ONE LAW FOR EVERYBODY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1390, 25 March 1912, Page 4

ONE LAW FOR EVERYBODY.

Kir, —In your isMie of the 13th, T notice a letter from Air. Pryor, secretary of the Employers' I'cderation (a copy of which had been sent to the Minister for .Labour) .expressing surprise that no action had been taken by the Department in connection with the Auckland drainage strike, nml also commenting on the simillness of the penalty b-.-ing sued for when such an important public service as the Wellington tra.ni service was completely dislocated. Every law-abiding citizen must admit that there should be "one law for everybody," and an administrator of the law should see. that justice is dop.6 to nil, and I feel sure it is not the wish of the genuine worker or employer to see anyone down in the grass crawling to any section of'the community, to curry favour in any quarter. The a<ptator will always oiulnngoi , the. position of tho genuine worker, and lccp the employer on pins and needles. Two years ago Mrs. "Franklin, of Weber, was sued by the Labour Department for the highest possible penaity (J!500) for an alleged lock-out of six fihenrcrs. It was proved to tho satisfaction of the H.M. (who gave costs against the Labour Department) that it was no lock-out, but really a strike caused by tho' agitation of one- man; but no further action wcis taken against the guilty party. AVas there justice in suing for the very highest penalty in this case, and, when the Labour Department found they had hold of the wrong end of the stick, allowing tho guilty party to go scot free? Would it not be more to the purpose to suo for a full penalty and make an example of the agitators who ■ disorganised a whole public service than trying to punish a small employer for an alleged small offence? The sooner the employer and worker realise thaj it is , in their own interest to have reasonable, men at tho hca:l of Departments to enforce Iho law nnd ke;p down the. agitator, "the workers' greatest enemy," the better it will bo for all concerned.—l am, etc., J. FRANKLIN, March 18.