A MINISTERIAL APOLOGIA.

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 54, 19 March 1937, Page 4

A MINISTERIAL APOLOGIA.

The necessarily abbreviated telegraphic report we had yesterday of what the Minister of Labour had to say regarding his intenvention in the Auckland freezing-workers ' ''stay-in" strike would probably leftve the impression that his explanation was accepted by the assembled daiTymen he was addressing. The fuller press reports now available show that this was far from being the case. As a matter of fact, some of Mr. Axmstrong's most significant statements were flatly contradicted by those who were only too well aequainted with the actual facts and were prepared to bring proof of them. As is so usual where politicians find themselves in an awkward corner, Mr. Armstrong takes refuge in accusing the press of misreporting and misr epr es entation. If there were anything in that plea the time for hiTit to advance it was at the time when the reports appeared in both Auckland dailies, which cannot but have come directly under the eyes of himself and his secretary. It is altogether tooo late now for him to take shelter under that pretext. Those reports show pretty clearly that the men did not vacate tha works uhtil they had been given a virtual promiset hat their grievances, possibly well founded, would be remedied. The account the Minister now gives is manifestly what he now sees he should have said and done, but it accords very poorly with what, as publicly and responsibly reported, he actually did say and do. He now says that he did nothing that could be construed as reflecting on the the Arbitration Court. He most certainly did intimate that he himself had personally but little faith in it and had, as a trade-union secretary of long standing, never had recourse to it, finding "other moana" more effective. This, coming from the Minister most directly concerned with the Court, can scareely be said to have done much to recommend it or strengthen its authority. "What, in a general way, Mr. Armstrong might be asked to explain is why strikes and like movements have been so very much more in evidence since a a Labour Government took office.