STRIKE TALK IN THE HOUSE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1900, 7 November 1913, Page 9

STRIKE TALK IN THE HOUSE.

PROPOSALS BY A PRIVATE MEMBER. WATERSIDERS' CONDITIONS. GOVERNMENT'S ATTITUDE AFFIRMED, ' STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER. Some strenuous efforts wero made to bring -the strike up for discussion in the House of Representatives yesterday, but eventually members affirmed, by an overwhelming majority, the contention of the Government that the time was [ inopportune for talking about the strike, and that a debate on the subject had better be postponed. The question came up, when Mr. W. A. Veitch, Labour member for Wanganui, moved for leave to introduce a Bill of which ho had' given notice on the previous day—the Employment of Waterside Workers and Casual Labour •Regulation Bill. Mr. Veitch said that, in moving for leave to introduce this Bill The Prime Minister: Is tho Bill printed, may' I aSk ? Mr. Veitch : No. He continued that he wanted to dispel from tho minds of j.lion. members an -idea that- this Bill had been introduced for the purpbse of raising a discussion on the labour unrest that unfortunately existed. He had not introduced the Bill with that objcct in view at all. He wished to drawattention to' tho unfortunate and unsatisfactory working conditions which attached to the,.employment of watorsido, workers in particular, of casual labourers in .general, in this Dominion. In view of its importance he considered that waterside .work should be controlled by a Government' Department. If it could not' be brought under the control of. a Government Department it should be controlled by Harbour Boards. The waterside workers should be permanently employed and should contribute to and participate in the benefits of a superannuation scheme. The whole of their working conditions should be very materially improved. He was making his proposal to the House not only in the interests of industrial peace, but with a view to furthering tho welfare of casual labour generally. • He went; on to remark that not long ago a Commission sat to ■ investigate tlie cost and standard of living in Now Zealand. The finding of tho Commission was that, apart altogether from an improvement in tho standard, there was an increaso in the cost of living. Casual labourers, suffered all tho disabilities incidental to the increased cost of living, and benefited little from the improved standard of living, The report of the Commission showed .that, taking the conditions all round, the casual labourers were worse off compared with other workers than they had evor been. The measure he had prepared was . some-what-crude. For different reasons he had had to make it crude. It proposed that eighty per cent, of the waterside workers should be employed by the Labour Department, ana : should become permanent ; members of that Department; further, 'that they should contribute toitfche Super-' animation. ment should- charge the -people whose goods were handled by waterside workers a sufficient sum 'of money, pro -rata, .to enable them to pay tho Wages of the men with a surplus to cover the working expenses of the Department and also to pay for a superannuation scheme for ,thb men. He quite realised that it was not within tho province of a private member to bring in a Bill to increase taxation. For that reason he had mentioned harbour. boards in his Bill, but he was of opinion that auch a proposal would work out very much better, in the hands of tho Labour Department.' In' some branches it might bo placed in the hands of the Railway Department. He: had proposed in his Bill that a good deal of tho scheme should be left to regulations, realising that only in' that way could a private member bring forward such a proposal. So far as labour legislation was concerned New Zealand was very far behind the times. The arbitration law was out of date.

Mr. Hanan : What .do you propose? Mr. Veitch: I am not dealing with 'arbitration law just now, but 1 think that the arbitration law is behind tho times. He went on to say that until tho Arbitration Court had power to deal with commercial monopolies and control the price of necessaries of life the working people of this country would never bo much better off. A board should be • set up to investigate tho cost if living. Ho wished to direct attention.to the causes of industrial unrest. Tho cost for one day of tho unrest that now existed would exceed the cost for a month of tho scheme bo was proposing. It was proposed in his Bill that it should come into force on January 1, 1914. . Ho confessed that his Bill as he had it now was crude, and far from perfect, but a discussion at this juncture might show a genuine attempt on the part of Parliament to show that they had some sympathy with tho poorest class of .workers, and a desire to improve thier service conditions. He hoped that tho Bill would bo taken up by the Government and passed this session after it had been amonded as might bo necessary. POSTPONEMENT PROPOSED. NOT THE TIME FOR TALK. The Hon. W. H. Horries moved that the debate be adjourned until that, day week., "The member who asks "for leave to introduce this Bill," tho Minister remarked, "has made a very temperate and moderate speech. I compliment him on it, but wo know that tho times are troublous'and in my opinion and in the -opinion of tho Government it is not advisable to debate these matters in the Houso while affairs aro in their present acute state." Tho Government, Mr. Ilerries went on to remark, not wish to destroy tho hon. gentleman's Bill, but. it was not advisablo that the Houso should embark upon a discussion which might involve an acrimonious debate there, and arouso feeling in tho country. The discussion should bo postponed until matters wero in a moro

settled condition. Thoy on tho Government side had ei'ery sympathy with the aspirations of tho hon. gentleman who moved to introduce tho Bill, so far as indicated. Mr. Veitch of courso knew that, tho Bill had no chnnco of passing unless tho Government took it up. In therneantimo ho moved that tho debato on the motion for leave to introduce tho Bill should bo adjourned until that day week. The Limits of Debate. Mr. J. Robertson (Otaki) asked whether.members would be in order if they discussed the main question. The Speaker said that members must speak only to the motion for adjournment, and givo reasons for or against the adjournment.

Mr. Robertson said no harm could bo dono by discussing the moasuro introduced by the member for Wanganui. Ho found it very hard to understand tho attitudo of tho Government. "This continued burking of discussion mid application of the closure" whon anyone

in tho House attempted to discuss tlio gravo crisis facing tho country at tho present day was not calculated to do any good. He went 011 to stigmatiso tho attitudo of tho Government as "cowardly in tho extreme." Air. Herries called the attention of tho Speaker to this expression, and Mr. Robertson was ordered to withdraw it. He did so, and said that tlio House would bo guilty of political cowardice if it refused discussion on this subject. It was a. question affecting the welfare of the whole country. Members should face the situation. Had tho Government anything to hide? Why should it burke discussion ?

Mr. Robertson, before lie concluded his speech, was several times called to order for persisting in talking about tho -strike.

j Mr. H. G. Ell (Christclrurch South) expressed tho opinion that it would bo a mistako to adjourn tho debate. Ho asked the Prime Minister whethor ho would set apart an afternoon for the discussion later in the sosskm. More Harm Than Cood. Tho Prime Minister said that lie would be glad to give the opportunity asked for after the present industrial crisis had passed', but ho thought the honourable member who had asked the question would' agree-with him that a discussion at that -time would probably do a great deal more harm than good— that the discussion possiblo that afternoon would do a great deal of harm and should be avoided. Grey's Labour Member. Mr. P. C. Webb (Grey) opposed tho adjournment of the debate. Thousands of people, he said, were looking to Parliament to do something to terminate the present state of affairs. Ho submitted that the application of the gag was an outrage on fair play. If tho House agreed to adjourn, it would display political and moral cowardico. In his opinion tho Government was incapable of dealing with the complex situation that had arisen. It meant ruin to thousands of small business people; thousands of small farmers and thousands of working people were being pauperised. They liad no right to go outside the House and see mountedpolico and men fighting and striking Mi;. Speaker called. Mr. Webb to order. Mr. Webb submitted that it was time that the Government took the House into its confidence. It should' Bay: Wo have done our best to deal with this ' question; wo have failed (Laughter and "Question!") It appeared to him that the Government was afraid to havo its actions criticised. This was tlio time and the hour to deal with the situation. ' ! A member: By and by. Mr. Webb: Yes. by and by, when some, of these tmsnrangcra shoot somebody. (Order 1 order 1) ■ Mr. Webb said that the members of the Government were a lot of> puppets •acting at tho behest of the shipping monopoly.

Ho was again called to order. Continuing, he said that if Parliament did its duty, the House would not adjourn until there had been a free expression of opinion. Making some furthor remarks about the Government in connection with the strike, ho was warned by the Speaker, for the

last time, to resume his seat. Going, on to declare that New Zealand was witnessing an industrial upheaval such as no part of Australasia had previously seen, Mr. Webb was told by the Speaker to sit down. This he did. Mr. Payne Suppressed. , Mr. J. Payne (Grey Lynn) had hardly begun to speak before ho was called to order. Ho said that ho would take anchor course, and would move:. ■Vr t''That;-this Hdiiso' has no cohfidencii in the capacity of the Government to administer tho affairs of this' country."

, Mr.' Speaker: There is already on amendment before the House.

Mr. Payne said that ho would movo his ajnendment later on.

Mr. G. Laurenson (Lytteltofl) opposed the adjournment. The Government, ho said, should promote a settlement of the strike, if possible, and, failing this, Parliament should put an end to it by an assortion of authority. Ho said that he would vote for the adjournment, however, if tho Prime Minister intimated that he was considering the proposal made by the Leader of the Opposition on the previous day, to set up a committee. The Duty of tho Government. ; Mr. T. M. Wilford (Hutt) said that he would vote for tho adjournment. He considered that it was the duty of, tho Government to bring down concrete proposals to settle such a trouble as now existed. If the Prime Minister, brought down proposals calculated to maintain law and order, he (Mr. Wilford) would voto with nim. He was not . going to bring party into a matter of this. kind. A Bill introduced by a private member was not going to be of any use. -•

Mr. A. H. Hindmarsh (Wellington South) objected to tho / adjournment. He said that tho Prime Minister had been putting off the matter of dealing with the strike, for a fortnight past, and tho Houso should not put it off. Tho Government would not face tho question, and ho invited the Houso to insist upon going on with the dobato. If they went on with the debate upon tho Bill, tho Prime Minister might move to strike out all the words after the first "tho," and substitute his own scheme, whatever it was. Before concluding, Mr. Hindmarsh expressed tho opinion that both sides to the dispute had had enough, and desired a settlement. .

, Mr. L. M. Isitt (Christchurch North) said that it would be a deplorable thing to carry the adjournment unless the Primo Minister .intimated that he was going to deal with tho matter. Leader of the Opposition. Sir J. Ward (Leader of tho Opposition) said that he considered that it would have been better to allow tho few members to speak who had intended to do so. Ho did not think that any member of the House would attempt to embarrass the Government.. The Prime Minister: It has been done 'already. A member: By whom? • The Primo Minister: By a number of members.

Opposition members: Name, name. Tno Primo Minister: Tho s country knows.

Sir Joseph Ward: If party has been introduced into this matter I havo not introduced it.

Mr. F. H. Smith: It has been done all through. Sir Joseph Ward said that ho had not heard up to tho presont whether tho Prime Minister intended to adopt the suggestion he had mado on the previous day to set up a Committco of t'ho House to investigate and report upon tho strike. The Prime Minister: I will make a statement when this debate comes to an end. and not till then. Su Joseph Ward said that he was going to vote for the adjournment. Tho motion that the debato be. adjourned was carric-d by 61 votes to 6. Following is tho division list:— Aves (61):—Anderson, Atmore, Bell, J. Bollard, R. F. Bollard, Bradney, Brown, Buchanan, Buddo, Buick, Buxton, Campbell, Clark, Coatoa, Colvin, Craigie, Davey, Dickie, .Dickson, Ell, Escott, Fishor, Forbes, Fraser, Glover, Guthrie, Hanan, Harris, Herdman, Herries, Ilinc, Hunter, Isitt, Lee, M'Calium, Macdonald, Malcolm, Mander, Massoy, Millar, A. K. Newman, Noswortliy, Okoy, Poarce, Poland, l'omaro, Reed, R. H. Rhodes, T. W. Rhodes, Russell, Scott, F. H. Smith, Statham, Sykes, G. M. Thomson, Veitch, Word, Wilford. Wilkinson;' Wileon, Youug,

Noes (6): —Hindmarsh, Laurenson, Payne, Robertson, J. 0. Thomson, Webb.