The Connecticut labor news., 1923-02-16
Congress Should Study New Zealand Before 1t Considers the Mills Bill
 By CHARLES EDWARD RUSSELL, for
 Labor News

H. R. 1892, the Mills Bill to pro- vide for compulsory arbitration of la bor disputes, Is now pending ln the House of Representatives, Congress of the United States.
 Keep your eye on this bill. It IS the most vicious piece of antl-labor legislation that has so far been at tempted in Congress. Unless there IS adequate and united action 1t will go One great danger in it is that to Dersons that don't know 1t sounds so good. side as for the other, isn't it? And if a labor dispute is arbitrated then we don't have strike, do we! Hence' let us have arbitration.
 That is the way the average out slider argues. and this bill is drawn to appeal to the uninformed average out slider.
 He doesn't know that compulsory arbitration is the biggest bunk and the biggest nonsense and the biggest take ever known, but there IS one part or the world that knows that fact ana knows it henceforward and forever; No one will ever be able again to tool New Zealand with this little trick It has been stung once and that was enough.
 If New Zealand's experience were well known in this country noDody here would have the nerve to talk about compulsory arbitration.
 About 25 wears ago, following big maritime strike, neat little law was Dut over providing that all labor d1s- Dutes thereafter were to be settled Dy 2 hoard of three arbitrators, one chosen by the labor unions, one Dy the employers associations, and the third being a justice ot the supreme court.
 This meant, of course, arbitration by one man-the justice of the su- preme court.
 Fines were provided for employers ar workers that refused to accept the awards of this tribunal; heavy tnes
 For some time the awards were III favor of the men. Lovely. No strikes
 After time the employers said that wages had gone as high as they could stand, and if there were any more m creases manufacturing would quit the country. K
 The next award was against the men. s*.
 The men refused to accept it ane went on strike.
 The courts levied fines The mer refused to pay them. When execu lions were issued there was nothing to lew on but the family wash boilel and that was exempt So the strike went on and the award went gl1m mering. ., 7,
 The social doctors then said tha the law wasn't strong enough. Wha was needed was jail sentence an' no exemptions on levies for hnes. S' the Ia wwas amended and made a strong as human ingenuity coul' make any law. Compulsory arb1tra tion to the limit, Jail sentences ant everything. -.+
 The next year there was an aWar' in the coal mining industry that tn men refused to accept. 50 doW came the magnificent new law tu tilt. Strikers were arrested and stun into iail Levies were made on a they possessed-wash boiler and all.
 Then the social doctors becam aware of three things. First, putin men into jail didn't end the strik' Men can't mine coal in jail. Second there weren't jails enough in all Ne Zealand to hold one-tenth of tn strikers. Third, the levies on tn wash-boiler all crumpled up.
 When the officers of the law Ina seized all the contents of miner home and offered them for sale, tt highest bid would be 25 cents. Wher' upon the purchaser would move tf goods back into the miners houS from which they had been taken.
 After putting heads for few weel against this situation, the social do tors learned what they might ha0 known from the beginning, that ye can't make men work if they dor want to work and that consequent compulsory arbitration is an i'd dream. There isn't any such th1r and can't be.
 What this bill really aims at IS u camePs nose trick under the tent. :. it should be passed it would deprl labor of what it has gained ot u right to collective bargaining. Lab unions should be on the alert to s that it does not pass.
 STRIKERS ASK
 nnorrCTTnN. WOIITD