THE LABOUR ATTITUDE.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 10 April 1912, Page 4

THE LABOUR ATTITUDE.

MB PAKE REPLIES TO CEITICS

Addressing a largely attended meeting o£ ladies at the Leys Institute, Ponson"by, Mr C. J. Parr said that he was being submitted to a good deal of misrepresentation and abuse in the present Mayoral campaign in regard to his attitude towards Labour. He had.no quarrel with Labour, though his enemies were trying hard to make it appear so, • The decent unionist he respected. He had /always endeavouredto dp'his best for the real workers. When he enme into the Council 14 years ago wages- were.paid at the rate of 6s 6d and 7s pet day. The first increase from 7s to 8s per day, was strongly supported by him", and the latest increase,' by which the inimimum was 8s Br3, was a matter in which ho t was the first to move. This last increase meant £4000 per year, or moie. being added to the city's pay-sheet. Tp'day the wages p-ud m this city are higher than in Wellington, (Jurists church,or Dune'lin. In further -discussing schemes which he had carried through for the benefit of the workers, Mr Parr olaimed that Point Erin Park was before all else a playground for the workers' wives and children; as sach, it was second to none in, the Dominion. Was it nothing that in the face of opposition he had prevailed upon the Council to clear out 100 slum houses this year? Was it nothing that the public food supplies were now inspected and regulated as they were never before ? Was it nothing that his Council would be the first to erect decent workers' homes? It was not pleasant to have to talk in this way, but when he was attacked by men who had had never done anything for Labour'but talk, wfis he not justified in reininding Labour that his record of public strv:ce proved that he was not tho black sheep that the revolutionary general strike agitator dec'ared him to bej1 He had never made any attack upon unionism. His fight was agamst Syndicalism. He had no feelJi!g whatever against the Federation of Labour ]»>adt'jp. Ho looked upon ihein as mis-taken nu-v, whose principles constituted a menace fo society. It was 4).'om; piinwpJcs the City Cunncilland local bodies wero up against, not the .men. themselves. Men who 'had pulled out fiom the Aib'-tration Act witli the delibeiate iuti-.ntion oi masing war on the e< nnuuuity h\ general strike, if they could cot get wh«t they wanted, wero not sai'< guides.