DEMOBILISATION AND FREE TRADE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3034, 22 March 1917, Page 5

DEMOBILISATION AND FREE TRADE

KEMAEKABLE SPEECH BTTSE MINISTEB QF LAH OUR'. I

In a speech at Eotherham Mr. Jobs Hodge, the Minister for Labour, Barer an indication of the lines along which' the Government demobilisation schema 1 will run, and also announced his accept* ance of a policy of the "closed, door" itt trade as against _an "open'«Joor." In regard to demobilisation, Mr. _ Honge said the policy he had mapped out wouldi more than double the number of Labour Exchanges. Each soldier would', at least, get a month's furlough an,d the separav lion allowance continued to his wife, an 3 after the wai? our women would surely get their reward in having the franchise extended to them. With wholehearted co-operation of mjj ployers ana workers; the task of ce* mobilisation would be a- comparatively"; easy one, said Mr. Hodge. "As I have tw handle the problem, let peace come.wh?nj; over it may, I mean to have tho jnaohiiH ory ready. (Cheers.) Thß country had, i the nucleus of that machinery in thfr Labour Exchanges. One of the first things he did was to call the heads of: tho staff ol the exchange? together it* order to impress upon them the necessity; of dealing with the men who returned in a srmpathetic . manner. Therp must be no wooden imagos behind the counters; of tho exchanges, and • their --assistance must be given to applicants not as though' conferring a favour, but in a way which.! would demonstrate that it was a pleasure-, and not a burden to help. . He should' impress upon the Prime Minister that, in the transition period something equaU'good would bo dono for the warrior as it was proposed to do for tW, demobilised soldier. (Hear, hear.) Tw country had been divided into eight divl--sions for Labour Exohanges, anil it hoped an 3 believed that iemobilisatioE; would go with a swing. (Cheers.) • Previous to the war we thought Free Trade meant the prevention of that, so long as we had tho .open door Germany, would .never rat the loss of her trade byindulging in war. We wanted cheaj com* modities, but he thought tie war hi® drooped the scales from our eyes. £nrm million tons of steel .were cgmta.S i™*. this country from Germany, said Mr. Hodge "1 am having" that leasago stopped lam going to hare pa more German steel in this country wjulst thero is an idlo furnace in Jhia countrv,. Whon every furnaco here ' pthen I might let a bit in. (laushter and cheers.) "How siUr we were ;n the. •past to have on open door as against a closed door. I think we want to give them tit for tat in the future. It used to be said that no trade union leader belioved in policy of that fand. Wa oannot say that to-day. Australia is a protected countiT, and the C£ livincr there the highest in the world, so-called Tariff Koform doES not mean tbi lowering of tho standard of life, as same people seem to assume. (CheorsO 1 V only pet the whole-hearted wpport of Capital and Labour there is littlo doubt as to ill© great sucoess Inat w will aohiovo/' (Loud oheersO