New Iberia enterprise. (New Iberia, La.) 1885-1902, 1901-07-27
NEW ZEALAND'S ARBITRATION LAW

tratlOn laws OF New Zealand which
have made strikes unknown in that
flourishing British colony. 1t ap-
pears, that after a long period of
prolonged and costly strikes the
| New Zealanders very wisely reached
the conclusion that it would be bet
ter for all concerned to arbitrate
labor troubles, and the wonder is
the same plan has not been gener-
ally adopted in the United States.
The provisions of the New Zealand
law may be stated as follows:
All parties desiring to appeal to
the state courts under the law must
first organize and register on the
state books. Once registered they
can be summoned to the courts of
arbitration. The right to bring
suit belongs equally to the employ
er and his workmen, provided they
are registered. One side must be
willing to arbitrate or no suit can
begin, and the state then obliges
the other side to come into court,
whether it wishes to or not.
There are six boards of concilia-
ton. one in each of the districts in
to which New Zealand has been di-
vided, and industrial disputes are
first heard and decided by these
boards. Then there remains to the
dissatisfied party the right of ap-
peal to the supreme court of arbi-
tration. Alike in the upper and
lower court, both sides have equal
representation among the judges by
their own chosen representatives.
The court Of last resort has for it's
president justice Of the supreme
court. He has the casting vote on
the bench. No lawyers are allow
ed to appear in a case unless by
consent of both sides. The law
compels the cases to be heard at
once, and with small costs, and for
bids either party to strike or lock
out while the hearing is going on,
or afterwards to evade the award.
Arbitration suits can be commenc-
ed at any time within six weeks
after strike or lockout, and the
court has the power to give deci-
sions that reach back to the time at
which the strike or lockout began.
Since May, 1896, when the first
case was tried under the act, the
final court of arbitration has heard
and decided about fifty cases. By
its decision it has fixed wages,
overruled the taades unions in some
of their demands, and:upheld them
in others. And all its awards have
been obeyed. The courts powers
include the right to compel witnes-
ses to testify and employers to pro-
duce their books and furnish all
necessary information as to their
earnings and profits, under the
guarantee that the facts shall not |
be made public to their injury.
The New Zealand law does not
provide for compulsory arbitration,
but nevertheless it is supported by
public opinion and works admir-
ably. It does not attempt to make
a workman 60 to work, or an en-
ployer to keep open his factory,
but all it does is to forbid the en-
ployer to reopen it except in COM
pliance with its award, and the
workmen from going to work in
that factory except on the same
terms. No company or firm is
obliged to register under the law,
and no one can be actually forced to
obey the awards after they are
made. Nevertheless it is an in
teresting fact that the great body
Of New Zealand's employers and
have registered under
the law, do appeal to the courts when
they cannot agree and have, for
five years, at least submitted to its
decisions. It is also fact that the
leading industries Of New Zealand
have grown and prospered under
the law, and that it is now five
years since there has been any fight
or strike or lockout Of Importance
in the country. And it is also a
fact that the MASSES Of employers,
though they opposed the passage Of
The law, would not now consent
to its repeal. Under it New Zeal
and has become country without
strikes. IN. o. States.
--uDso
London, July 23.-The war Of
ice received the following dis
patch from Lord Kitchener, dated
Pretoria, July %:
A train from Cape Town, with 1l2
men details and stores was held up,