THE DENNISTON TROUBLE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 33, 29 January 1908, Page 2

THE DENNISTON TROUBLE.

THE PREMIER'S STATEMENT. A CALAMITY AVERTED. REPLY TO CRITICS. Per Press Association. Wellington, Last Xigiu. Sir Joseph Ward, interviewed uii-.j.^h L I by a New /{calami Times representative 1 I regarding the Denuislun trouble, said:— "It is quite evident to me that some of tbe critics uf tin: situation which recent- 1

]y developed are in complete iguur.iuie of tlie ijositioii, oiiierwise it is not liOSsible to imagine that such views us t have seen expressed since my return here could ha.ve.heen given utterance to. First of all, it is not possible for me to have taken any action in the matter until 1 did, for the reason that 1 was not asked by either side to enter. .Secondly, the parties themselves who were immediately concerned had the question before them on three separate occasions

in order to consider proposals which by unanimous decision they rejected. 1 proceeded to the West Coast and asked my colleague, the Minister for Labor, to join mo there, because of information in my possession of a confidential character of a. situation which would liavo arisen that would have been very farreaching in its effect, failing a settle-

ment of the difficulty, and which would j have affected every householder In tins Dominion and people elsewhere had not j immediate mediation taken place. The statement that any fuss has been made is quite contrary to fact. No fuss of any kind was made, cither before I viSJ itud the West Coast or whilst there, or since my reutrn. As Prime Minister J deemed it best in every interest to personally make myself acquainted with the real situation, and, having done so, to visit the seat of the trouble and endeavor to have the matter settled •without in any way reflecting upon the Arbitration Court or doing anything in- • jurious to the reputations of the miners or to the company immediately conccrn--1 ed. But for Hie fact that the miners were told by mo that the meeting was a 1 private 'one between themselves, myself " and the Minister of Labor, and that it' 1 would be a breach of confidence without 3 their full consent to publish the speech made by myself, as well as by Mr Millar, to them we should both have no objection whatever to the full publication of everything that transpired. I may, however, say that instend of hypercritical fault-finding, the well-wishers of the country will recognise llmt an industrial calamity migtit have followed ! as the outcome of a strong and unnnit mous feeling on the part of the miners, who believed that the Act "of Parli.v } g ment was not actually being ,'iolated s and that it gave them a moral right tty n take the stand they did. For my own j part, I consider that both the , g and the company have acted throughout with remarkable forbearance in a very

difficult and critical position that would

necessarily have become acute unless I and my colleague had intervened. One, of course, is not sin-prised at the attitude of those who though not in possession of the facts, believe they could have done very much better. That is one of the weaknesses of human nature which men in out responsible position have to recognise." "It has been said that in this situation the Arbitration Court was on it< trial and had failed," said the reporter*; "I disagree entirely from that," re' plied the Premier, -"and from those who cannot take an unprejudiced view of affairs in extraordinary and difficultjj situations. For my own part, I may add that I am entirely against the present condition in the arbitration law that provides for the imprisoning of men in certain cases that may arise under this law. There is a very much bet J ter and more effective way of ensuring the complete working of the arbitration law than as at present provided in that .respect, and that I hope will be effected the next session of Parliament. He is no friend of his country who suggests the abrogation of the arbitration syistem, and the substitution of the barbaric method of physical force versus capital, with all its attendant horrors to those concerned, and prolonged industrial strife, to say nothing whatever of other industries affected and the loss of productive and earning power that must be seriously affected under -the old system of strike as against that of mutual agreement under well-defined legislation. Whatever anyone may say detrimental to myself and my colleague in connection with the situation that had arisen is a secondary matter. What is of first consideration and of gratification to myself is the fact that the trouble, the end of which no one could foresee, has happily been averted by the good sense of the miners themselves and the employers tn" this particular CM*.''