter, til* would-be employee, coining trom another direction, there is a mutual feelin- of distrust. The would-be employer fears the man he is about to engage may prove a '-pointer.' and in every department of man's labor "pointers" are wonderfully prevalent. I tnmbued with am- spirit of devotion to his employer's' interests, he will shirk bis {vofk ami dodge unfaithfully. Before the vould-lie employee rise visions of nianv discomforts and disadvantages at the bottom of winch lies the fear that his "uilcle.s innocence may be imposed upon.

Recognising this position, every wi.f.ei of note in England upon the subject ot {sociology lias laid it down peremptorily that it V wisest for the Stale not to interfere between man and man In such cases. The statesmen of New /calami have, however, aimed to teach the world n lesson in (his as in some other particulars. It is a fair Hung that "> this regard the loftiness of purpose ol nor statesmen -diuiihl be recognised, and therefore, liguialively. the h:>t is .lolled. Animated ''>' « noble hope of h.-in« abb- b v legislation to reconcile Opposing interests, substitute c idcliec f,„- ,|i-|ru-t. make the ,-apitalisl' ju-t and lie- laborer -atislic.l and failhf.nl. of lii-iii" able, in short, to bring about :„i era "of industrial peace such as would make old Word authorities slarc the have passed their Acts and set up their Courts. The diflicultic- besetting tie- quasi ion are very forcibly illustrated bv the historv of our |cgMali"n. No soon,-,- was tin- Industrial Concilialion and Arbitration Act passed than a very ,-onsirlerable leakage was discovered. Xo sooner did amending legislation, stop that leakage than a big hole appeared in another quarter. That was no sooner closed than, behold, there was more trouble—another verv big hole.

Critics in England declared that our Act was nil vers- well when emplovmem was plentiful, when the rates of wages were rising, when things were prosperous. ■"Wait and see,'' said they, "until things are reversed; wait until employment is scarce, wages on the decline; when there is depression, and then see what good your Act will be.'' So, we have' not waited! Selfishness, distrust, a. fastidious punctiliousness over small supposed rights, a vanity in the exercise of a new fonni-ii power have come with a rush and iluii-si a hoi,. larger than has gone before. The designers of the Act .annot complain of the Dominion where their experiment I-,,, been tried. As has already been poi I „„t i„ (h,. s e columns, the general community |, a s cheerfully siihmitlc.l to numbers of inconvenience., and harassing. p,-u v injustices ... that industrial peace niigbl' be realised. They have no reason to seriously regret the failure. Emanating from the Liberal and Aabor Party—being, in fad. the verv basis of the "union of Liberalism and Labor-tile Act was principally designed to benefit Labor. As a matter of fact, Ijibor has benefited immensely by the Act. Xow organised Labor, or a big section of it, migratefill and stupid..careless of the sacrifices others have submitted to, ignoring the ellorls made to lift it to a high plane, seems eager i„ kick away the bidder bv which if ha, arisen. WhetliPr the new proposals of the .Minister for Labor will ell'eciually elos,. the present large hole in the arbitration system remains to be seen. One thing is certain, nainelv. that if Labor is left without the aids ■the Stale has given it and is let to light its own battles and drive its own bargains with employers, the inevitable result will be a serious reduction in the rate of wages at present obtaining.