EMPLOYERS’ ASSOCIATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 August 1921, Page 4

EMPLOYERS’ ASSOCIATION.

THE ANNUAL DINNER.

PAST YEAR’S WORK. The annual meeting and dinner of the Taranaki Employers’ Association was held in the Waratah dining-rooms, New Plymouth, last night, the president (Mr. P. E. Stainton) presiding over a large gathering of employers.

The annual report stated, inter alia:— With falling prices and a general slackening of demand the labor costs in any business to-day must call for the closest scrutiny. Prices fluctuate, in general, in accordance with the law of supply and demand, while the operation of that law is delayed in the case of wages by the fact of their being fixed for definite periods by the Arbitration Court. Prices rose much faster than wages, and it is only to be expected that in the receding movement, prices will again outstrip wages. During the year some fourteen executive meetings were held and the attendance at these showed a considerable improvement on that of the previous year. Many members of the executive are interesting themselves in studying industrial questions. Besides the ordinary executive meetings there were several special meetings to consider industrial disputes. A series of quarterly meetings were held, at which papers of interest to members were, read and discussed. Those contributing papers were Messrs. A. McHardy, C. 11. Weston, and R. H. Bartley, and to these gentlemen the thanks of the association are due. The services of Mr. Albert Spencer, president of the Auckland Employers* Association, were obtained for the purpose of carrying out some organising work. Though Mr. Spencer was able to spend only a few days in New Plymouth and Hawera, the result of his visit can be considered more than satisfactory to the association. Tn Hawera he secured some 34 members, while in New Plymouth 35 were enrolled. There is still much organising work to be done in the district, but the officers of the association have been so fully occupied that, Hawera was the only town where an attempt was made to organise employers. The total membership of the association is now 168. Besides the above we have the following associations affiliated with us: Drapers’ and Clothiers’ Association, Butchers’ Association, Builders’ Association, Dairying and Farmers’ Industrial Union of Employers. Owing to a proportion of the subscriptions being payable for the organising work, the financial result of Mr. Spencer’s visit will not be felt until this year. The nett subscriptions for the year show an increase of £B2 over those for last year. Increased expenses and special levies paid to the New Zealand Federation have absorbed most of this amount. The position of the association can be considered satisfactory. The year has been a strenuous one so far as industrial disputes have been , concerned. During the year several sittings of the Conciliation Council and two sittings of the Arbitration Court were held in New Plymouth, and before these tribunals the following disputes were dealt with: General laborers, bakers and pastry cooks, storemen and packers, storemen and packers (skin and hide section), dairy workers, grocers and drivers. Your executive wishes to record ita appreciation for the valuable work done by its secretary (Mr. C. H. Wynyard). His ability and knowledge of industrial legislation has been a very considerable factor in the" satisfactory settlement of local labor disputes.

In conclusion, it is desired to recommend to the incoming executive the importance of linking up the various towns in the province. In the very near future a re-adjustment of things must take place, and employers should be united to protect their own interests. There is a tendency to think that because wo are a small community industrially and away from tile "centre of things” that the vital problems affecting labor and industry need occasion no individual concern. This, however, is quite erroneous, as the coming months will tell.

The balance-sheet showed an excess of income over expenditure of £5 17s lOd. FUTURE TASKS. In moving the adoption of the report and balance-sheet, Mr. Stainton said the report left little for him to say. Tbe year had been an abnormal one, with an ab- j normal increase in wages and the cost of I living. At the last anpual meeting he had felt diffident about accepting tbe posit I '”' of president of the association, but no.» he was very pleased to thank the members of the association who had so ably and

loyally assisted him in his duties. He suggested that the meeting would do well to elect an executive for the ensuing year composed largely of the old members. The copiing year would be one of readjustment. They had gone from the normal state before the war to the abnormal, and now they were faced with the task of getting back to normal again. In this difficult process the financial stringency, unemployment and the many industrial problems would ail play an important part. The desire of the employers was to meet the employees as far as possible, and it was wrong to suppose the position was otherwise. They were in favor of unions providing that the unions were run by the men themselves. In a great many disputes co-operation and arbitration went by the board, but this was due to the parasites who preyed on tbe unions. In conclusion, Mr. Stain ton said he could not let the occasion pass without referring to the good work of the secretary (Mr. Wynyard), the success of the association being primarily due to his efforts. In seconding the motion, Mr. C. E. Baker said he wished to be associated with the president’s remarks relative to the secretary, and he would also like the work of the president and the late Mr. Hal. Goodacre (to whom the association owed its birth) to be recognised. Referring to the criticism of the association by an employer at a recent employers’ meeting, Mr. leaker said it was absolutely wrong to say that the Shops and Offices Act had been passed by Parliament without protest from the association. The association had opposed the Bill with all the means in their power.

The report and balance-sheet were adopted.

An executive of fifteen, who will elect their own president and vice-president, were elected, comprising; Messrs. W. 11. Besley, W. C. Weston, F. Jackson, J. Bennett, W. H. Reid, F. S. Johns, 11. B. Gray, C. Carter, P. E. Stainton, C. E. Baker, H. Derby, E. V. Clay, Sandford, A. George arid W. Healy. Mr. E. P. Webster was re-elected auditor. HYDRO-ELECTRIC SCHEME. Interspersed with the business of the meeting a toast list was honored, and a number of musical and elocutionary items enlivened pro reedings. In proposing the health of the Mayor (Mr. F. E. Wilson), coupled with hydro-

electricity, Mr. Stainton said there had been a great deal of discussion and criticism on the subject of hydro-electricity of late, but he wished it every success.

Replying, Mr. Wilson said he had hoped to have been spared from speaking on that subject at that meeting. Hydro-electricity was going to be a great thing for the town and province in the future, but in spite of what the engineers had said their schemes would require very great consideration before the council committed itself to a definite line of action. There had a good deal of criticism of the Borough Council’s attitude towards the proposed works, but the position was a difficult one to meet, and the council was out to do its best in the public interest. The greatest difficulty to contend with was drifting shingle. The tunnels were continually becoming blocked with shingle, and expensive methods had to be employed to check the trouble. The shingle was the only obstacle likely to prevent the successful completion of their aims. In matters electrical it had to be admitted that they werb all more ot less “at sea”, and had to rely on the advice of experts, who, unfortunately, did not always agree. He did not want people to think that the council was “taking the bit in its teeth to develop a little scheme on its own.” They were out for the benefit of the public. In proposing the toast of "The Press”. Mr. S. G. Smith, M.P., paid a striking tribute, to the value of the newspapers to New Zealand. Messrs. T. C. List and W. J. Penn replied.

WORK OF THE ASSOCIATION. "The Employers’ Association” was proposed by Mr. T. C. List, who said the as>onecessary to band together for their especiation had very important functions to fill. In the past it was not, perhaps, so necessary to band together for their especial benefit, but times had altered, and he stressed the necessity of getting together for the common benefit. It was often profitable to meet the men in conference, for then they were able to learn each other s viewpoints and difficulties. The employees sometimes thought that the employers had ail the benefits, but this was a wrong impression, for the employer also had his troubles, and of late they were considerable. Time was when the employees did not need the legislative protection; but it was necessary now. To-day the workers of New Zealand as a class were very much better men than in most other countries, and this was due to the wise protective industrial legislation. He was glad to see the interest that was taken in, the association, it having taken the parental position of such associations in Taranaki. In the past. New Plymouth had not taken a leading part as it ought to have done.

Mr. P. E. Stainton, responding, said the association was beginning to realise its responsibilities. He prophesied that the coming year would be an epoch-making one.

The Mayor proposed “The Chamber of Commerce”, saying it was a live body of commercial men, banded together to protect the interests of the province. With New Plymouth becoming a great seaport the chamber was only in its infancy, and great things awaited it. The Mayor mentioned that the chamber had done splendid work in helping settlers in the back-blocks. Responding, Mr. T. C. List (president of the Taranaki Chamber) said the work they were doing in the back-blocks really formed only a small part of their activity. Among other important matters, the chamber had secured direct shipping communication between Taranaki and England, and had things in train for an improvement of the railway service, which at present was a disgrace to the province. He would ask, however: Were the business people of the town giving the support to this very necessary and useful body that they should? The Taranaki Chamber had a membership of only 103, out of a population in New Plymouth of nearly 12,000, whilst Eltham, with a population of only 2000, had a membership of over 50. If the commercial public appreciated the work of the cham* ber it was their duty to rally round, be-, come members, and so help it. Musical items were given by Messrs. A. Sturrock, A. B. Macdonald, Ron. Macdonald, F. Hooker, C. Webster, and recitations by Mr. Moore.