The weekly examiner., 1901-07-06
SATURDAY, JULY 6, 1901.
NEW ZEALAND'S WAY.
HOW IT SETTLES DIFFERENCES BE- TWEEN EMPLOYER AND EMPLOYEE.

HOW TT SE TIES DlFFERENCGo BE- TWEEN EMPLOYER AND EMPLOYEE. The Arbitration Court Which Has Worked Successfully For Six Years.
 Yet Both LabOrers and Capitalists
 Here Oppose the System.
 The great strike of the machinists seems to be progressing rather favora- ply to the cause of the men, many of whom have returned to work as the re- suit of the concession of the nine hour day by the employers. But thousands are still out in various parts of the country, and serious disturbance to the trade has resulted. The possibilities latent in such a quarrel draw attention anew to the effective system of state arbitration which New Zealand long ago adopted. If this labor quarrel had arisen there, its course would have been somewhat as follows:
 The men make their request for high CT pay or fewer hours. teWe can't afford it." say the employers.
 But we think the state of trade jus Itif1es it, respond the men. Prices are rising. Your profits are bigger. Why should we not share in this prosper ity?'
 You are wrong. Prices are rising, it Is true, but so is raw material Besides, If we pay you more our competitors who are employing nonunion labor will be be able tbIe te t bid cheaper for work than we and will get all the jobs."
 h the United States these two state ments are conclusive and plausibly so. Tn New Zealand the men can respond: sThen we will take the matter to the arbitration court. That tribunal will examine your books and determine whether your plea of inability to pay us more and grant shorter hours and still make a profit for yourselves is well founded. The decision of the court in this case will be binding on all your competitors in this district If you raise our wages 10 per cent, all who work for your rivals are en- titled to demand the benefit of the de cision.''
 So the first solvent applied by New Zealand to the problem is publicity Not the publicity of which we hear so much in the United States and which merely means that both masters and men can run to the newspapers with ex parte statements or that re- porters shall be given opportunity to make superficial investigations, but the publicity which comprehends a thor Ough scrutiny of the books of the en- plOyer in court by the men. The re- sults of this scrutiny are not given general publicity. The facts are known to the arbitration court only, a judge of the supreme court, judge nominat- ed by the laboring people and a judge nominated by the employing class. These judges are elected for general service, not specially for each case. They have all and more than the pow CTS of an ordinary court of law. The issues must be presented to them by the litigants personally, not by hired attorneys, regulation which disposes of the power of the employers to en- gage the more highly paid and pre- sumably the more efficient legal talent. The decision of the court is enforcea- ble by fine or Imprisonment or both, but the court has discretion to evade enforcement if it sees fit, it being con- ceivable that case might arise in which literal enforcement might be equivalent to civil war. It is worthy of note, however, that no such case has arisen in the six years life of the law. and, while there have been many labor dissensions, there has not been one strike. All have been settled in the court or through the board of con- ciliation, which is the tribunal of first resort.
 While the case is pending the en- ployer cannot discharge his men nor can the men stop work. Wages contin- ue at the figure fixed prior to the pro- posed change. The decision is binding on all workers and all employers in the some line of business and on new men entering the district after it is render ed. Thus to a degree it fixes a mini mum wage which the brutalities of free competition cannot alter. It is advan- tageous to the honorable employer, for 1t frees him from sweatshop competi- tion. 1t is advantageous to the work man. for 1t say him the lost time and money of strikeJ and equally with his employer from the menace of the sweatshop. It is advantageous to the public. for it prevents interruption to