INDUSTRIAL LEGISLATION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 128, 17 October 1912, Page 7

INDUSTRIAL LEGISLATION.

THE PRIME- MINISTER'S PROMISES.(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent). Wellington, Last Nights. A claim for a six days' \vcck:'foir hotel employees excited a good deal iof !discus : sion.in the House to-day, and so|me re-, marks l>y Mr. Veitch gave the; ! Prime' Minister an opportunity to decjilre the attitude of the Government on .this and" other matters. Mr. Veitch said tjirtil'-thfe' whole issue was a six-ilnv week, j -Et'tflitt not involve a-reduction of fcwp? hours a week. Tim Prime .Minister liakl.stated that, he had delayed. labor,legislation on account'btbhfeindustrial unrest. He considered this,-wan I just the reason why Parliament slicmld' vgaji-,* aider the. matter, which was of griive national I ■<■;■ >] ) In replying'to Mr. Veitch. tliej .Pinnae,, Minister said that lie wished to tell -mo.m-; hers this: That not a single day; passed,,' without 20 or more memhers were _.si 4 ie}f'ing him up in the lobby and asking ; tjiiir when the session was going tb'e'nd., : He\ did not like to accuse the last speaker of misrepresentation, but when: he referred to a statement by the speaker he conveyed the impression that the'' 'Go-' vernment did not 'want to brink down the Bill till the present industrial crisis i had ended. When the session opened he * '3iatl'ft : BHl prepared in whichlit [wasjjifjl' j tended to alter the constitution! of the I : . Arbitration Court. Wlien tlie cfcis bejf came acute he came to the conclusion

A tlia r t the time was not opportune'to pro.'-; ! oe'ed' 'with the '"proposed change, and lie i did not propose to ask Parliament .utti.. (j alter the lav? till things looked n gfrfaif, S deal .better. . On the other partj of J the | Bill memberswould" probab|y liavewtlKt' j "opportunity of voting before the! erf no, 6 'the 'seSsioih : :With regard to tlje.'hafcelr employees. the' Bill .proviffed'fqr six jday&, work with (jiie holiday in sevKhj ifoom.(liflerent''parts' of the oou-ntVy. jfrei had received applications asking foi\ aijinojir. "portuhity. to 'give evidence on\tlißvßiliL,j I lie' knew' that the subject 'ha'ck'beeiinen.-i; I quired, into in the past, but-'n < e\y-.fctodi-< j 'ti'ons had arisen, and 'he -would iiotlbei it . justified in refusing the evidence thaitJ ift'-

iV terested parties proposed tb'tifidc«<ilf:i*t u' was not necessary to take eyideVicejilih.QW!! [j would be no difficulty in getting'the.il,<\gti ' on the Statute Book this .session^:cMvvi g Veitcli had said that lie was not-wtfaviJ i our of strikes. He agreed with: him,: , and 'said'that 1 he wished, to refer- to.t'he,' * cause of the-present trouble at Waih&.j The trouble was due to the facjt .that.* large -number of me» refused to .takftjad-. vantage of the -present industrial .lagis-; lation. They cancelled their registration,, and that was the origin of the present •difficulty. Had it not been so tW:T*re- : sent difficulty would not have' occurred "It will." he said, in conclusion, "be : our business —our duty—to make' our fir dustrial legislation far more attractive to the employers of the country and tlie workers of the country."