The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-09-22
MAKE MANY LAWS
TO PROTECT LABOR
Wages Board System in New
South Wales to be Altered
Powers Curbed
tNationai News Association)

SYDNEY, N. s. W.. Sept. o. OF
! the making of laws for the prevention
! and settlement OF Industrial disputes
J there seems in this country. particu.
larry in this state, to be no end. The
system Is established and It's princi-
pie permanent. After voluntary ar.
bitration act In 1901 the Industrial ar
bitration act was established, which
introduced the system of settling dis
putes by a judicial proceeding in court,
presided over by Judge. which includ-
ed representatives of employers and
and employees. This tribunal soon be-
came hopelessly in arrears with its
work. In 1908 the whole of this act
was allowed to lapse. and was super
seeded by Mr.. Wade's system OF wages
boards for each separate industry, sub
ject only to court OF appeal. This
system certainly justified itself in the
eyes OF the public, and has had to be
retained, at all events in form, though
its character is being substantially al
tered.
Apparently the hostility of the mill
tant Labor leagues, who fought these
boards bitterly from the outset still
remains. But they have succeeded too
incontcstably to allow of conton-
ance Of this irrational hatred.
Boards Power Shown.
The Labor party, however, has new.
or yet openly admitted its change of
attitude and the old feeling has had a
grave effect on the new measure.
Hitherto wage boards never yet open
ly admitted it's change, have, after
full inquiry, made an award dealing
with all the conditions of labor in dis
pute which Is directly binding upon all
persons engaged In the industry. I'm.
der Mr.. Beeby's new scheme, howev-
er, the boards are merely to report to
q court, which alone will exercise the
Iall important function of actually
making the binding award. When the
boards recommendation comes before
It for confirmation the court will have
full power to modify 1t in any way it
chooses, and thus the lagal tribunal of
1901 is smuggled back into It's old posi-
ton of supremacy. The preliminary
investigations of the boards, will, of
course, assist the court most material
ly, but at the same time legal forms
and methods together with "the laws
delays" are now unnecessarily super
added.
An interesting modification Of the
existing system of penalties for strik-
in il also submitted. Anything in the
nature of strike Is still an offense,
punishable by Imprisonment but un-
der the new system 1t Is to be an Of
tense only when the organization
striking has failed to give due notice
to the minister OF the existence OF a
state Of unrest likely to lead to q con-
flict.
See Fatal Flaw.
This will allow the minister and his
officers opportunity to intervene with
. view to preventing the unrest from
eliminating in strike. On the other
hand. there Is the very serious qualifi-
!. cation that II this Intervention should
prove unsuccessful, presumably a
strike will be free from any penalty
30 far as the law Is concerned. That
would be fatal to the whole design.
Then again, great deal of interest
attaches to the proposals affecting
preference for unionists. This is al.
ready the source of no inconsiderable
share of New South Wales industrial
troubles. 1t 10 unquestionably a very
thorny subject, as the vital question
of the efficiency of the workmen is
nO,,1ht tn he ignored .