Evening star., 1900-09-19
COMPULSORY ARBITRATION
HOW SUCH LAW WORKS IN NEW
ZEALAND,
Mr.. ii. II. Lusk TeStiaes Before the La
dustrial Commission on Labor
Condition..

II. H. Lusk. formerly a member of par.
lament of New Zealand was today before
the industrial commission. He explained
the system of arbitration in New Zealand
which. he said, had been extremely salts
factory. This system was In the form of
compulsory arbitration, and IL had had six
years trial. The fact that there is compul-
sorry arbitration there made both employees
and employers very careful as to the jus
tee OF their cases before they act.
In these courts of arbitration in New
Zealand no lawyers are allowed to appear
In court; only the interested parties are
heard
don't want to say anything disrespect-
ful to the lawyers he said, but LAWYERS
have to do something for their money and
their employment ofsen lengthens litigation
80 no lawyers are allowed In the arbitration
proceedings
Labor Organizations Ine0ruorated.
Labor organizations in New Zealand are
generally Incorporated and they had found
no disadvantage i'm such Interpretations The
arbitration law had been favored by the en-
ployes and fought by employers before 1t
was enacted. Up to last year three-ffths
OF all labor In New Zealand was organized.
Practlcaiiy. the scales of wages in New
zealand are made by the labor organization
for the men outside the unions. as we'll as
Tor those within it. The arbitration court
rate of wages; it simply fixes the minimum
rate OF wages that can be paid. The opera
ton OF this system, he said does not ham,
per industries. for the reason that in the
SIX years 1t has been in operation the indus
tries of New Zealand had increased one
third: this vas by an increase in old in
dustries and the springing up of new ones.
The Eight-Hour Law.
The eight-hour law prevails in New Zea-
land. No woman can be employed in fac
tory there until she Is at least eighteen
years of age, and then she can be employed
not more than forty-four hours a week.
"nlch allows an eight-hour day and a half
holiday for her. No child can be employed
in a factory under sixteen years of age.
Parents are subject to fine and imprison-
ment II they do not send their children to
School certain number of hours daily.
Compulsory Education.
Il was the author of the educational act"
said Mr.. Lusk, so that L take especial In
terest in that"
Children must attend school three days
out of four, and. he said. statistics show
that 20 per cent more children are in school
in New Zealand than in any other country
In the world. The last report of school at
tendance In New Zealand showed that 50
per cent of the children who could possibly
attend school actually did so. The school
fund is voted by the parliament and there
Is no special school tax. There are officials
are attending school, though the compulsory
school act applies only to children between
five and fifteen years of age, the same rule
applying to both boys and girls.
The employers liability law of New Zea.
land is largely framed on the lines of the
English law.
Government Life Insurance.
For twenty-three years there has been
government life insurance In New Zealand
on the cheapest rates that 1t could be done
tor. The rates of this Insurance. he said.
cheap as any other life insurance IN
Australia. The effect of this insurance
was to bring into 1t nearly all the insur-
ance of the country. There was only one
other company that had any policies in
New Zealand that could compete against
it. 1t had been very generally taken ad-
vantage Of by all classes of people. Fol-
icies can be paid on monthly.
This government life insurance is the
nearest approach that We have in New
Zealand to trust said MIR. Lusk, "and
that is a government trust"
Premiums on these policies are paid al all
post offices. He said he realized that for
a country of 100000 population like New
Zealand and for one Of $500 coo like the
United States the details of putting into
effect various pans for the public good
could not be the same, though the same
principle might be applied.