ARBITRATION

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2346, 31 December 1914, Page 7

ARBITRATION

HON. MR,,ANDREW FISHER'S 'VIEWS;, '(By Telegraph-Press Association.) , ■_■ ■ i "•, Auckland, December 30. Whea replying to speeches of welcome at the Labour gathering to-day, the Hon. Andrew Fisher remarked that he could not express an opinion about, the affairs of New Zealand, although he had followed its. political and itii commercial history for 30 years. "Bui, I do say," he added, "that however much you may be disappointed with your' position to-day, you should not forget that in the earlier days New Zealand did a good deal to lead, the .way'in industrial legislation.' No one can actually believe that arbitration is tho end >of all things. (Hear, hear.) When first inaugurated 1 was perhaps a better system than that of strikes, but the expense of it is unjustifiable. In.every way it is a tedious process of getting to the Courts, especially with tho dual Parliament of ths Commonwealth, whith makes it a burden almost too heavy to bear." That, Mr.. Fisher'.added, was because the people would not remove the disabilities under which they were placed by the Constitution. "I suppose," he queried, "that you have tqual franchise here?"

One of the deputation: "Tho" very best." ■

Mr. Fisher: Then, gentlemen,' it is an intellectual contest between people who hold our views and those' who don't. When we have equal opportunities we; must not .blame anyone but ourselves. He spoke of how they had won out against_ gTeat - opposition y in, Australia, expressing the .opinion that' their cause was the, h'est, and that it was the crowing one. - "I think that the Position-in New Zealand," he added, "has j been, that yon have had men as leaders who were-.not Labour mon—keen,. .shrewd men. who just kent'a little in front of nublic oDi'nion." .In resnonse to "hear, hears," Mr. -Fisher added: "Well, they are, not toWame for-that." He said that the difficulties hero were not as great as those_in Australia,. where they spent half their time in trying to circumvent the-weak and difficult; Constitution,.