EMPLOYERS ASSOCIATION

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10621, 29 April 1912, Page 6

EMPLOYERS ASSOCIATION

ANNUAL REPORT,

The annual meeting of the Wairarapa Employers' Association will lie hold in the Exchange Buildings next Friday afternoon at 3.-30 o'clock, when the following report will he submitted . Tho various Associations throughout 1.1)0 Dominion have been .asked to express an opinion, on the industrial situation at tho present time, and to send.any suggestions they desire to make to the secretary of the New Zealand Employers' Federation for the consideration of tho Advisory Board. Your Committee, feel confident steps will have to be taken to get legislature to alter tho Act so as to bring ail workers, whether members of a union registered under the Conciliation and Arbitration Act or not, under tho penal clause of the Act. Under the present Act any industrial union can cancel their registration under the [Conciliation and Arbitration Act, and thereby free their members from the penal clause from striking, while employers are unable to obtain freedom of any sort and are -bound, by any award granted by the Court. Your Committee havo recommended the Federation to endeavour to take steps in this direction, and to have all bodies of workers such as the Federation of Labour brought under . the penul clauses of tho Act, and to make any strike illegal unless the dispute has been first investigated and adjudicated upon- by the Arbitration Court. It has been suggested that it is advisable to establish a .National Employers' Defence Fund, as in the opinion of a number of tho Employers' .Associations throughout the Dominion the present prevailing unrest indicates tho probability cf a serious industrial upheaval in the not very far distant future, in which case it would certainly be desirable if funds v,eve available for the purpose of protecting employers' interests" in the. struggle.. For tho.purpose of raising this fund it has been suggested .that individual members of all' organisations connected with the Federation should bo asked to agree to'increase their subscriptions in the direction indicated by, say, double the present amount- far. one year, and 2o per cent, increases for .say, four subsequent years. Your opinion on this matter will bo asked for at tho annual meeting. The attention of the Federation his been called to the fact that a number of employers are assisting to support labour publications in the .Dominion by advertising therein, which is very -much against the interests of all employers of the Dominion, as they are thereby assisting to provide agitators with the necessary funds to fight employers. Your Committee have again to call attention to the small percentage of employers who toko any financial interest in tho Association, and thereby any interest in legislation which materially affects their position as employers. The Secretary of the Now Zealand Emptoyers' Federation during the past year gave a very ablo and interesting address to employers on this matter, which we regret was very poorly attended, hut which was greatly appreciated by those present, ami impressed them with tho vast amount of work being done in the interests of our industries by tho Associations, through tho Federation, in watching proposed legislation affecting the interests of all classes of industry. Employers must realise that unless they assist each other in endeavouring to counteract tho attempts to impose further burdens being placed on our energies, all industries will be entirely crushed out by the operation of the Bills brought forward, and it is io their interest to belong to this Association and endeavour to induce all other employers to join and assist the Federation in endeavouring to keep a closo and careful supervision over ptoposed legislation affecting' the industries of the Dominion.