THE ARBITRATION ACT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2202, 28 May 1908, Page 3

THE ARBITRATION ACT.

CHRISTCHURCH CENSURE.

EAIPLOYERS’ ASSOCIATION IN

ARMS,

Pross Association. CHRISTCHURCH, Alay 27. The quarterly meeting of the Canterbury Employers’ Association was held to-night. The president, in his address, said: “The Blackball strike has revealed prominently the several weak places in tho Arbitration Act. A serious matter,” the president continued, “i 6 tlio arrival of the time long expected by employers when the workers would refuse to accept tho decisions ot the Court. Until tbe past year they have accepted them fairly well, because the awards have generally been in their favor, but .the maximum wage which the Court thinks justified having now been reached, tho workers are revolting against it, and putting into use that power which we have long realised they possessed, of risking the payment of a sm-all fine as a premium for the -added wage or improved conditions which they hope to obtain by moro forcible means. A succession of strikes of greater or lesser degree have established the fact that the AVorkers Act is no longer compulsory on them on its present working. The Act can no longer be regarded as one of equal justice. The balance weighs wholly against the employer and in favor of the worker. Compulsion now extends only to employers. Tlio position clearly before us is that the Act is compulsory on employers and optional on tbe workers. It is no use trying to gloss the matter over. It is a fact that has to be recognised and dealt with. The action of the Government during tho past strike has clearly shown that they concur in this view, and recognise the impossibilty of enforcing an award against the workers. The duty that lies beforo them is, therefore, either to amend the Act so that it can be administered with equal justice against both parties, or else repealed, and in its place pass measures to prevent striking and to encourage voluntary conciliation. I am not sanguine that the Government will be able to amend the Act so as to satisfactorily retain the compulsory clauses. It lias practically only two means of doing so, namely, by fine or imprisonment. The working of tho present Act, under which the fine is the- penalty, lias proved conclusively that it is but a very small deterrent to breaking the law. Tho one untried -means of enforcement is imprisonment. I think I shall be voicing the opinion of most employers when I say that t-hey would keenly regret any alteration of the law which would subject a man to imprisonment for refusing to woi'k under such conditions or to accept pay for his labor at a. rate which he considers unfair to him. Even if the principle of imprisonment was admitted, I believo it would bo practically impossible to apply to -an _ extended degree : in the case of a big strike. From the reasons I have given, it will, I think, be fairly cloar that compulsory arbitration is hardly possible.