The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1900-07-20
ton thereof.

ln0y nave succeeded III oloCIllS DuI
few workingmen to seats in parl1a-
ment but by making good use OF their
powers they have secured the aid OF
quite number of members in carrying
into effect their wishes. About twenty
laws dealing with the relation of en-
ployer and employe are now in force,
most of them differing in degree rather
than in kind from various laws in
force in other countries.
The New Zealand factory act applies
to all work shops from the smallest to
the largest 1t compels all clothing
made by home workers to be ticketed.
1t raises the age of factory workers to
Is; insists on school certificates for
workers under Is and physiacl fit
ness certificate for those under 16.
Limits the work hours of boys under
eighteen and all females to AZ hours a
week. Makes - cents an hour the
minimum over time wage and requires
a weekly half holiday without reduc-
ton from wages. Most of these acts
are administered by the state depart
ment of labor. The government has
in it's employ many thousands of labor
ers engaged in road making, bridge
building, erecting public buildings,
ETC. 1t avoids both ordinary contract
and the day wage system and allows
men to be their own contractors. The
work is cut up into small sections,
workmen grouping themselves into
small parties each party being given a
section at the price placed on same by
the government engineers. The re-
suit is said to be that the workmen
when they have average industry make
good, sometimes excellent wages.
They are very largely their own mas
tiers and work without being driven by
a contractors foreman
The compulsory court of arbitration,
the only one in existence in the world,
is a decidedly new departure and
seems to be most salutary law. In
this country at the present time, we
can scarcely take up daily paper
without noticing the record of new
strike and we do not have to go fur
ther back than the present strike of the
street Car employees in ST. Louis and
the one in Cleveland a few months
since and the various other strikes
that you are all familiar with, to see
how wide spread is the danger to pro-
perty, labor, public interests and even
life itself all over the country. l think
we should all breath more freely at
such times as the present if there were
some authority that could say to en-
ployer and employe - strike you may,
but fight over it you shall not. -
AS long as there are employers and
employees so long will there be differ
ences over wages, hours and many
other things that enter into industrial
life, but, like war between nations a
strike as often seen is barbarous. They
have found much better system in
New Zealand which is now spoken by
one writer as a country without
strikes - The story of the move
ment is of interest. About ten years
ago a great labor disturbance known
as the Maritime strike" spread all
over Australasia, and came near in
volving the colony in civil war; 1t
was so disastrous that the people re-
solved nothing like it should ever occur
again.
Mr. W. P. Reeves, a member of par
lament, set himself to the work of
studying and divising system by
which arbitration would be obligatory
on both sides to a strike. He carefully
investigated all that had been done
y
and employees together in an effort to
settle their disputes by arbitration,
and the result of their present law
The title of which was Gan act to en-
courage the formation of industrial
unions and associations and facilitate
the settlement of industrial disputes
by Cancellation and arbitration.
There are two kinds of tribunals, a
board of Cancellation and court of
arbitration, in which both the work
ing men and employers are equally re-
presented by men of their own choice.
The country is divided by the COVER
nor general into Industrial district"
and every district has board of con-
ciliation. There is but one court of
arbitration for the whole country
The boards of Cancellation have from
four to six members and are chosen
every three years. Each district has
elections held separately by associa-
tions of employers and employees I'M
der procedure carefully arranged by
law and under special supervision of a
regular officer called clerk of awards
The board appoints a chairman, dis
interested and impartial person who
votes only in case of tie.
The court of arbitration is made UP
of three persons who hold Office for
three years, appointed by the governor
general. One must be chosen by him
from men nominated by working men,
one from men nominated by employ
ers the third is judge of the su-
preme court The selection of Judge
of the supreme court to preside and
give the final decisive vote, probably
goes far towards satisfying the con-
testants that inquiry and decision will
be the best that can possibly be given.
If the question before the court is a
complicated one, two experts may be
chosen as full members of the court to
see that the decision is made with full
understanding of all points. For
special emergencies special boards
may be elected. Neither the board nor
the court intervenes in any dispute of
their own motion, but like other courts
only when one of the parties or both
appear before them.
The compulsion in the law is not
that the state compels the party to
arbitrate, but if one wants to arbi-
trate, the state says the other must
instead of fighting. If either party to
a dispute summons the other before the