PARLIAMENT AND LABOR.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 245, 9 October 1908, Page 2

PARLIAMENT AND LABOR.

Complimentary references have appeared in tlic-e columns U> the calm coiulnonscnse which has llowed from the mouths oi ilie Hons, J. T. Pant and J. •Barr, Laboi l members of the Legislative Council, when dealing with labor questions. It i» matter lor regret mat the lion. J. ltigg- an admittedly able man—should have ilo.ie so much recently to destroy ilis inliueiice for good by 'constituting himself the mouthpiece of the .self-seeking demagogues of the Wellington Trades and Labor Council. That he has allowed himself to be used by them is apparent from the fact that, 'for an hour or more, he busied himself in moving amendments to the Arbitration

j»m nu us tu ucuiy uil* passage oi mat measure l in the hope thai liis vivacious friends of the Trades Council might con!rive something outside. The Jan. giis'J?" employed and the spirit display- , cd I >y the hon. gentleman in his opposition to the Hill oil Tuesday last were quit?; characteristic of the form of the Trades Council. In tlic course of a dignified reply to the coarse atTack which hud been made upon him, the Attorney-(,'eneral said that other Labor members had met 'him in a spirit of conciliation, and the Hon. Mr. Paul had got into the Hill amendments of more importance twenty times over than .Mr. I'igg had ever done. He made caustic reference to the position of splendid isolation occupied by Mr. Rigg, as compared with Messrs. Pjiul, Burr, and others, who were genuine representatives of Labor, and w'lio did not want to make cheap capital out of their advocacy of Jjiiuor. These men had been given concessions liecause they had the cause honestly at heart. They had ten willing to meet those in responsible positions In a, spirit of conciliation, and had got as tinuch as any reasonable men could expect to get. Whilst a proper rebuke I to the frenzied language of the Hon. J. Rigg, this recognition of the cll'orls of olher ami truer represent a lives of the cause ol labor is at once well deserved and graceful. Turning from La'uur members ol the Upper Uianiber lo Labor candidates lur l iic Lower, a prominent lignrei is* that of .Mr. j3. iMcLareu, a candidate for Wellington Last. This gentleman candidly avows that his object is not to seek to become a representative, of tlio people; his aim is to he purely a vehicle for carrying out me demands of a class, lie, and tile faction acting witji turn, are anxious to have in Parliament a party representing Labor and nothing but Labor, to bring about, in short, the three-Parly system which lias operated -o perniciously ill Australia. Then he proceeds lo all'ord the country an opportunity of forming a jiidgnienl upon the ,iiuer of intelligence which lie and his friends propose to bring into the Legislature, lie tells Hie country that "notwithstanding llie high wages that are ruling, there are tens of thousands of people who are within live or six weeks of starvation.'' The utterance of this kind of clap-trap Sir. ilcLareii no doubt thinks may fetch him a few votes, lie is the man to remedy this deplorable state of ! ■ tilings, Some years ago, wheji standing i for the City Council of Wellington. \vr remember. ,\lr. McLaien employed much - the ?amo kind of talk. He was elected. I

hiifc from 'Lis own showing the evils of which he then eomplabied still <*ontmuo. As a Lalmr leader who voted for I he of tinnueia 1 aid to the kill strikers it is, of course. iiiiert'Ming to lwtrn what „Mr. McLaren has to sav about the Arhitration Hill. -• Ir«« defied anyone in Hie roinihy [ t , say what the new -Arbitration Act mean!, and declared tliat what til,- (iovenim.'ni wn* I now produ<rin« in the way of industrial ' law was confusion ntteriy confounded. Tic himself had made vainab!,-. tioiis ojt tlif» ((lKxiion which. if adopted, would 'have resulted in the production of n nie-r.' practical mea-nire.'' The country ha=< Mr. MeLareirs very modeo j assurance 11i.it the suggestions lie mad." v/oro valuable, though there appears to bo reasoji to fear that llios/. who read fliem were of ,•» verv different opinion. At this candidate holds no l»v?of to speak for tlie whole country. and il. absence of mind when ho dwhrnrt "his

inability to understand a measure in its last stages of passing the Legislaitui'c. pi'Oj'h* of Miis Dominion will no doubt gladly llutt it will lie worth while risking the jiaralysation of our political system by the introduction of a third party into the politic:-;:, arena, if ttle third party is to consist of men of such brilliant genius as the j Lalior for Wrtlmglon East.