The Gisborne Times.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2460, 26 March 1909, Page 2

The Gisborne Times.

■ JUDGE SIM’S;VIEWS ONUN 10NjSM EMPLOYERS WILL PROTEST LABOR CIRCLES PLEASED,_ , , ..Much discussion has taken place in industrial f circles consequent on Judge Sim’s suggestion to employers that it would .be. in their .own interest if they. engaged only members of a worker’s .union'. . ; Yesterday, says the ‘ ‘Dominion” of Thursday last, a special meeting of the executive of the New Zealand Employers’ Federation .was held to. consider the matter. It T was ultimately; resolved that affiliated bodies be ‘writtento on the subject with a. view to fonnulating a united protest. As might, be expected, the views of his Honor hiave met with the unqualified approval of trades unionists. 77-77,. 77/■--'T; 7 • WHAT THE EMPLOYERS THINK.

“More’"is sure to be heard on this matter,” remarked Mr. Pryor, -general secretary of the New Zealand Employers’ Federation, in reply to a question put to him by a ‘.‘Dominion” reporter yesterday. Employers, he continued,; felt that. the suggestion amounted to compulsory, preference to unionists! He was of opinion that the Employers’-Fed-eration would object -very strongly i to adopting the. proposal made by? Mr: Judge Sim. Anything in the way of compulsory preference had always been strenuously opposed Dy. the federation. Members, held that -a t worker’s ,( fitness, for the particular work which he was. required to perform should be the only qualification which needed- to -be taken into!.consideration. Under the preference clauses inserted in ■ ? awards; if a unionist had the same, qualifications as a non-unionist the employer was compelled to give preference to the .unionist. But, to say that a worker’s .right' to work should depend upon him being a .member of a union was a principle which he felt sure the federation would oppose as far as lay in its power. DICTUM OF A FORMER PRESI--7.,/ -. 7 DENT. . '7 7"■

The Court of Arbitration had, Mr. Pryor continued, always, upheld the principle that an employer should have the .right to employ the most suitable worker available, irrespective/of whether he belonged to a union or not: When Mr. Justice Chapman was president of the Court he laid down yery. clearly in his judgment on the enforcement case, Inspector of Factories v: the Banks' Cooperative Meat Supply Company, which was delivered on November 13, 1906, and w r as reported in Book of Awards, volume 7, page 535. Among other important'remarks made by Mr.' Justice Chapman were the. following:—7 f • “It lias always been’recognised as. ia cardinal rule that the giving of preference' of employment. to . unionists is not- intended to force unsuitable men upon an employer to the detriment :of his: business, 7 and it is consequently the. duty of a union to show' the employer, by means of the employment book, what be is to look . for in the case of Unsuitable nicn, in order that he may .pursue his en- ■ quiries as .to their suitability -without delay or inconvenience.’ !’' J.j f GRANT OF PREFERENCE!.WILL BE ',7 . OPPOSED.:. .. 7

In the course of further conversation, Mr. Pryor remarked that, despite anything that might be said to the contrary, there was no question butftliat many good workers had strong and sound objections "to joining a union. In the first place, a first-class worker felt that ho .did not require the-assistance of a union to secure him employment at the highest rate of wages. Others objected ,to the way the. business of unions, in their particular -. trade was conducted, and therefore would refuse to be connected with it. To_ compel these workers to become unionists was to take away from them their freedom in a manner- which • felt neither Parliament nor the Court of Arbitration had any right to do. “Altogether, ” lie concluded, 7 ‘ ‘the position is looked upon as being a very serious one. I feel sure that members .of the federation, 'will resent any .action which will tend to make preference clauses in awards more restrictive, than they are at present, or to -cause . employers to take into, consideration anything, else than the .ability of the„worker whom it is sought to employ. -.-What. is. sure to happen is that .action will be taken throughout the Dominion .to oppose, preference .in,,'any form in future awards. To adopt Mr. Sim’s suggestion would mean compulsory unionism and nothing, else,..and..they., naturally object to be placed in the position of having to Say to a worker, ‘You must join a union or starye.’ ” • . -7. . 7 '7,

THROUGH LABOR SPECTACLES. The views held in labor circles regarding Mr. Judge Sim’s suggestion to the employers may be gathered from: tho remarks which Mr. D. M’Laren, M.P., made to a. “Dominion” reporter yesterday. There was no-doubt, he said, that the opin.ion ~lie-ld by bis Honor is—absol-: utely. right. In. the first place the: Act was brought into existence for the 'purpose of -allaying industrial. strife or trouble, and as a means to that end it was set out in it that the.statute was for the purpose of encouraging the formation of unions. - The .conception which such men as the. late Charles Kingston, of South Australia, and Mr. W. P. Reeves, of New Zealand, had was -the one-which was held by.-the .leading men who had given careful.; consideration to the industrial side .of economic problems. That was to say tlio creation of large organisations. stimulated a sense, of _.jesponsibility._and . made., demands on the exercise of reason on, both sides. . , £ ■GOOD EFFECT OF LARGE UNIONS.

'The idea given 'utterance rto- by' his; Honor.. was, . Mr. ..M’LareiiL' continued, ; .exactly yvhat , had been carried .out: in ’ practice in connection with, the pviater- * side workers. in' many; ports .of Australia for a number of years past. • When he was in Australiarecently/ he found that that body had been effectiye in v creating large unions, and a'federation of these ,"' unions, "which federation -was able to deal; with .the. industrial conditions in a somewhat broad and comprehensive. way. Quite Ire.cently; at one sitting of the federation an'Australia, there was framed ail “agreement; which J governed the■ ithole - ' w6rkiiig;bonditions at some eight large ports.' An--5 other effect of the completion of the organisation " was,. /th|tf jthe \ federation /received more, authority ;fro‘m ihh 1 work- , ers to act oh. theirbehalfand; was thereby ablet.to "prevent ’ many/ minor disputes . from developing ''into ' what might become .-serious. .tfoublerh" The .Waterside; .Workers’- Fede'ratioh inf Australia./ was /really." doing /a great , dual of tlieir ' own ’conciliation and arbitration, without . resort to any. tritilmal 4ljemgnecessary./■" "'■■■ 7/h~rvAT~' ; 1 ..■'EMPLOYERS SHOULD ACCEPT ,; .UTHEj'SQQOESTIpN.;,-:/;/ I'/ According to Mr. M’Laren, the method of applying the preference clause at the various ports of the Dominion, had . rr; cm.iulovers Aathu];.it_:tfvLithei Adxsmisixt&^as.

Viroll as to the advantage l of the workers to have a central-authority to deal /with instead of probably-fariousj factions. It was found,<lio said, that, generally, the employers : simply insisted that the workers 'should’qoin the union before they engaged them, and, of course, it became the custom which •everybody entering the occupation must observe.-. It seemed to him that tho same method ought to .be applied more generally in connection with other callings:' “T know,” added Mr. M’Laren, “that in .regard ,to several trades, tho preference clause is not properly applied, and a continual feeling of unrest is thereby engendered between employ-•ers-and worker®.' Further,- I think that Mr. Judge Sim was merely advising .employers in their - own ‘.interest, when. h f e said that they should insist bn workers joining a union.”