Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1910. THE INDUSTRIAL STRUGGLE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10112, 6 October 1910, Page 4

Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1910. THE INDUSTRIAL STRUGGLE.

At a period when the whole civilised world is involved in an industrial struggle, it is interesting to note in what light the experiments made in industrial conciliation in New Zealand .and Australia are viewed by older and more populous countries. The Americans arc closely scrutinising the systems in operation in the Australasian States. It is true that in America, until recently, there has been no attempt to mitigate the rigours of a strike, and although the law courts have lately propounded a doctrine which operates to check disputes, it is not hy way of conciliation, hut by compulsion. Even in Canada, where the power of the financier is riot so great, the system of conciliation falls considerably short of that in vogue with us. But having that system in operation under their eyes, it is natural that they should compare it witn the rival systems of Australasia. The first American who investigated the question was Mr Demarest Lloyd, whose enthusiasm could note nothing defective! in the machinery which had made of this. Dominion a "country without strikes." That was in the early days of the arbitration system, and since then we have enlarged our experience. Then came Dr Victor Clark, who was a more judicious inquirer, and who, without denying the usefulness of the various conciliation systems, held that they were not applicable to the more complex industrial organisation of older countries. The last inquirer is Mr Paul Kennaday, of New York, whose paper is reprinted.in the last "Journal of the Department of Labour.?' Mr Kennaday gives a historical summary of the course of .labour legislation in Victoria and New Zealand, and calls attention to the fact that fifteen years of experience have brought the two countries very close together. Victoria, starting with' special boards of conciliation, only instituted an appeal court in 1898, ' while New Zealand, which 1 started with a court of arbitration, has just ; adopted special boards of concilia- , tion. Tt would almost seem as if wo i ]

had readied the best system that could be framed in this direction. As for the result of the system, Mr' Kennaday comes to the conclusion that compulsory arbitration creates less discord than might be expected. "Whatever the final result of raising wages without regulating prices, and whether we guess with the Government that wages have increased most, or with the Opposition that prices have increased more, coexistent wi fch the Arbitration Act two advantages have come to the New Zealand public. The one, the abolition i of sweating, unquestionably may be I credited to the Arbitration Act and its complementary Shops and Fac tories Acts; tnc other, the often made claim that strikes have been prevented by the legislation, is a matter for more qualified assent." On the whole, however, Mr Kennaday is inclined to the opinion that the claim is largely justified, and that strikes have been reduced to a minimum. He considers the New Zealand system now superior to the "Victorian, and expresses the view that New Zealand has in it an instrument of high value.