23
arbitration but prevented their development in the direction of
socialism,
_ While New Zealand in 1894 was by far the most advanced State
in the world in regard to social legislation, Victoria now rivals her
achievement, and even Great Britain does in some respects. Having
 succeeded in applying the organized national will in the field of
distribution, New Zealand has not continued into the field of production
 her evolution toward socialism. The importance of her
experience lies, perhaps, more in the fact that she showed the way to
other countries than that she mav assume leadership for the future.

CHAP. 4.—ARBITRATION IN NEW ZEALAND

Development of Legislation

IN 1894 the original industrial conciliation and arbitration act
was passed. The primary purpose was the peaceful settlement
of industrial disputes. To have responsible parties on both sides,
provisions were enacted for formal registration of associations of
‘employers and of employees. Boards of conciliation, and, in the
last instance, a court of arbitration were intrusted with the settlement
 of conflicts.
Legislation came somewhat nearer to the particular problem of
the minimum wage in 1898. In that year an amendment was enacted
authorizing the court to prescribe minimum wages in its awards and
to make special provision for lower rates to be paid to workers who
were unable to earn the minimum. In 1905 provisions were enacted
for the punishment of participants in strikes or lockouts in industries
under awards. In 1911 authority was given to the court to convert
agreements between the parties into official awards.
The power conferred on the court in 1898 to prescribe minimum
wages was originally only an incident to its power to settle disputes,
but later the court more and more embarked on a policy to prescribe
minimum wages as a way to prevent disputes arising. Section 8
of the war legislation act of 1918 gives the court power to change
prescribed wage rates even during the term of the award, so as to
adapt these rates to changes in the cost of living. Minimum wages
for the whole country were declared in 1919, the only differentiation
veing rates for skilled, for semiskilled, and for unskilled workers.”
But at the end of 1928, conditions becoming more normal, the court
decided to abandon changes of awards in relation to changes in the
cost of living and when making new awards to take into account the
conditions of the trade. National minimum rates were continued for
1 time. At present, however, the practice of the court is to fix different
 rates for each industry. The bricklayers’ award rates, for
Instance, in force in 1927 were 2s. 814d. and 2s. 4d. per hour; the
bakers’ rates were lower—2s. 114d. ; and the bootmakers’ award rates
even considerably lower—1s. 1114d.8
The industrial conciliation act as passed in 1894 and also in its
present form does not imply real compulsory arbitration, as it

4 New Zealand Official Year Book, 1928, Wellington, p. 802.
5 Idem, p. 803.
! Idem, p. 804.
"International Labor Office. Studies and Reports, Series D (wages and hours of work),
Yo. 17: Minimum Wage-Fixing Machinery. Geneva, 1027, 5 129.
New Zealand. Department of Labor.” Report for 1926-27. Wellington, 1927, p. 5.