REMARKABLE EXAGGERATION.

Gisborne Times, Volume IX, Issue 896, 20 May 1903, Page 1

REMARKABLE EXAGGERATION.

HOW NEW ZEALAND AFFAIRS ARE MISREPRESENTED.

The following arc tho telograms from tho Wellington correspondent of tho London Times alluded to in tho AgentGeneral’s letter ; Alleged Dissatisfaction with the New Zealand Arbitration Act. Times Telegram : Wellington, Fob. 27—Dissatisfaction with the Arbitration Act is evidently increasing. At a meeting of Socialists and Trade Unionists here, a speaker strongly condemned its working. Unionist officials admitted the Act to be a failure, and stated that militant unionism had been killed by it. They would not recommend other countrios to adopt the Act. Labor Troubles in Now Zealand. Times Telegram : Wellington, March 5. —All the Auckland cabinet-makers have been lockod out in consequence of a decision of the Arbitration Court raising wages to fifteen pence an hour. Tho masters are determined to employ no eabinet-makors on those terms, and will import all the furniture required for their business. The firemen and seamen of tfie Union liners left the shipping office in a body because tho owners declined to dismiss one of the cooks. The seamen returned later, but the firemen state that they are determined to strike.

Wellington, March 10th. Meetings of workers at various places have expressed sympathy with the iocked-out Auckland cabinetmakers. A Dunedin meeting urged tho latter to start a co-operative factory in competition with the employers, and promised financial assistance. Tho head of tho Labor Department has gone to Auckland to endeavor to settle the dispute. The firemen of the Union liner Manapouri have persisted in their refusal to return to work. Other men have been secured. Wellington, March 18th. Tho head of tho New Zoaland Labor Department states that, after exhausting argument and entreaty, ho has failed to bring about a scttlomont of tho Auckland dispute ; the lock-out of tho cabinotmakors continues. Tho Government has definitely determined upon legislation granting preference to trade unionists.

Wellington, March 17th. The developments in tho lock-out of Auckland cabinetmakers arc causing unusual interest. The position is regarded as the most important Chat has arisen since the Arbitration Act was passed, tho action of the employers in this case and in that of tho firemen of the Union steamship indicating that strikos and lock-outs are still possible. The Government has decided to prosecute the Auckland employers for breach of the award. Mr Seddon has expressed the opinion that tho Government should find employment for the men who have been lockod out.

New Zealand Labor Disputes,

Wellington, March 20.—Several leading New Zealand newspapers, having been shown copies of the telegrams which I have sent to The Times, vouch for their accuracy and strongly deprecate the exaggerated contradictions of tho Premier and tho Agent-General. The Wellington Post states that the Agent-Goneral’s example of alleged inaccuracy is unfortunate, as tho union representative in Monday’s deputation to tho Premier stated that there will be between 75 and 100 men locked out. It adds that tho union interested is moro likely to know than the Agent-General. NEW ZEALAND LABOR TROUBLES. (To the Editor of the Times.) Sir, —I cannot congratulate your Wellington correspondent upon his vindication of himself in your issuo of Saturday. The position is now simple. Early this month your correspondent telegraphed to you indicating that a strike of greater or less extent had broken out among the firemen attached to tho liners of the Union Steam Shipping Company. I showed that this strike was a trumpery squabble with one little knot of mon, an affair so ludicrously potty as to bo uttorly unworthy of your attention. To this matter your correspondent discreetly makes no specific reforenco in his Saturday’s telegram. So much for that.

On March 3 ho telcgraphod explicitly stating that all tho cabinet-makorß in Auckland had been locked out. To this I replied that tho number of hands in the trade referred to in Auckland was 366; that only 75 of them had been discharged, and that of these 10 had been taken back. What is the answer to this ? To provo me guilty of exaggeration, he quotes a newspaper which quoted a remark of a New Zealand union leader, predicting that from 75 to 100 men 11 will be ” locked out. In other words, your correspondent proves his own serious exaggeration out of tho mouths of the allies whom he cites. The extract from the Wellington Evening Post is indeed a pretty example of tho danger of contradicting letters before you have seen them. It is perfectly evident that the Post was quito ignorant of tho text of my lettter tojyour columns, which it denounces yet substantially bears out. As for the several respectable (Opposi-

tion 7) editors who “strongly deprecate” my deplorable exaggeration, those gentlemen and I are very old friends. They thought it their business when I was in New Zealand politics to charge me with most of the crimes in the political calendar and I can quite understand how it is that they still regard their own intuitions as quite sutticiont evidence that whatever 1 may have written here is certain to be wrong. Why should they wait to see what I write before contradicting it'? What will become of the enterprising journalist if he may not intelligently anticipate that anything an old enemy says will be contrary to fact ?—I am, sir, your obedient servant, W. P. Reeves. Westminster Chambers, 18, Victoria street, S.W., March 23.