A STONEWALL.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16988, 10 November 1920, Page 8

A STONEWALL.

ARBITRATION BILL HELD UP.

LABOUR PASTY'S OPPOSITION.

(srpciAi, to "the tress.") WELLINGTON, November 9. The debate on the Conciliation and Arbitration Act Amendment Bill continued in the House of Representatives until about 3 o'clock this morning. The Labour members persist-ed in their opposition to clause 3, which tlio Minister of Labour had offered to put in the following form: "In agy proceedings before the Conciliation Council or Arbitration Court, relative to any industry, any organisation of employers and any organisation of workers of not less than fifteen members connected with that industry in the locality to which the proceedings relate, shall be entitled to appear, and be heard in every respect as if they were parties to such proceedings, ii\ in the opinion of the Commissioner or rthe Court, such organisation of employers or workers, or the members thereof, may in any manner be affcctcd by the result of such proceedings.'' After a series of stone-walling speeches, tho House reached a division at 2.30 a.m., on a motion to refer the Bill back to the Labour Bills Committee. The amendment was defeated by 40 votes to 13. This brought tho Bill to the committal stage. The Minister of Labour (Sir "William Herries) then stated that if the House went into Committee on tho Bill and passed tho first clause, he was prepared to move to report progress. The reason for this proposal was that he intended to bring down some additional cla.uses dealing with other parts of the Arbitration Act.

The opponents of the Bill sought information about the new clauses, and got none. They then resumed their appeal for the postponement of the whole question. The Prime Minister assured the House that nothing was further from his mind than any attempt to break up tho unions. Ho recognised that the workers were entitled to have unions, and to make tho best use of them. He believed that the amendment proposed to be introduced when the Bill was next before the House, would not affect the unions in the very slightest. Nothing in the amendments was intended to go back on the recent docision of the Arbitration Court regarding bonuses. ''There is no desire on our part to treat members on the other side unfairly," added Mr Massey. "Wo simply want to havo the proposals thrashed out. and wo are going to have them thrashed out, cvon if it take* a little time to do it.'' Mr Sullivan: Are you going to make us any offer regarding this clause we are so much concerned about P Mr Massey: Anything in regard to that clause must, come from tho Minister of Labour himself. Sir "William Hcrries had left the Chamber. The Labour members obviously wero weary of the figlit. The Liberal benches were almost empty, tho official Opposition apparently haying gone to bed. Mr Howard talked for a few minutes while his Labour colleagues consulted one another. Ho snid that tho Labour memlwrs wero simply being instructed to drop their sword-point and permit the progress of the Bill. The Government was doing an injustice _ to the workers who believed in arbitration, and was encouraging tile opponents of arbitration. just at a moment .when tho Alliance of Labour was meeting'in Wellington to consider the extension of its organisation. He could not understand tho attitude of the employers and of the Government. Mr Howard sat down abruptly at a word from his party chief, and trie first clause of the Bill was passed without further debate. Progress was then reported, and tttio House rose at 3.10 a.m. until noon. When th'e Hous© resumed at midday, the. discussion was continued. With a view to further stonewalling, the Labour Party moved to report progress. They, however, soon found themselves in difficulties, for they wandered from the motion, and lhad to be frequently pulled m> by the Chairman. Mr Holland and Mr McCombs both crossed tho floor of the Chamber, and appeared to have earnest conversation with tho Prime Minister. Mr Howard was the most successful of the Labour stonewallers. Ho'was good-natured and humorous, and though he pleaded excuse as a new member, and as one who was rather thick-headed through being ui) so late last night, his tactics were effective up to a noint, and must havo appealed to the Minister in charge of the Bill, who in the old S-eddonian days was himself a prince of stonewallers. Mr Howard believed that he had stumbled on a new point, and' it took him about eight out of his ten minutes to get to his new point. Having reached tlie_ point, ho did ntot trouble to develop it, and being several times in quick succession pulled up by t!he Chairman, he subsided for the time being.

About four o'clock in the afternoon. Mr Sullivan was pulled up for irrelevant speech. The Chairman said ho ivas trifling with his patience and with the patience of the Committee, and, ■amxious as he was to give him every consideration, he could not permit that. Mr Jennings and Mr, R. Vf. Smith helped the stonewallers. SETTLING DOWN" TO THE FIGHT, i At midnight the Labour members | were still stonewalling, and no progress ; had been made with the Bill. There was a. thin attendance in the Chamber, and nearly all tho members present were stretched out on the benches. Some of them were snoring. Up to this point the Chairman had been quite lenient with the stonewallers. but he at last began to show signs of a change of attitude. He gave another warning about tedious repetition. Tho position now is that the Government must £p on with the Bill and pass it through all its stages with brief adjournments only for meals. PROCEEDINGS IN COMMITTEE. I (PHESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) WELLINGTON, November 9. When the House resumed at 2.30 p.m., discussion on Mr Holland's amendment to report progress on the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Bill was resumed and continued throughout the afternoon. The Labour members maintained a desire to report progress, and this desire was so consistently maintained as to amount to an obvious stonewall. By 4.00 p.m. their right of making four speedhes of ten minutes each on this particular motion was exhausted, and they were compelled to allow it to go to a vote,; FIT AS A FIDDLE. An apt phrase for describing those who take Steven's Beef Iron and Wine! This splendid Port Wine tonic restores the system to health and keeps you permanently fit. Chemists and stores. 1 AFTER EATING ONIONS. Many people avoid health-giving raw j onions owing to its after-taste and \ odour. This unpleasantness can bo overcome bv using i'luer.zol as a mouth wash. Haif a teaspoonful retained in the mouth for half a minute, and worked round the gums and palate with | the tongue is cleansing and cooling. 10 !

tho amendment being rejected on a ■ division by 43 votes to 18. : The following was tho division list: — For tho Amendment (IS). Bartram McCombs Fraser Parry Hanan Poland Holland Savage flora Sidev Howard Smith, S. G. Jennings ( Sullivan Kellott Veitch McCalluin \V it tyAgainst tho Amendment (-14). I Anclerson Lvsnar Bitchener McLeod | Bollard McNicol Burnett Mander Coates Massey Craigie Masters J>ickson, J. M. Mitchell Fdie Nash Glen Newman, A. K. Guthrie Newman, E. Hamilton, A. Nosworthy Hami'ton, J. R. Parr Harris Potter Hawken Reed Hcnaro Rhodes, B. H. Herries Seddon Hocklv Smith, R. W. Hudson Stewart Hunter Sykes Jones Wilford Loo "Wright Luke Young The debat-o then reverted _to tho merits of clause 2, which provides that tho Commissioner s&all g|vo not less than so von days' notice in tho local newspapers of the day and place ot hearing, and of the nature of an industrial dispute. On this proncsnl the same exhaustive j methods of discussion ■were resorted to, and wore proceeding at tho 5.30 p.m. adjournment. The House resumed at 7.30 p in., and at. S o'clock tine Minister announced that ho would agree to strike out clause 2. This was agreed to, and tho Committoo proceeded to discuss tho new clause 3 moved by the Minister. This new clause reads as follows: "In any proceeding before tho Council or tho Court relating to any industry, any organisation of employers, or any organisation of workers consisting of not less than fifteen members connected with that industry in tho locality to which the proceeding relates, shall bo entitled to appear and be hoard in every respcct as if they were parties to such proceeding, if sucli organisation of employers j or workers or members thereof may in any manner be affected by any result of aurfli prooceding." The Minister said he' could not see any reason why outsiders should not have representation before the Court. Things could not rest as they were. He might not be Minister of Labour next year, but ho would recommend that tho J Government and the public and everyone affected by a dispute should be represented. Mr Howard: The Government js represented by the Conciliation Commissioner. The Minister: No, the Commissioner is an arbitrator. Mr iStillivan: The whole object, is to keep down wages. The Minister: "No." Tho clause, he said, was not harmful in any way. 'It simply allowed any body of employers or employees interested to be represented in proceedings on a dispute. The clause was essential in tlio interests of the vast majority of workers not represented by unions Mr Holland said it was significant that members on tho Reform benches Were .silent on this matter. The amendment of the clause moved by the Min'stcr did not affect the principle of the measure. It permitted certain outsiders to come in and get benefits accruing from the efforts of properly organised unions. The clause contained the germs of serious industrial trouble. It challenged the very existence of present industrial organisations under the Aribtration Act.

Mr Veitch suggested that it was not fair that two organisations should be before the Court discussing one dispute. It should meet the objections of those opposed to the clause if a proviso were added requiring proposed new unions to show that their interests could not be propcrlv sprved by an existing organisation intheir industry, by reason of distance or other considerations or convenience. , Mr S. G. Smith said no necessity had been shown for special provision for the formation of guilds or secondary unions in the same industry. After the supper adjournment the discussion on clause 3 continued, being confined to members of tlio Labour Party. . , , , At 1 a.m. Mr Frascr moved to report progress, on the ground that more important Bills than the one before the House —notably the Finance Bill had to be considered, and clear brains and vision were neccssary to do them justice. • _ On a division the amendment lost by 39 votes to 15. At 2 a.m., when the Telegraph Office closed, the discussion was still proceeding, with no immediate sign of either side giving way.