The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-05-23
COMPULSORY ARBITRATION.
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 ionists was desirable, instead of partial
 preference, as at present granted at the
 discretion of the Arbitration court, and MT. seddon, In reply, said the govern
 ment had definitely decided to bring in Legislation giving unionists preference over non-unionists. This announce ment, while 1t has been received with jubilation in the ranks of the union- ists, has caused feelings akin to dismay among employers, while 1t has been se- verely condemned in the press. The premier further said 1t was the duty of the government to find employment for those men who lost their employment in consequence of their employers fav- ing suddenly dubbed them incompetent, which leads one journal to ask if the premier is prepared, should the condi- tions be reversed, to compensate the employer who may be required to run his business at loss. +' ,
 The next phase of the proceedings
 was an announcement that the govern ment had retermined upon a prosecu- ton of the offending Auckland firms, and accordingly information for an all legged breach of the Arbitration court award has been lodged by MT. Ire gear, in his capacity of Registrar of Industrial Unions against two of the principal firms concerned and the Un- ion of Employers. The employers, on their side, have decided to defend the action. The case will be decided by the Arbitration court itself, and against it's decision there can be no appeal. Meantime, though a few of the men have secured employment elsewhere, the lockout continues, and various un-
 ions throughout the colony are making weekly levy upon members in sup port of the northern cabinet-makers who have lost their employment.
 It is probably too early for any un- biased person to say whether the in- lustrial legislation in this colony is likely to achieve success or whether it will eventually break down altogether; but it will be seen from the foregoing statement of facts that there are not wanting, both among the employers and among the workers, those who em- phatically state that it is foredoomed to failure. At the same time it must be admitted that any sudden break down of the present system would now have serious. if not disastrous results. This phase of the question was recently very we'll put by the Evening Post, the principal newspaper in the capital, and one that has always dealt with labor problems in temperate and judicial manner. This journal points out that in nine years so many interests have grown up around the legislation that the industries of the colony would probably be dislocated to a dangerous degree if any attempt were made to revert to former conditions, and that the principal of compulsory regulation through the Arbitration court must be accepted, unless New Zealanders are prepared to face chaos in their indus tries. At the same time doubt is ex- pressed as to whether the court can satisfactorily grapple with the pro- blems likely to come before it as the colony and it's industries expand, and it is admitted that the difficulties that have already arisen serve to illustrate the stupendous character of the task that lies before any community that undertakes state regulation of trade and industry.-London Times.