CONFIDENCE NEEDED

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 173, 16 April 1919, Page 8

CONFIDENCE NEEDED

LABOUR AND CAPITAL

i - . i.— 1.7 ! MR. T. S. WESTON'S VIEWS

'•, Speaking »in..the Concert. Chamber as a candidafe'for thfe Wellington Mayoralty last night, Mr, T. Shatter Weston mentioned that for six years ho had been president of the New Zealand Employers' Federation. Ho 'considered Hint the knowledge he: ..had, gained during those six years would djoj- of '■■very great value to him if hV became Mayor of 'Wellington.

"The lahour question crops up everywhere, and if you arc thoroughly conversant with its details you are hotter able to copo with any public issue," said Mr. Weston, , 'Hf.yo-u read the speeches I have made as president of tho federn l tion, and. also read a speech made liy Mr. J. R. Clynes, a grant Labour leader, reported in the London 'Times' of January/25,, you, will .find that he, a much Abler man and more experienced man than myself, a Labour man, working at the'other end of the world, has arrived at very much the same conclusions as to tno real nature of tho difficulties at the bottom of the Labour question as wo havo reached, from the employers' point of'view, atthieendof the world. Mr Clylies. stands for a policy of conciliation. He J points out that until mutual trust %! established between Labour and Capi-tal';-there'can be no permanent good rcB.ulfc '-That has been our conclusion here. Lb is,.the, conclusion forced upon us durIngrtheilast three years, and I assure $bjt.tliat"we on our. side are anxious to Wji andj extend the hand of friendship to any Labour man who is prepared to meet us on the same plane."

Replying to an interjection a littln later, Mr. Weston referred again to in. djistnal 'matters.v "The 'go-slow' policy ; s not. a policy to be proud of," he said. 'Ton may use it as a desperate weaiion, but,it is not a weapon .that in the lonp: run is going to help any pi an or Mn the conntry in which he lives,' The man who adopts the 'go-slow' policy is teally following for himself and his das'? thetexample of the members of the SuicfofaClub.

assure you that there are pust as. good, just as .charitable men among (die employers as tlisro are among the wfti'kers. ■ Tf employers and workers, recognising that fact, can como together they cari do great things. • It is the fact that they do not trust one another that ,'workersdo not believe the employer is a' natural, sane fellow like themselves, that prevents .us coming together." . .