"BLOW AT UNIONISM"

Taranaki Daily News, 4 November 1920, Page 4

"BLOW AT UNIONISM"

NEW LABOR LAW PROPOSALS. . RESETTED BY LABOR MEMBERS. By Teiecraph.—:Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. In Dip House of Representative* to (lav. tin! Labor Hills Committee reporte< that the Industrial Conciliation ant Arbitration. (Jill be allowed to proceed Mr. 1). ti. Sullivan (Avon) said he ob jeeted to clause S, because it woult allow people who were not parties to tin dispute, and who might not be.eloselj affected, to appear before the Concilia (.ion Council or the Arbitration Courl and take part in the proceedings. HaC «uch a clause been embodied in thi earliest Labor legislation it would liavi been possible to prevent any union obtaining an award it lmd secured. He also objected to clause 4, which" would justify disgruntled workers did nol want, to join a union in forming anothet union. It was going to strike a blow at unionism and encourage "'blacklegUm.* Mr. F. N. Bartram (Grey Lynn) said the Bill was calculated to destroy unionism; it would not bring industrial peace, but industrial warfare. If th« Bill was passed as proposed, then G7OO "scabs" could defeat the wishes Of 5'2,553 loval unionists. .

'The lion. Sir William Herrlea said that at this stage he was prepared to drop clause 4, but he must insist on retaining clause 3. Mr. W. E. Parrv (Auckland Central) declared that the Bill was designed tO wreck industrial unions. He would pre« fer to assist in wrecking the Arbitration Court than that unions > should b» wrecked. The measure expressed purely and simply ihe national policy of tha Employers' Federation, which was to split industrial unions. The measure was thoroughly retrograde in character, and would not promote industrial peace. If the Minister would eliminate clause 3 as well as clause 4 he would go a long way towards averting considerable industrial trouble.

Mr. Jl. JleConVbs (Lvttelton) complained that such an important Bill should he brought down in the dying hours of the session, without any evidence t.iikon from those people most directly alTeeted by the measure. The discussion was interrupted by the 5.30 p.m. adjournment,.