THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, MARCH 23, 1908. EMPLOYER AND LABOURER.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9046, 23 March 1908, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, MARCH 23, 1908. EMPLOYER AND LABOURER.

Notwithstanding the fact that the meeting of employers, held on Saturday to consider the claims of the General Labourers' Union, decided to have the matter dealt with by the Arbitration Court, several of the speakers freely admitted that "the labourer is worthy of his hire," but that the hire of the labourer is not quite worthy of him—in other words that the labourer was not receiving adequate remuneration for his work. This fact stood out somewhat conspicuously in a general discussion which was not equally conspicuous for consistency, as the report published elsewhere in this issue indicates. Mr Coradine remarked that "he thought the employees were going to get something, and what was more they were entitled to something;" to which Mr M. Caselborg observed —"I am very glad to hear that." Mr Coradine held that the men were fully justified m asking for an increased wage, the cost of living having advanced out of all proportion to the wages many of thetn were receiving. When the claims of the Union—which are summarised in our report of the ; meeting—were read, Mr Caselberg said there was nothing unreasonable about them. This it is to be assumed relates to the question of pay, as it appears that the decision to take the matter to the Court instead of to the Connciliation Board was because "there were other things besides wages which made it desirable that the judgment of a judicial tribunal should be obtained." Mr Haughey expressed the opinion that as the men's demands seemed reasonable the sacrifice should not begin at

the bottom, but at the top. He very rightly contended that every labourer should receive a rate of pay that would enable him "to bring up a family in a right way." In face of the admissions made, it might have been wiser had the meeting agreed to make an effort at conciliation. To say, as the resolution of the employers did, that "there is no prospect of conciliation," when no attempt had been made in that direction, smacks of insincerity, and is in marked contrast with the sypmathetic speeches made in regard to the claims submitted.