The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1900-05-12

/ 49, 1A1N- AAAkoL AStiSG L1lLAs
der the State arbitration act. The
men asked their employers to ap-
pear, and both sides met in a spirit
OF amity. One of. the employers, to
be sure, voiced a sentiment often
heard in labor disputes by declaring
that the employers would mot for
a moment deal with outside per
sons" or with irresponsible bod
les, " or with men not in their en-
ploy; but it was soon seen that
such talk was merely bluff" for
when the courts decided that the
employers must deal with the un-
ions of their men, whether they
chose to designate them as lire
sponsible bodies" or not, they were
ready to do SO. The workingmen,
i'll this instance, not being satisfied,
appealed to the Court of Arbitra-
ton, and this court in it's decision
laid down rule of the greatest in
terest, which has since been fol-
lowed. The workingmen had con-
tended that only trades-union men
should be employed. The court
ruled that union men, when equal
in skill to non-union men, should
be given preference. This ruling
was made for two reasons: first, be-
cause the employers had formerly
preferred members of the trades-un-
ions, and second, because the law
was expressly intended to encour-
age trades-unions. In other cases,
it had been the custom of the trade
to prefer non-union labor, the court
has adhered to the custom.
The most interesting chapter in
Mr.. Lloyd's book is that entitled
"A New Song of the Shirt" In
this chapter he explains how the
law was made to protect the sew
ing-Women and to Danish all the
"sWeat-shops" in New Zealand.
At first the workingwomen were
loath to take advantage of the law,
for it seemed to apply only to the
"Workingmen" and their employ
ers. But at the next session Of
parliament the law was amended so
as to include workingwomen. The
efforts Of these sewing-women to
get relief from their trying Condi
tons illustrate one of the chief de-
feCts of the law, or, it may be, the
inferior capacity of workingwomen
for organization. The tailoresses'
unions Of Dunedin, Christchurch,
and Wellington went before the
Boards of Cancellation with their
employers anda "1og" or schedule
of prices, and hours of work was
arranged. The schedule of prices
fixed by the courts split the differ
ence between the demands Of the
tailoresses and their employers, and
the courts ruled that ali work must
be done in well-lighted and ventil-
ated shops. But the tailoresses in
Auckland arranged "log" pri-
vately with their employers, in
which it was agreed that union la
Dor should not be Disseminated
against in securing employment in
the shop, instead of requiring the
employers to give union labor pref
erence, as the law had expressly
commanded and as it had been the
custom Of the employers to do. In
this way the employers with a pri-
vate log" have been able to keep
out Of court and keep down the
wages of the tailoresses all over the
country by "cut-throat' .competi-
ton. An effort is now being made
to amend the law SO that ma or
ity of the employers and labor I'M
ions in any trade can control the
wages, etc., in that trade.
In this connection, Mr.. Llyod
notes a remarkable result that this
new arbitration in producing in
New Zealand. The capitalists, in
stead of forming trusts, as they do
f in America, to strangle competition,
+o form