WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 15 July 1932, Page 3

WELLINGTON TOPICS

LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

MINISTER’S ATTITUDE

(From a Correspuiiuent).

WELLINGTON, July. I' 2

The Hon. A. Hamilton, Minister of Labour and Acting Minister of Employment during the absence of the .'flight Hon. J. G. Coates, has displayed qualities of judgment and tact during the absence of his party, chief of which he was not generally suspected. Entering the House of Representatives as far back a s 1919, when the Reform Party, to which attached, was maintained in office' by a final breach between the Liberal Party and the Labour Party, he lost his seat to a Liberal in 1922, only to come back . with a creditable majority in 1925. In 1928, the year of the Reform debaC.e, he held his seat by « margin of only twenty votes, w ith 139 thrown away upon a third candidate. In Decernbf l fast year, after the formation of the iCoalition Government he secured 5108 votes against the 2066 cast 'for h s ■lndependent opponent. Mr Harm:to ’ i-- a comparative youth, as politicians go, being onlyi fifty-two years of ago. Limit to taxation.

Speaking at the annual conference of the Farmers’ Union during the week end Mr Hamilton let it be known that as Acting Minister of Employment, he wag not disposed to make endles demands upon a much burdened public.; Three and . a half millions had been collected by taxation for the relief of the unemployed, he said, and . it was the Government’s job to make till's huge sum go as far as possib'e. Hq; did not think it would be right to extract any more from the pockets of a public that had grave difficult-es of its .own to overcome. The Government wanted -t" preserve 1 th e , self respect worker by putting him to useful work. New Zealand was carrying the unemployed costs out of -revenue, and the aim of th country should be to have at least tv < hundred millions to show in improve merits after the expenditure of thr© and a half millions, Mr Hamilton is stivonine ©very effort to see this So a achieved. ■, i, . COAL MINE DISPUTE. Whiie giving close attention, to the portfolio of Employment entrusted to him temporarily by Mr Coafjes, Mr ■Hamilton, inspired by this courtesy anr goodwill,of His Excellency the Governor- ’ General, ha,? made what seems good progress towards a complete settlement of th e Waikato coal dispute; Lore Bledisloe’s concern in the matter, anc Mr Hamilton’s invitation to the miners’ representatives to meet him in, Wellington were in themselves in-pirati° ns towards the settlement of the. trouble. It' was announced last night that an agree. m,ent for a pe-rioc of six months had been reached and that a complete' settlement was likely to follow to-dav. This looks like an arrangement in the • *ery near future for which the GovernorGeneral, 'the Minister "of Labour aim the m°ioritv of the miners will be mainly responsible. 'Strikes are r.ot yel over, but it may be hoped that their J 1 final disappearance is at hand. Th° cost of the one now disappearing liar fallen mainly, on the workers themselves. PEACE AT HAND. The local newspapers take it fo granted that the owners o-f, the mines and the workers have reached an agree ment, and compliment Lord B’ed’.s or and Mr Hamilton upon the service the' have rendered to the community a* large.,. "The Minister of Labour,’’ s"y-* the “Post,” “is to be heartily congratulated on the success of the confirenr which ih© summoned to deal with h mining dispute.” “In doing this,’! th'evening paper adds, assuming the matter is .gettied, “the men have accepted the sound advice given by the Governor General when he urged that the publi welfare should be put before all o.hei considerations. Industrial warfare, a his Excellency said, is unthinkable um! er the present critical economic 'on ditions.” Both Hie Excellency and fV 'Minister of Labour are entitled to thes compliments, and the workers them 'selves owe a .great deal to these two friends who have .“o assisted in extricating them from the difficu ties into which they had involved them selves.