ADDRESS BY MR. PETER BOWLING.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 991, 5 December 1910, Page 10

ADDRESS BY MR. PETER BOWLING.

Every seat at His Majesty's' Theatre was filled last evening, when Mr. Peter Bowling delivered his promised address in justification of the action taken by tho miners of Newcastle and their leaders ill tho big strike of last year. Mr. Bowling was accorded throughout a most attentive hearing. He was frequently applauded. 111 the main, his address centred in ihe Newcastle strike, and""tho events and incidents to which it gavo rise. ■ Incidentally, Mr. Bowling touched 011 the question of industrial arbitration, which, he said, was unsound from tilt economic standpoint. It must remain so in tho absence of provision for making any real inercaso in tho purchasing power of wages. Apart from the indignity imposed on workers in having the value of their labour, and tlu ,details of their expenditure appraisec and criticised by a highly-paid judge and officials, arbitration was useles: while no means existed of predentin; traders from increasing the prices 0! their commodities so as to nullify auj incxeaso in wages secured by the workers. Towards thq close of his nd' dress, Mr. Bow-ling briefly outlinec the objects of his mission in New Zea land. It was his object, 110 declared to promote such a consolidation of the forces, of labour as. would make strike: impossible. So long as the unions ucn isolated strikes must occur. TIII Shearers' Union, to preserve its owi organisation, must make common caus< with the Federation of Labour, whicl the miners wero organising. Tho nex body which must come in was thi waterside workers. Probably, Jlr Bowling admitted, tho existing indus trial legislation did benefit tho weake: unions. The only thing theso union: could do was to wait in the meanilmi until tho Federation. of Labour. wa: strong enough to protect them. The; could then' como behind it and allow thi federation to fight their battles. _ After wards, they, could stand alongside tin

—-ctj ~r~r-; — federation in opposition. to a" system which involved pleading with'ja capitalistic judge for better conditions. At tho conclusion of Mr. Bowling's address, a resolution expressing syni- '° pathy with his expressed views, and condemnation of the attitude of the lato Government of Now South Wales, 11 was carried without dissent. d Cheers wore heartily civon for ,oritr ganiscd labour and for Mr. Bowling, d ________