The Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star MONDAY AUGUST 13th. 1917. LABOUR GRIEVANCES.

Hokitika Guardian, 13 August 1917, Page 2

The Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star MONDAY AUGUST 13th. 1917. LABOUR GRIEVANCES.

Labour grievances wore discussed by. Mr Veitch in the House last week when speaking on the Budget debate. The member for Wanganui supplying suggested remedies. He believed that there were no men in New Zealand with greater rosponsnnimes to-day than the liiibour leaders. If, after the present period of turmoil came to an end, public opinion was inouide.tr against the trade union movement, it would bo bad for Labour. If, on the other hand, the leaders of the movement secured by their actions the goodwill of the public, nothing but good to the trade union movement could result. Hence the leaders of the movement should be very careful in their actions and utterances. Ho belioved the wage-earners were dissatisfied because, since the outbreak of war, they had been unable to secure adequate redress for their grievances, including the cost of living, which need not have risen to the extent it had. Despite their strength of numbers, and a democratic franchise, they were, strange to say, very inadequately represented in Parlyiamon-t. lie was sorry to say that the. Government and the Minister of Labour had not shown that sympathy towards Labour that they should, and that -the Minister of Labour was not regarded as the friend of the workers. While he would support the upholding of law and ordor, he would impress on the Povernment tho advisability of being firm and fnir to both sides. It was a mistake to assume that the country was prospei ous because a section of the community was prosperous. The city wage-earners were far worse off to-day than they bad been for some time. Profiteering bad not been checked to the extent it should, and, though wages had gone up. the oost of living had increased still juo're. The attitudo of Labour at the beginning of the wnr was that, if tho Government prevented any increase in the cost of living, it would make no demands for increase* J wages, Tho demand for inerpaiod

wages 710*7 was amply justified by Ihe .increased cost of living. People said the wage-earners should take their share of the losses, but the whole of the losses were being borne by the Wageearners, whilst, the producers were making the profits. If the whole country were in financial difficulties it would be a different thing. The wageearners then would have to bear their share. .He was afraid the Government was too prone to follow established custom, instead of thinking out the new problems arising and dealing with them boldly. That was not the method to make the. National Government popular. Mr Voitch dofended the Government in its proposal to grant tho war bonus to railway servants this year. He considered that it would he a good thing to allow the consumers the opportunity of developing the cooperative system for the benefit of tho people in order to save exploitation. He believed the time had arrived for the British Government to take control of the whole of the shipping to prevent both tho consumers and the producers from being exploited. The Government should he the sole medium for the export (if New Zealand produce, 1 selling it to the consumer in this country at a reasonable figure and sending tho rest home under a proper organisation. Ho believed that if this were done the Government could sell tho produce cheaper and yet gen good a price for the producers. Mr Veitch urged tho cutting out of the middleman, whom he stigmatised ns a parasite, no good to anyone. Lot the consumer and producer be brought together, and by doing this the Government would hold the people together in the face of tho enemy. Ho felt convinced that no section of the public was. looking for trouble. "When any section of wngo-earnors demanded nn increase of pay the Board of Trade should make investigations to see to what extent tho cost of living had increased, and then, in conjunction with the Arbitration Court, assess the whole position. Wages might fluctuate, the same as prices fluctuated.