THE OSBORNE JUDGMENT

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 118, 26 August 1910, Page 5

THE OSBORNE JUDGMENT

LABOR MEMBER'S DENUNCIATION. By Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright London, August 24. Mr. Walsh, M.P., speaking at Hindley, denounced the Osborne judgment as disgraceful, and advised his constituents- to defy the law. He himself was prepared to undergo imprisonment for contempt of court. The" Christian martyrs underwent the punishment of death, and similarly Laibor would. The Labor movement would rise ennobled and purified from the persecution it was undergoing.

Mr. Osborne'brought a case to prevent a trades union society from spending tke money subscribed by members for purely trade union purposes on supporting Socialist members of Parliament. The case went through the judicial tribunals of the land, and finally reached the House of Lords. The decision absolutely justified Mr. Osborne, and the illegality of the action of the society in spending its members' money on the support of members of Parliament was finally established.

The Taff Vale case, referred to in our yesterday's cables, was an action in which the Taff Vale Railway Company sued the Amalgamated Society of Engineers, a registered! trade union, and its officers, for having conspired to induce their workmen to break their contracts, and also for having conspired to interfere with the traffic of the company by picketing and other unlawful means. The case was taken to the House of Lords, where it was decided in 1901 that a registered trade union could be sued in its name in respect of wrongful acts done by its agents with its authority; as a result, the Taff Vale got a verdict for damages which, by agreement, were fixed at; £23,000. The trade union paid this sum out of its funds. As every strike would ] cause damage, trade union funds would I be liable to be called upon to pay. The j Trades Dispute Bill of 1,906, also referred j to in the same cable, was introduced to give immunity to trades union funds.