LABOUR DEPUTATION

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 1 February 1913, Page 5

LABOUR DEPUTATION

TO THE PRIME MINISTER. SOME PLAIN 4 SPEAKING. (By Telegraph —Press .1 ssociation.) WELLINGTON, Last Night. A deputation from the recent Lab- | our Conference waited on the Prime Minister, to-day. Ihiring tLj proceedings,' some plain and occasional .heated talk took place. Mr Taylor urged an amendment of the Arbitration Act, so that when & Union had cancelled its registration, it should not be possible for a small minority to form a Union and pre-, vent members of the old Union from joining. He also said ,the Conference wanted an amendment to prevent honorary .members of a . union being able to vote. These defects, lie urged, endangered the whole success of Trades Unionism in New Zealand. Mr R. Semple said the employing class had ibeen successful in smashing , the organisation at Waihi, with tho , assistance of the Government, j_ Mr Massey"l may as well contraI diet -that statement at once ! The . class had. absolutely nothing to,; do> | .with it. The Court was called upon , to enforce law and order, and tho I Government did it. The employing, class had absolutelyv nothing to i with it." Mr Seanple: "The employing class was responsible for the smasil" j Mr Massey again gave the state- *- ment absolute contaadiction. The Government, he added, would 'have J done the same thing if it had been called upon by the other side. | 'Mr Semple asserted that the Government bad done -nothing of the kind, and went on to narrate what, had happened at Huntlv. j Mr Massey said the police were sent to Huntly at the request of the citi- | zens. . | When the speakers spoke of their opposition to tlie compulsoiy clauses of the Defence Act, and urged the amendment >f the Workers' Compeni sation Act, Mr Massey said a consolidated amending Arbitration Bill. J would be brought down next session. He. would also carefully consider the manifest defects in t'he Compensation i to Workers Act. He stated that it i was the intention of the Government j to stand by the Defence Act.