ARBITRATION ACT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2057, 30 April 1907, Page 1

ARBITRATION ACT.

ALLJCGFD DJSSA '['lS I'A CTION. A report p'rsonled to the lust meeting of l ho Canterbury Employers' Association contained the follow, ing passage:—“The Truites Councils of tile colony held their annual conference lately, and the reports of the proceedings show that the Labor party is thoroughly disappointed at the general results of the working of the Arbitration Art. Loud complaints have been made from time tc fiimrbvtheJLabor 17nions against the Court and its a wards', ■■aroLtlisi—jn lusters of tli© Crown have been frequent?" ]y interviewed on the subject of the Court. At the Conference, two Ministers were brought to book for some utterances they were alleged to have made in collection with the slaughtermen’s strike, and in the hope that perhaps more favorable awards will be obtained for the workers, it was decided to recommend that the present workers’ representative on the Court should be replaced by another. It is quite evident that the Labor party is in sore straits as to how it can accomplish its ends." The Chairman, in moving the adoption of the report, said he regretted that tlie president, Mr F. Weymouth was unable to be present, because the report was no doubt drawn up under his supervision, and if he had been present he would have delivered an interesting address. The report showed that the progress of the Association had been satisfactory, as was also its financial jiosition. The Cou-

of tin l Trades iinil Labor (Council dealt with i|Ui'Stiuiis which linil arisen mil of dissatisfaction, Ik* mi ji|hisim l, on tin l piirf ; .;of tlio workers win* liml foil ml Hint, jlju* A rlii Li:i lion Act could not give tlicm—whaL no Act could give tlicm—nnincly. a higher rate of pay ;ill l l :i lower cost «r living. lie noticed Unit, one of the |)i'o|iosnls of the Trades iinil Lalioi- Council was to remove Air. Slater from liis |iosition ns representative of the workers in tin* Arbitratinn Court. lie linil freipiciit opportunities of seeing Air. Sinter’s action mid bearing ns n mcmlicr of tins Arbitration Court, iinil lie thought Air. Sin- I tor ivns n most excellent member of j tlio Court on behalf of tin* workers, I Me did not think the workers could got n better mail. AVitli reference to tile stated intention of tbe Trades and Labor Councils to try to bring about nnieiidinoiits ill the law, the Chairman said he thought., tlie ’ Association might well leave any-action to the federal executive of the employers’ Association in Wellington. He referred especially to the intention of the Trades and Labor Council to try to get the law amended so as to provide for unconditional statutory preference to Coionisvs. nationalisation of the hoot’ industry mu reduction of tile exemption from tin income tax to £2OO. The Associu tipn’s federal executive in AVellingtoi would no doubt see that no legisla tion was passed without the employ ars’ view of the ease being first pro rented to I’nrlinment. The report was adopted

LABOR MATTERS. “The workers of the colony unfortunate that they have established in their midst a Labor Department, which had been created for the purpose of protecting and furthering their interests,” said Mr. A. H. Cooper. President of the Wellington Trades Council, at the grocers’ assistants’ smoke concert in Wellington on Apiil 24th. They hud ill this colony, he went on To say. a department which was unique in the British dominions, a department that was us ijj g the whole of its energy in the interests of the workers, aml he was satisfied that the workers of New Zealand had cause for congratulation in the fact that they had that department. Many hard things had y.-een said about it, and lie was one of those who, on some occasions, had been forced into the position of criticising it. But lie wished it to he made clear that as far as the department itself was concerned, he and those associated with him would con-

sider it one of the greatest disasters ti the workers of the colony if if were done away with, or its powers or functions curtailed. In the criticism lie and others had given, and the statements made. their object

■as not to injure or belittle the dcartment, but to endeavor as far ns lie.v were able to point out the

weaknesses at present, in existanee. with the idea of giving those ' in power “a straight tip".how In perfect it and make it more efficient and beneficial to the workers than it was at the present time. The Hon. J. A. Millar was more one of them than any other Alinister they had had in the history of the colony. Tic was a trade unionist, and the leader of

at. great battle which was fougld

i i the interests of the workers of the colony in 1390—n- strike.-, thatfailed for the moment, hut a strike that was directly responsible for the whole of the progressive legislation that they had secured. Tie was the head of tlie Labor Department now, and the workers expected that he would make improvements in it. He understood their aspirations and ideals, and it was to him they were looking at the present time to remedy many of the grievances they were now suffering under. In a .subsequent speeeli the Hon. J. A. Millar said lie invited criticism of any departments In* administered : lie wanted fair criticism, for it was impossible for one iiuiu to know what was going on all over the co lonv. When they considered that the Labor Department had at heart the interests of even the shearers’ huts of the colony, they wonkhiinderstand its scope. It, was the most ini, portant department of the State, liecause it had the interests 'of over two-thirds of the people of the colony committed to its charge. But its usefulness had been impaired by Parliament licit giving sqffieent officers for its administration. They had to do work in the country by means of policemen—work which should have been done by competent men outside the police force. There -.ore ;;!o registered unions in the colony, anti the returns showed that there were 70,000 hands employed in the factories alone, 111 addition to that there were shops and offices. The whole of the department in Wellington consisted of three workers. There was the Secretary to the Department. the Chief Inspector, whom the speaker had got some one to relieve whilst he, visited various parts of the colony: then three others who carried out the whole of the work for V: clUngton. And yet there were some who thou gilt the department ought bo know and see everything. He urged workers te, assist the department. and report anything that went wrong. Euless they did that 999 breaches of awards out of every 1000 would be missed. He went on to say that the one object of the department was to administer the law fairly and equitably between hot!: • employee and employer. Sometimes mistakes would he made on the part of the employer, and sometimes on the part of the worker; there was not one man from tlie .Minister down who was infallible. And lie trusted that wlu.ui they found the department did make mistakes, instead of condemning it wholesale, they would realise that tlie 111 istakes were not wilfully made to injure them. A lot bad been done in Labor matters, but a lot remained to be done. At the same time they -should not forget this—that the only men who bad a knowledge of the workers were those representing the places where the workers were situated. They were the men who had the factories and

shops under their e.ves. But they were in the minority in the House. When one made a proposal with re-Terott^-^i_L^* ,o r matters, experience of the past"shoved-i]iat_evcry Inch of the road had to be fought, owing, to the opposition of the country. If the Labor movement was to make headway it must have organised country labor. Until the workers 'opt that tlmy would never get the Labor legislation they wove entitled to through the House. Look at Hansard, and see what they tried to do with regard to Saturday half-holiday. Ho did not believe any edition bad sliowu twenty-five out qf n House of eighty in favor of it. Continuing, he said he did not know what the present Parliament was. But it may lie more progressive in the wav of Labor legislation than past sessions. Last year they had the Arbitration Amendment Piil|. containing twentysix clauses. It started with five. He had just as much chance of pulling Jth’at Bill through the House as lie would last night. The consequence was he dropped the whole Bill, and

. tools oho clause, which was siiflioier.t for him. It was to create the Court of Arbitration an independent court from the Supreme Court. lie said the delays in arbitration matters lnu been of such a character as to de maud that Parliament would pot i atop to them in future. This sessio' he hoped to put through legislatioi which,would do away with all the delays that had taken place and deal .with disputes as they arose. The Workmen's Compensation for Accidents Act was another matter he intended bringing forward, and he hoped to deal with amendments h I the Shops and Offices Act. Continu. , ins, he said they all had one aim |and one common object; that waAupI lifting their fellow-men. He hoped that in the course of a year he and his colleagues would show a good record for the time they had been in office. They had lost a great and powerful man in Richard John Seddon, and they now had to take up the work and do the best they could. They had not the mn.ua of him; they had to make their name, and get as good an opinion of the present Cabinet as existed of the late. As far as he was concerned, he woidd d all he could. (Applause.)