The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-09-17
MUCH UNREST
IN NEW ZEALAND
Labor Laws Have Failed to
Prevent Strikes and :
Dissatisfaction
MANY LABOR UNIONS
+ DO NOT REGISTER
Cannot Take Their Gases to Arbitra-
ton Board = Compulsory Arbitration
Not Feasible Difficult to Hold the
Unions to Decisions.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand, Sept.
1.-THE land without strikes was an
American visitors description of New
Zealand many years ago, at a time when
this country's experimental labor legis-
lation was attracting worldwide atten-
ton The description is hardly true TO-
day
Within the last few weeks former
member of the New Zealand government |
has stated publicly in London that al |
though New Zealand herself possessed |
the best schedule of labor legislation i'll
any statute book, yet strikes were more
frequent there than in any other coun-
try This statement was glaringly mac
curate, yet it raises questions that are
worth a little examination by people who
are interested in legislative efforts to solve
! labor problems.
The statistical record of New Zealand's
strikes during the last two years shows
that there were six strikes in 1867 and
| y in l9l7-lS. Many of the strikes were
trivial, involving no more than few
hours cessation of work or refusal to
| work overtime Others arose from de-
mands for increased wages to meet war
prices. The arbitration court had no pow
er to review awards during the terms
fixed for their operation and this caused
| trouble until parliament, in 1918, recog-
nized that the war had created exception
al situations and gave the court power to
reconsider awards in cases where the wag-
es originally fixed had become inadequate
owing to war prices.
Perhaps II of the strikes in the two
years were serious in the sense of involv-
ing considerable dslocation of industry.
1t ought to be understood, III this con
nection, that the arbitration system OPP
crates only in the cases of registered UNI
ions, and registration is voluntary act.
Some of the largest New Zealand unions,
including miners and transport workers.
are not registered, and so are not within
the jurisdiction of the arbitration court.
Nearly all the serious strikes have taxi
en- place among unregistered unions
But these figures and facts, which APP
pear to show that industrial arbitration
in New Zealand is working we'll, really
do not tell the whole story There is very
much industrial discomfort in the domin-
ion and the machinery of the arbitration
law operates with increasing difficulty
The tendency of the workers is to regard
the arbitration law as a stepping stone
of declining usefulness. The position is
illustrated by the fact that whereas tho
original industrial Cancellation and arbi
tration act was passed by Radical-La
! Dor government in the face Of angry on
position from the employers it is nov
the employers who hold to the act ant
the workers who protest against its ef
fects. Again and acain in recent years
have groups of employers refused TO dis
cuss disputes and insisted that the is
: sues be referred to the arbitration court
II while tho workers have demanded drec
II negotiation without the intervention o
II the court
II After quarter OF a century's effort
X the public men of the dominion have t.
Il admit that they have not succeeded il
II evolving system that will proven
II strikes or in producing a tribunal to whc
II employers and workers alike viii be con
II tent to refer their differences. The work
II crs admit that the arbitration law ha
II done a great deal to improve their cond
II tons and large sections of them are us
II ing its machinery still But underlyn
II all the proceedings of Cancellation cour
II ellis and arbitration court is the same oil
II conflict between employer and worker
II One fact energies from New Zealand
II experience. It is that full compulsor
II arbitration in industrial. disputes is no
II feasible The trainers of the arbitratio
Il could be induced to accept registration
II law thought that all the labor union
I attracted I,v the obvious advantages tina
were offered, and that the penal clause
of the law would suppress strikes and il
sure the orderly and just settlement {
1isndteS. In practice tie law has prove
binding ON the employer but not on tn
worker. An employer who is ordered b
" the court to paw certain wages and PR
vide certain conditions must obey, becaus