Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1901-09-19
The New Zealand Remedy for Strikcn

Inc new Lcaiand te1ncuy IOr Strlkc1
Hon. II. II. I.usk who has been spend
ing day or two in Burlington, Is an INTEL
ligent Englshman, who has been for
many years a citizen of the Colony of New
Zealand, where he has had repeated cleo
lions to tho colonial Parliament and has
taken a leading part in shaping the gov
eminent and institutions of the colony.
His health having become impaired In the
almost unvarying climate of the north
crn island of New Zealand. where the diff
ference of mean temperature between
summer and winter is only eight degrees,
and having been advised by his physic-
iuns to seek some favorable resort In the
temperate zone of the United States he
came to Vermont and has spent the past
summer on Grand Isle In conversation with
a representative Of this paper a day or
two since, he said that having seen most
Of the civilized countries of the globe, he
had seen none that equalled New Zealand
in the beauty of its scenery. 1t is pc
Guitar portion of the surface of the planet,
unlike any other II has for instance, no
" i'd flowers, whatever except those which
no insects but mosquitoes; no song birds;
no wild animals. The forests are hllcd
with great ferns. some Of which are thirty
or forty feet high, and the silence of the
unhroken forest, without song of bird or
sound of beast or moving thing, is oppres-
/ sive.
Mr.. t.usi during the past two years has
bacu Of much study n OtIr American
institutions and while he finds things to
admire, as to some things he thinks we
might learn useful lesson from the expo
ricnce and example Of New Zealand. That
colony has for instance, solved the prob
lem of labor strikes for itself. The work
ing men there, he says are organized into
unions to a much greater extent than in
this country-practcally all belong to
some labor union or other. Alarmed by
tremendous strike some eight years ago,
which for four months pardlyzed all
brar ches of industry. the government took
hold of the matter and the Parliament en-
acted a new system to lessen and control
the differences between labor and capital.
Tie principal feature Of this is court
of arbitration. This consists of five mem
hers two chosen by the employers. two by
the working men, and the fifth being the
chief justice of the supreme court For
the elections of members Of the court the
voters are registered in two separate class
es-the working men in one and the en-
ployers in another, and the elections are
separate. The court is empowered
to settle all differences between
employers and employed, as regards
wages, hours Of labor. apprentices etc.
When a contest arises. the court summons
witnesses from each side of tho controver-
sy, hears arguments from each and an
nounCes its decision, which. with The ties o.
timony, is published, and which both
sides must obey. The labor unions are, we
belize, all required to be incorporated
and TO have some legal and responsible
existence, and the decisions of the court
are respected and obeyed.
Tho system, when introduced. was re-
ceived with suspicion by the lahorers, and
strong opposition by the employers; but
as it gradually came into practice tho fears
and objections Of each disappeared. The
court has been wise and oonsiderate Of tn ,
interests of each class. The condition of
the "orkingmon has improved in a marked
1egroc and the employers find that n.
men, the absence of strikes and thu cor
tantv as to what they can rely upon, in
respect to the labor needed to enable tn, m
to fulhll their contracts. more than COM
pcnsatcs for the increased outlay for
wages. There have been no strikes in y w
Zealand since this system came into force.
Doubtless the system Is one which we in
this country might look into with profit
OF course conditions vary much. in the two
countries and what is successful in one
might rot work well in the other. The en-
tire area of the colony Of NV
Zealand is only about the same as that OF
Colorado, and its population, exclusive of
some forty thousand Maori Indians, is
only 100000 or about the same as the pop
uation Of the State of Maine. New
Zealand has no such enormous aggrcga-
lions Of capital, and great masses # pop
ulaiion crowded into cities, as are in this
country. The possibility which might OK
ist in some States here. of the destruction
of the representative chara cter of the
Court Of Arbitration. through control of
the elections of all the judges, by polite al
manipulation and corruption on the part of
the employers or of the workingmen, does
not exist there. Still, there may be feat
uros of the New Zealand system wort
studying and perhaps of adopting, with
added safeguards to meet the varying con-
ditiOps
Mr.. Lusk thinks that politics are much
cleaner in New Zealand than in most OF
the States of our Union. The caucus sys-
tom, which he thinks is the hane of Amer
lean politics, does net obtain there lie
compliments Vermont 10y saying that it Is
more like New Zealand. in it's freedom
from boss rule and comparative honesty in
politics than any other American State.
The Death of the President.
For the third time in its history the ma
ton is called to mourn the loss of a Prcsi-