LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXIII, Issue 8741, 15 December 1913, Page 8

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

(Per Press Association.) ■ WELLINGTON, December 15. " The Council met at 10 o'clock. Managers Appointed. The Hons. W. W. McCardle, W. C. F. Carncross, and H. D. Bell were appointed to confer" with managers from the House on the amendments made in the Law Practitioners Bill, which was introduced and road a first time. Labour Disputes Bill. The Hon. H. D. Bell moved the frecoiici reading of the Labour Disputes investigation Bill. Be explained its provisions, and 1 reminded the Council that ihe- Bill had passed its second reading in the. House by an overwhelming majority, and had been read a third Lime without'challenge. Tho Hon. J. Rigg disapproved of the provisions of the Bill, and defended the workers* right to stiike and to nation.Other Councillors contended that .sinkers should not be punished if they break no other law, and held that the wrong administration of the Arbitration' Act nad driven union after union out and iriMc it necessary to introduce the present measure. The Arbitration, Court should have power to make the

workers pront-sjijaTors and 'co-partners,, '.which;! would go;!a. long way to restore ■the:\vbrko'lV confidence;,in-the Court! The Hcfaj; Messrs Mills, Earnshaw, and Paul ■;su^jp<jrtecl the Bill, the latter,- ; claiming that .the.present condition of :]n,l)our': renders such 'legislation necessary '. \ The 1' unsatisfactoi-y c'onditiona of organised idbfiiirVere not the result .of the a'dmihistration of, the Arbitration Act, 'but owing to the propaganda of the li'i-d Federation. Ho strongly condemned the strike method, except as an jilwolutely last resource. ■