EMPLOYER & WORKER

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 10713, 23 December 1912, Page 5

EMPLOYER & WORKER

AN IMPORTANT DECISION. • PREFERENCE TO UNIONISTS. ''■oceivedi This Montiing 12.40 o'clock) MELBOURNE, December 22. In the Arbitration Court Mr Justice Higgins mad© a lengthy stato ' ment dealing with tiie case of the j Tramway Employees' Association I against the Brisbane and Adelaide i Tramway Companies. He said that , the Brisbane Company refused even to consider an agreement. It object j ed) to everything. The manager, Mr Badger, adhered to the time-honoured J policy of absolute control over its own employees. The existing agreement left the amount of wages payable abj solutely to his discretion. Mr Higgins regretted that he would have to j make an order in regard', to the Bris- | bane Company's men, which he had always previously refused to make, namely, preference to.Unionists. The history of the case was .painful, and , even ghastly in the eyes of those who fancied that there was liberty for those belonging to the" association im Australia. No doubt nearly all who | belonged to the association attempted jto resign. The Brisbane Association . did so undier the intimidation of a | man who could give or withhold ,the 'J means of living. Mr Badger knew that if the employees resented the conditions of labour, they feared unemployment more. I/a his capacity | of benevolent despot, he made a ruthj loss use of. the knowledge of playing off the natural desire of men to sup- ! port their wives and children against •their efforts to unite for the improvej; ment of their conditions. He (Mr j Higgins) did not desire to restrict Mr Badger, in the choice of his employj ees, but the law left him no other ' means of protecting the members of the association from Mr Badger's in- , timidation.