HARD TO PLEASE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 212, 28 August 1908, Page 2

HARD TO PLEASE.

Although certain Labor Councils are seriously bestowing attention on the amendment of the Arbitration Act, some of them have not ceased in their work of destruction. .Side by side with the formulation of proposed amendments they have settled down to a vigorous warfare against His Honor Mr. Justice Sim, and they are unable to see that in this action they are practically attacking the existence of the Arbitration Act itself. Purely it -must be clear to every intelligent mind that no Act providing for the administration of justice is tolerable if the presiding Judge is to be liable to punishment if lie does not give judgment in favor of the appealing litigant? The Farm Laborers' Union of Canterbury, through the executive of that body, has, resolved—"That this union, seeing that Mr. Justice Sini has refused the farm laborers of Canterbury ail award of the Court, and being convinced that such a decision could only have been come lo alter a complete disregard of the facts proved in evidence and by an unreasonable and invincible bias against the workers, demands the immediate removal of Mr. Justice Sim from the Arbitration Court bench: and further, this union desires to express its strong conviction that actions manifesting such ineptitude, incompetence, and weakness as are to be found ill the decisions made constitute a grave menace to the industrial ivelface of Upon this production being unanimously adopted, the secretary was instructed to forward a copy to the Minister of Labor, to the local members of Parliament, and to all the labor organisations throughout the Dominion. Also it was resolved to issue a petition for general signature calling for the removal from the bench of Mr. Justice Sim, and to send into the country districts three paid agitators lo stir up feeling. The Canterbury Labor Council suspended their consideration of proposed amendments to the Arbitration Act in order : to endorse the resolution at once, and it was agreed to at an open-air meet- , ing in Cathedral Square. Talk about "'a j grave menace to the industrial wel- ( fare of the Dominion"—anything more j subversive of law and order, anything j more dangerous to the general we'.l- ( being than is embodied in Ibis resolu- j tiou it would lie extremely ilillicult to .

conceive. What this community appeal's t(> be threatened with now is mob law. mob jusiici, nod, everything. j\ol <>n!v i-i (Ik- t-(>ii>l ilotion;illv* law to lu- -el ill dclliince, bill Jildtfe* are [>> In- removed jit 11j' 1 pleasure of impatient ;iiiil uiuva».oliable croud. Of course, tlmy are the people! At lea>t. 1 hey are. fully persuaded that I hey an-. With characteristic want uf Uiey have failed to perceive that I hey are provoking every oilier interest and • ■ Mnenl Mieial, and po'ilie.il ?-» i.inue I h(']iise!v> in oppo.-,il ion. l ! p ill now the vagaries the meun and Ihe ;il;>mdiiiis the IretMn'r i r:\lors wlmi claim to repreM-nt. La!:-r i li'iht have been latiohed at just as th*' l inior tickled, hut it becomes quite a difercnt matter when our Judges are accused of bias, ineptitude. incompetence. and weakness. Weakness tlnre may have been, Imt the charge does not apply to Mr, Justice Sim. He ia an able

lawyer, and just as free from bias, and as honest iu the faithful discharge of his high duty as any other of our Judges. Mr. Justice fSim has been attacked because he has not given to the mob what the mob required of him; and so we get back to the question of mob rule, if this in allowed, what will be the next demand made? Ls the rule to apply that whenever a litigant—ne\t time it may lm n very wealthy capitalist fails, the Judge is to be summarily kicked out? So doubt the attitude >f our legislators with regard to this matter will be very closely watched, fraught as it is with the most serious possibilities.