NEW LABOUR LAWS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1166, 29 June 1911, Page 7

NEW LABOUR LAWS.

PUNISHMENT OF STRIKERS,

By Telocraph—l'ress Association -Copyrlebi

Sydney, June 28. In the New South Wales Assembly, Mr. Wade, ex-Stato Premier, continued the debate oil the second readng of the Arbitration Bill. He declared that the greatest blot ill the Bill was that tho Government proposed drastically to punish strikers if lliey wero registered under tho Act, but not to punish them if unregistered. The ringleaders of strikes, Mr. Wade declared, should be punished moro heavily than men who were misled, but the Bill proposed to treat them similarly. MR. STOREY IN OPPOSITION. (Rec. Juno 29, 1.5 a.m.) Sydney, June 28. Mr. David Storey, leader of tho Independent party in tho State of Assembly, has announced his intention to oppose the new Industrial Bill. This may mean Jeopardising the position of the Government with regard to the Bill. UNIONISM IN NEW SOUTH WALES. Tho true jiosition of unionism in this State (says tho Sydney "Telegraph") is that it has cannily accepted the arbitration method theoretically, keening the •strike method handy behind the scenes. In weakly-organised industries, unionisticnlly, the former will always bo used; in strong unions the strike will always be, at least, held in reserve. This, continues the ."Telegraph," is actually provided for and connived at in the Labour Government's now Industrial Arbitration Bill. In Labour ranks there are two sections. One, which i 9 not large, absolutely repudiates arbitration. It is argued by this class that the only motivo power for union progress is the strike. They say any leaning to '.egal arbitration is a sign of weakness, and saps the militant virility which they think should be-tho Life of unionism. But these are few. They are regarded as "impossbilist fanatics" by the orthodox unionist. A much larger section of unionists 19 accepting arbitration as a process ill the evolution of things, and heralding it as the thin end of the Socialistic wedge. "If we arbitrate about the cost of labour," said a secretary of a large union when arguing the point, "why should not we havo arbitration about the selling price of goods? Profits should fcc arbitrated unon as well as labour costs." He claimed that the workers should not accept a Court's dictum io govern theirworking conditions if they were to have increases of wages met by increased rents and higher prices of necessary commodities. '