The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 1909. THE TROUBLE AT THE MINES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 404, 13 January 1909, Page 6

The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 1909. THE TROUBLE AT THE MINES.

As tho days paps the Government's position with respect to the crisis in the ( mining industry grows steadily worse* Me. Hogo, tho new Minister for Labour,' stands aloof, offering no' opinion upon a situation to' which ho above ' all ' men should bo devoting his attention;' and Bir Joseph Wakd himself is conducting the negotiations in a fashion that promises neither the settlement of the trouble nor the satisfaction of justice. His latest published expression of opinion takes the thape of a long telegram to a representative of tho mine-owners inwhioh there is an abundance of confused assurances that the' mine-owners' alarm at ,the Workers' Compensation Act is quite unnecessary, but little' in the way of the explicit statements of intention which the mine-owners can legitimately expect. To the request for an explanation of the Government's intentions in the way of remedial legislation he returns a clumsy evasion: "Bofore I can prescribe a remody I am entitled to bo satisfied as to the facts. , '. I will base upon whatever facts arc established, on full inquiry, any amendments of the law shown to bo necessary." Snt' Joseph would receive moro credit for this prudent decision to make inquiry antecedent to further action thau is likely to bo givon to him if ho had not given tho public reason to suspect that he has no dofinito intentions of any kind and is anxioue only to tomporiso in tho hope that something may turn up. Tho sincerity of hie statesmanship is made still moro open to question by the reply which he has Bent to' the mine-owners' request for a conference. If he wcro so eager'to exchange views with tho 'mine-owners and , ascertain the full details of thoir case and tho feelings inspiring their attitude of hesitation, he would go to a great deal of "troublo to meet their arrangements. Ho regrets, however, that it is impossible for him to bo in Wellington to meet them on Friday. Ho has to go holiday-makiiiß to Mount Cook. Nobody, grudges the Pbime Mis-

: Ister a holiday, but. the JPiiniE Minister who astonished the wholo country by the precipitancy of his flight to Denniaton a year ago to propitiato tho miners there can hardly expect the public to admit that the present crisis is a propor date for his'holiday-making. He cannot blame the public if they ascribe his cbyness, to a want of political courage :• , One thing seema quite certain—that the Act must be'very materially .altered by Parliament, and it is to. bo hoped that Parliament will approach its : task of amendment with some new ideas upon the subject of legislation affecting industry. Writing last Wednesday upon the situation in, the mining industry here, the Sydney Morning Herald ' concluded .its article with the observation that "the whole thing is' an object lesson in overlegislation." That aspect of the affair, was the first which struck'.iis'when the present trouble assumed threatening proportions, arid.as.it has,been- rather .lost sight of in the press of some' more immc-. diately .urgent ■ features of the situaiion, wo may.with advantage' rptarn to, it again. Evorybodyi<in6 doubt,, regards the first fruits of .the 'Workers' Compensation Act as the ■ strongest kind of .testimony to the unwisdom: of-imposing unnatural, rostramta, on. industry iby. means- of ;legiala,tion in:.which the interests,of .the worker are considered to the exclusion of the.in'torosts of, industry, or;the. rights of the : omployer. : Any tomporary forgetfulness : ;of: this lesson of .the, current:,disturbance. ;is duo to tho concern with which the pubr lie ;views'the. closing' down of tho 'mines and tho: amazing; disregard for ■principle ■ oxhibited^, by Ministers. f ;':We, arb aware'.

that thoro is available a strong roply to the suggestion that tho country i 3 witneßsing another demonstration of tho folly of this particular class of labour legislation of which Now Zealandors used to boast. It may bo urged by the advocatee of State restriction and interference that thoir doctrines have not had fair play: that the failure of our labour legislation proves, not that that' legislation is unsound or unwise, but that the Government is incapable of carrying out tho policy of Stato regulation 6f_ industry. 'Wo do not see how any friend of the Government's labour policy can

square his theories with facts unless he does throw over the Government, in this way. It depends upon which is dearer to him—the Government or his theory— whether he adopts this argument or not. That tho Government is quito incompetent cither to framo a-'stringont meapuro of regulation and interferonco that "will work (even if it only works ruin), or to carry out any such measure if it could framo 'it, must bo anybody who has eyes and a memory. 'But it by no means followe that proof of the incompetence of the Government establishes'the wisdom and virtue of tho doctrine of Btaro interference with industry. Those are not the only alternatives. Is it not possible not only that tho Government may bo weak and incompetent, but that the principles underlying this labour legislation may also bo vUnsound in thomsolves 1 Wo think it is hot enly possible, but that it is tho actual fact. ' '■ '