The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-10-06
COMPULSORY ARBITRATION.

COMPULSORY ARBITRATION.
our readers have heard great deal
about compulsory arbitration IN Ne"
Zealand. A correspondent of the New
York Evening Post writing from sgd
ney. New South Wales, gives some In.
teresting facts concerning the opera
ton Of the system in the Australasian
colonies. He says that to ascertain
the actual working Of the statute The
Governor Of New: South Wales sent a
commissioner to New Zealand-a dis
+ trict court Judge, who had had expc-
rience in establishing communistic "a
Dor settlements in that State. He in
Reviewed about one hundred and fifty
New Zealanders, comprising ministers
md legislators, judges connected with
the administration of the act, mem
bers of Cancellation boards, chairmen
Of Chamber Of Commerce, bankers,
manufacturers, mining managers and
representatives ofglabor. 1t is to be
presumed, therefore, says the CORE
spondenI, that his conclusions are fair
S4ilu 4HSSC silC potll lGN ol.ao'S
and unfavorable to the system. The
commissioner reports that the system
has averted collisions; has procured
palpablc benefits for the workmen by
settling the rate Of wages and the con-
dition Of productions for fixed period.
The statute has enabled employers 10
enter into contracts with the certainty
that they will be able to fulfill them,
But the system also has its draw
backs, says the correspondent. which
he proceeds to point out as follows:
% IL the act has ayerted strikes,
there are some who think that it has
made strikes in 4 manner permanent.
Disputes between employers and ell
ployes have undoubtedly increased.
The men have taken advantage of the
act ITO procure the settlement of diff
ferences which. under the old stale
of things, would not have been deem
cd important enough to justify either
q strike or Il lockout. So frequent are
the references to the tribunals that
the Boards Of Cancellation are i yeat
behind with their work. and the Court
of Arbitration is 'hcpe1essly III arrears,
No sooner has one award expired
they are all for n term than the mas
tiers are summoned TO resist OF submit
TO another, and some Of them alie:Te
that they would rather have Il strike
and be done With il. a weighty Mt
terance by the premier of New Yea
land lends an unloolled-for counten-
ance to these complaints. He depre-
Gates the wholesale summoning Of en-
ployers, which is riding the act 10
death. There is danger that the men,
as we'll az tile masters, may grow sick
OF it. and a reyuision of public opinion
might be fatal to the act. i2) II the
awards have done no apparent harm 10
most of the Industries, there are some
where their operation is threatening
to become injurious. and others where
it has already been disastrous. The
high colonial tariff has protected the
trades against foreign competition.
and the good times that are the result
of n real increase in eXports-but also
Of the millions that have been rather
reckleSsly borrowed from England 10
carry out the various socialistic
schemes Of the colony-have made il
practicable to meet the higher cost Of
production. So long as these two fac
tors remain constant. the act Is f0ler-
ably safe. 1t has still 10 undergo the
ordeal of hard times. q, The raising
Of wages has increased the cost of
living, and especially the item of rent
always the most onerous in young
country. and already burdcnSome. 4
rise in prices is expected as the natu-
raj result of the adoption Of arbitra-
ton in the other colonies
1t is obvious from this that the ten
dency Of compulsory arbitration is 10
impair independence and self-reliance
and to make the people depend upon
the government rather than upon
themselves 10 settle their personal dis
putes. 1t also opens the way to in
, Justice and oppression. not 10 say 10
corruption. 1t is hard for such board
Of arbitration TO be impartial. The
members would be apt to lean either
toward the one side or the other IN
this country such n board would, in
our opinion, be controlled either by
the corporations or by the labor unions.
Such system has no place in this free
country. 1t is the very essence OF
government paternalism and is utter
~ inconsistent With our idea of lib
eriy. II we are going 10 preserve our
freedom, our independence Of action
our manhood, business men must pc
permitted TO manage their own affairs
~ their own way so long as they do
not trespass upon the rights of 9th
ers, and working men must be per
mitted to manage their affairs iii
their own way so long as they do not
srespass. We cannot have government
paternalism in this country, if we
would maintain our national cllarac-
ter.
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