580 



Conciliation Committees. 



[Oct.,. 



quentlv, many Committees were able to reach agreements 

 covering the whole summer, and it may well be that half- 

 yearly agreements will become the rule in future. Frequent 

 changes in wages are unsettling to both employers and workers,, 

 and a review of the position every half year affords a reason- 

 able opportunity for either side to secure adjustments as it 

 considers necessary. 



It is gratifying to observe that many of the Committees 

 have welcomed the presence of a representative of the Ministry 

 at their meetings, and in this connection I have received many 

 personal expressions of thanks from both sides. The respon- 

 sibility for decisions as to wages rests, of course, solely with, 

 the Committees themselves, but, as in the case of similar 

 bodies in other industries, the presence of a completely im- 

 partial person is often of assistance to both parties in the 

 conduct of their negotiations, and needless to say I shall be- 

 glad to place the services of suitable officers at the disposal of 

 the Committees when desired. 



Whilst the number of agreements made during the past 

 year is very satisfactory as showing that the idea of settling 

 rates of wages by mutual agreement has been accepted by 

 the majority of employers and workers, the effective test of 

 the utility of the present system is the extent to which the 

 wages agreements are observed. From such information as is 

 at the disposal of my Department it appears that the agree- 

 ments have been, with few exceptions, very w^ell observed. 

 The importance of avoiding even these few exceptions is ob- 

 vious, and in cases wdrere certain individuals persist in break- 

 ing away from the terms of a Committee's agreement, I 

 suggest that the Committee should appoint a special Sub-com- 

 mittee to consider such cases and endeavour to bring the 

 offenders into line. If such steps fail and non-observance of 

 the agreement continues, the Committee should then, in the 

 common interest both of employers and workers, consider the 

 desirability of making the agreement binding by submitting 

 it for confirmation. 



The important point at the moment, however, is the settle- 

 ment of wages for the coming winter, and I hope that the 

 Committees will take up this question at an early date in a 

 spirit of mutual goodwill which will lead to a successful 

 conclusion. 



A Revieiv of the vork of the Conciliatiov Committees cluring 

 the -past year a/ppears on p. 048. 



