PRINTERS JUBILEE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1504, 29 July 1912, Page 7

PRINTERS JUBILEE.

SPEECHES BY MINISTERS, "A -REALLY LIBERAL ADMINISTRATION." Tho Wellington Typographical Union libUl a smoke concert on Saturday night to colobrato the jubilee of their organisation. Upwards' of 300 were present. Among tho guests were: The Hon. V. M. B. Fisher (Minister for Murine), Mr. 1). M'Luren (Mayor of ■Wellington), and Mr. A. H. Hindmarsh, M.P. Apologies for absence wore received from the lion. \\. I'. Massey (Primo Minister), the Hon. A. 1.. Hcrdman (Minister for Justice), the Hon. John Bigg, M.L.C., and Dr. A. X. Newman, M.P. , , , . . After a loyal toast had been given and •honoured; Mr. Marcus Marks proposed the toast of "Tho Wellington Typographical Association, and he congratulated the society on having celebrated its 50th anniversary. _ „ _ , . The chairman (Mr. G. C. Barker) responded. One of tho mam planks of tho association's platform, he said, had been its reasonableness, and to this ho attributed its success. He hesitated to use tho term 1 lest it should hurt tho feeling of anyone, but the society had always avoided anything approaching Kcd devolution." The best result could always bo achieved by being reasonable. The attitude of the association regarding strikes had always been one of extreme reluctance. On manv occasions they had been invited to join some other federation, but they had kept their independent attitude, and they still belonged only to the Typographical Union of Aew Zealand, bo tliey were on safe ground. It might bo that in future they.would have to change their tactics; times might change .in 50 years as they had in the last 50 years. He hoped, in any case, as he presumed (hoy all hoped, that the association would go on and prosper. Tho toast of "Post Officers'•■was proposed by Mr. J. Harper, and responded to by Messrs. H. C. Jones; W. A. G. Skinner, l'\ W. Swift, and AV. P. M'Girr. All 'the past officers who spoke to tho toast advised moderation and conciliatory methods in handling industrial troubles. The Hon. P. M. 8.. Fisher, responding to the' toast of Parliament, given by tho chairman, conveyed.to the gathering the: compliments of. the Primo Minister, He claimed lo have, by his antecedents, eomo sympathies with tho union. His late uncle ■ had been president and secretary of the association, his father had begun life as a printer's "devil," and in 1852 his grand- ' father, a printer, had been eentto prison in London for striking for an eight-hour day. Ho could give an assurance that tho same old spirit- was in the third ?enernlion of which ho was a sample. Tho new Government was made up of men new to the duties of administration. He himself had never before held an. administrative offie* but he hoped to he able to demonstrate that ho had 6ome capacity as an administrator, and his colleagues hoped to do likewise. Tho members of the union could tako tho assurance from him that the era of humanitarian legislation was' not past. The good work done by tho Liberal party in the past was going to be carried on by the members of the new Administration. He had heard the statement made that a Government that would bring down retrogressive legislation, or that would mark time could not be tolerated. And the party to which he belonged expected, if they did not give it' to the country, to bo executed at next election. He had heard mention that evening of Labour and Labour questions. Ho recognised that the Labour problem was a'great problem | confronting this Administration, as it'was confronting others. All he could say was that tho present Government was fully alive to its responsibilities to,ovory section of the community, and not to any one section. Ho hoped that the party of which ho was a member would be able in tho short time at their disposal to bring down a policy next week that-would meet with the approval of every member-of„-,;the.. .-Typographical" l Union. He thanked tho gathering on hia colleagues' behalf arid on his own for tile cordial reception given to the toast.' He hoped.that at their gathering next year' they would he able to congratulate themselves that the Government was a, really Liberal Administration, and that he would still ho a member of it. , Mr. Fisher resumed his' seat amid hearty applause, which changed spontaneously into song—"For he's a Jolly Good Fellow"—and.tho song was followed by three cheers. Mr. A. H. Hindmarsh, M.P., whoso name had also,been coupled wifh the toast, responded briefly in humorous vein. The toast of the "Civic Authorities" was proposed by Mr. J. W. P. M'Dougall, and responded to by tho Mayor (Mr. J). M'Laren).i There was a vary generous amusement programme of song and story, and the assembly did not disperse until a fairly late hour, '■ ■■ ■ I '