A STRIKE BILL IN THE HOUSE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1907, 15 November 1913, Page 7

A STRIKE BILL IN THE HOUSE.

INTRODUCED BY MR. WEBfi. SETTLEMENT SCHEMES. ABSENTEES FROM THE DIVISION. In the House of ttopresi.'Ulaiivcs ye-s----ti'Kiny afternoon, Mi\ l>. C. W\sM) (Ore.y) moved for leave- io introdiico 'the Settlement of the 11313 Industrial Strike ami Locb-out Bill, His object in introducing tho Bill, he said, was to promote a settlcnwiit of tin> trouble that was stagnating the industries cf tho country, and ruining thousands of people. Ho thought that as tho strike was no settlement than it had boon three weeks ago, it was time tlint Parliament, tho highest tribunal in the land, set about to force a settlement. He argued that tho Federation of Labour was a legal body, properly registered under the. law, and not a body of lawless individuals as was sometimes made out. Further, he said that tho strikers had not broken tho law of tho land, but this statement vras received with a geutla ripple of laughter. Pressure should he brought to bear on tho shipping companies, ho said, to forcis them to lake up a Ices stubborn attitude than they now took up. His idea was to make, tho old agreement between tho Federation and tho companies binding For a term of oiie year or possibly longer, and to make it enforceable against both parties in the Magistrate's Court. Ho declared that tho story that the strike .was' "fizzling out" was qttito wrong It would go on for a month or two months i.iiiloss something was dono by Parliament to end it, Mr, J, Robertson. (Otaki) said tile Bill offered a solution of the difficulty confronting tho country at tlffi present time,. He aceuflfld t'ho employers of prolonging the strike, urging as his reason that the employers now refused to consider it setilotnont upon terms that they had previously offered. Ho was sure, lie said, tliat it' tho Government did not take, hold of this trouble they would be condemned utterly, by tho pccple of the? country,' and relegated again to the cold shades of Opposition. (Laugiiier horn the Government benches,)Mr. Russell's Appeal. Mr. 6. W. Russell (Avon) snid ho did I not proposo to diseuss the causes of the strike m the measures that tad beun tnkeii by the GovWinwiit, but lie I thought it was Mgh time the Govern* meiit gave Parliament all opportunity of discussing it; Tk* industries dndtrftdo . of tile country Were thrown, 'into a state of chnos, and both prodweera end workers were suffering serjous losses aithongli not parties to the dispute-. Hugo expenditure was being iusdrrcd ill keying bodies of men at hand to maintain law' and order. Ho asked tho Primo Minister whether ho could see within reasonable distance tho end of tho strike, 'li appeared to Mm the strike was being allowed, to settle, itself. Snrely it was tho duty of the (Government to give Parliament an opportunity of doing somuthing to end the troublcj and ho asked tho Prims Minister whether '■ he did not think it would bo statfcsm.an- } like to soljcifc tho assistance of Pfirlinmont in setting up either a separate tribunal, or in releasing tho deadlockby special legislation. Ho added that he was speaking Ilia own views, and not , necessarily, the views that would be taken by tlao party to which he belonged. "He pleaded'again that the Government ought, to' intervene. If ceitaiii people' who were parties to tho tronblo were unwise it was tko duty of Parliament to teach them Wisdom. If people Were being badly led find badly advised it was the duty of Parliftmcnt to see that they w'efo not further Ijjij astray. Above all Parliament nWst ait on tho inflexible principles of justice* to bring about a righteous settlement which would be a permanent one. Gould ino Government see the- end , within a week or two, by ft peaceful settlement? If there was to bo ft settlement only by tho wearing .down of tho. masses who wore engaged in the conflict, Would it. not bo infinitely better in the interests I of the country, and the interests of the people, that- Parliament should bring about a settlement ai onco,? Extremists On Both SUlos. Mr. W. A, Veitch (Wafiganui) said tiio struggle was likely to go on for some time. It ivas a struggle now between two extremes, a combination of syndicalist trades unions on the , ono hand, and a combination of wealth on the other, neither df whom Was' likely to consider the interests of tho country, lie thoirght it iva-s" the duty of the Government te got between tiieso two (istremes. He did not. stand for iaivlessiiess, hut always fo? law and. order, but this struggle wns' an liheqtial oiip. It was a struggle between tho appetito ,of tho wives and children of tho wageworkors. on tho one hand, and "by tho cheque book of organisttl Wealth oil tlip other. Of course, tho workers w<Hild[ ■Tfi down in the light, and it was for Parliament to consider whether it wouldbe well to allow the power of wealth -to become paramount in this country. The workers would sufficr, and when they weiit back to work they would go back dissatisfied. A settlwiioiit of that kind would not allay the labour unrest. Ho could not whpUy blanjo tho strikers, for he believed they had many grievances which could bo remedied by'Parliament'. He know there were uure'asqnablo and: Wicked men in the ranivs of some of tho unions, kit there Was not a 2 per cent, element of criminal, people amongst those men. And it would be the good workers who would suffer by the struggle, The position taken up by the Employers' Association was an iratonablo ono in demanding that tho men should register under the Arbitration - Court. He believed that if those men did register it would bo for thoir gpoci, but theEmployers' Association had n<j right, even Parliament haS no right, to demand that' those nit-n should register their unions Under an Act y/tuck they believed was no good to them. Parliament should deekle. on fair terms" of settloment, aiir] allow the workers to vote upon it by secret ballet, if this wero doTte, most of the men woulci bo back at ww.k. If the owners would not accept it, then tho Government should acquire ships, and run them in the most profitable trades on tho coast. ' Some Other Labour Members. Mr. J. Payne (Grey Lynn) contended that tho Employers' Federation had taken up an illegal position, and one which attempted, to over-ride tho Arbw tration Act. Ho believed that the Government would bo doing the right thing if they instituted a prosecution against the Employers' Federation awl tho Shipping Combine. There was a way of settling the present industrial deadlock if pressure, wero brought to bear on both parties. Mr. A. H. Hi.udmarsh ("Wellington South) considered that, ns tho industrial strife going on now affected the whole of Now Zealand, it would bo well if Parliament took somo steps towards effecting a settlement. A strike, bo argued, was undoubtedly A form of legislation, mid unionists, knowing t.hiss would light on long after tlio strikers had• been worsted m.rcgnrd to 1110 par* tienlar purpose for which they were lighting. Thnir object in so Stopping up- the strusgin was trt slanip their grievancn on the public mind and on tho mind of the oraplo.vers. In , his opinion Hie tlisput-e could bavo lwcn easily settletl in tho earl;? stjigos. Tho wharf labourers' trouble bad been settled in other parts of the world, and. tho problem here was capsblo of eoltition al% jt was truo %H% sone ol

the. niothods of tho men »ero provoking, but tho whole movement should not bo condrittned on that necount. The Division. A division was tajson on tlio motion at- 4.30 p.m. Tho motion Was defeated hy 45 votes to 13. There was a re* Hiai'kably large, number of members a.b* sent from the Chamber when tho division ivas called. Among them wore Mr. 1 , . C. A\'«>lib, who had left for Ghristuhure'li, and Jit. J. 3'aync, from (ho Labour heiiches. As tho divieinn list shows also most of the Opposition fiwi!. benchers wero absent also. ' Fallowing was the division list: Ayes (13): Airnoro, Colvin, Kfl, Olovw,, llanan, Hiiiofiniirsh, Jsitt, I'arai.n, Poland, Rubertsou, J. C TlitunsOHj V-pitoh, Witty. Kocs (45):' A-lloi), 8011, J, Bollani, K. P. Bollard, Bfatfney, BuclianaiJ, Miiick, Campbell, Clark, Coated, Diekson, ISscott, Fishof, Forhos, Frascr, Gufljfio, Harris, lierdinan, Hcrrios, Hsue, livint<lr, M'Callmn, Mncdouaifl, Malcolm, I Ivlauder, Jltissey, Millar, A. K> NoWlnan, R. Nowninu, Noswor&y, Ok.c.V, l'earco, Poninre, Rced, K. H, Hhofles, T. W. llhodes, Sestt, 1?. H. Smith, E. W. Smiih. Sktham, Sykes, G. M. ThotiiEon, "WilkiiiEon, Wilson, Young.