INDUSTRIAL TROUBLES

Chronicle (Levin), 29 July 1949, Page 2

INDUSTRIAL TROUBLES

press Association)

Both Sides Of House Blame Cbmmumsts

(Pei*

WELLINGTON, July. ^8. ■ Among the modSrates in the unions, the BiTl co'uld- do a lot of good :if administered pi'Operly, said Mr W.^S. Goosmari (Piako) in the House of Rupresentatives today when the second reading debate on the Industrial Relations Bill was res'umed. He said thac it was am'ong the watersiders and coa»miners that the principal industrial troubles occnrred today and those two unions wo'uld treat the Bill as " &■ good ioke.'' ^

JUiVO. ^ ^ Mr Goosman said that the Mimster of Labour had set up comniission • after commission on the waterfroiit, and those organisations had ' fai'led in thei,r . purpose. The Minlster had tried in. eyerv way to get results oh the waterfrout hut co'nditioris had becbnie worse . than they had ever been. : • • /'. . Op'position yoices: Appeasenieatf Appeasement! Appeasement! ■ Mr Sullivan: He's given in tbcr'of'toh. Mr Gobsittdh " said that. every tinus the Govern'ment meiriberSj/isked '/ ' Whai Would yohVdo fi ' to r'emedy the Situation, ' they deipo'nbt'rat ed" x ttie Gbyftr hmeAt 's I'ack of abrtit£ to goyern. Most deceu't people had a full seiise 0"f respbnsibility and they wanteji'to. d? the job properly and that was true of most watersiders and eoalminers. But there was an eiement among them which , had cauped disruption. The- Minister had . probabty set an all time record for giving in Lo irorce. There would have to be something more in the Bill before the situation on the waterfront could be . improved and if the Minister did not have any idea how to handle the situatiou, then the fu'ture outlook was very dim indeed.

Mr R. MacDonald (Pousbnby) said that the OppoSition would remedy the waterfront situation not by improving industrial relations but by force. Mr ^fackleyx .T.hat wag. never said. Mr Maciibnald "said that Ihe meniber for good as said that force wonfd' De"uSfed on ;th.e Wellington d-aterfront if the me'n' did not retuin ;!b work. ThevMinistdr. ha4>h,do|>ted better methods than tho&e. i/ i Mr Massey: Wh^ti-abput. fesults? : Mr MacDonald;i| '; Thefe have been .Jery good results, // // f-' "■ Opposition vpicefi. Yes, -e^ceptional. • Mr MacDonal'4;:.saeid.:there. w*as not an •indusfrialist amon^-^lfb inembers of the Oppplijtion not undersfanU 'tn^ipOthbds that the Minisjtpr was tiSing^vThere .had''been T~a crv oi-':' 'get riid of 'Hill -aiid Barnes',J>i but they lutd been, elected to* their po/itiong- 1 deliioefatically and how ej&d could thbyvbb liqiiidiated. Mr Massey: tjiem' to Parliament. . 1 . •. y'Glass Warfare • . • Mr Oram$§aid thaf fhe Labour Par;' fy had pfeached clas$ wajf are and. their Vhole approach towatdfiiidustfial relations had been colojirba by that attitude; There was no room in New Zealand- for such a thing- as clas3 waffare. He saw .in the Bill .that - the Labour Party was adopting the policy- of the National Party but the Bill could never be a success unless those who operated it and those who were chosen for positions on the proposed councils, were uien of tolerance, good will and understanding. Mr McCombs: On both sides. Mr Oram: Yes, on both sides. Mr Oram said that the Minister would - have »to set the pattern and' would have to change his attitude of bitterness and unrelenting hostility to the eniployer class.

Kick. Out The Troublemakers Industrial harmony-shouldnot.be difficult to acSiieve in a young country like New Zealand;w,heTe there were no real class distinctions and 95. per cent t>f the workers were honest a'iid hardworkiug, said Mr F. W. Doidge (Tauranga).: There' were, -howe-ver, -few- troublemake,rs in certain ... -. industriesi and before industrial harmony could be achieved they inust be got rid of. The Minister, in honeyed words instead of his usual gall and wormwood, had painted a picture of an industrial love nest. But first, he must get rid of the cuckoos, said Mr Doidge. What was there in the Bill suggesting that any real discipline could be a'pplied against troublemakers. If the Government remained as weak and penitent as ever vvhile the militants became more aggressive, the Government would get nowhere. The attempt to promote industrial harmony through this Bill could be likened to using a feather duster to destroy a wasp's nest. The debate had been remaykable for an acknowledgement by tlie Govp'rnment spbkesrtian of the xmportance of the pro/it motive but that was typicai of G'bvernmeiiti Spea-kers wheii an election was approaching. -Government members, too> had niBntipned '' the fearsome Mr Barnds ' * . >.p,h'd trerubled like jellylish. They had aslced wliat the = Opv position would do against such individuals. The Qpposition would simply see that :the' laW as it existed -was ehforced and •that-persPns Who delied the Government or delied . the Arbitration Court, were dealt witli' Under the law. Red-Eyed Monsters Mr Semple said thei'e had never been a time in the history of this country when- industrial harmony was more needed ' than to-day. The trouble was that- there ivere sonle people who wercabusing what had come down to them through' the years and their conduct was undermining and destroying the riglit^ ahd privileges which had been fought for. He would say to the workers not to let preachers of foreign doctrines control their unions. Mr Mahdr: Tlie re5-eyed mQnsters«

Mr Semple:. Tes, that's what, they ire.' . •• • - - • ' ' - • M-l". - Mr Semple said there was -only oue way toiobtain-a bettpf standai-d of liv ing and that was by worlcing hardtr and inereasing prpductioh'., . TPo many people wanted. sometlxing '*for nothiug and these people were the personilication of parasites who' lived on others who were * putting something into' the pool of Wealth. "We want to see peace in this country," said Mr Semple, "and we can't alford these industrial disturbances. There is .. np: rga^on on God's earth for any ' strike' to , take place in this country." The workers had been led up the garden path by Cominunists who were traitors to. tlie trade uniou movemeut. They had noi been fighting for the lot of their feilow workers but for power to haud over the British Commonw^alth to Stalin.