A Conflict of Authority.

Press, Volume L, Issue 15100, 16 October 1914, Page 6

A Conflict of Authority.

With the main purpose of the Factories Acfc Amendment Hill, which was rejected by the Legislative. Council yestherday; there is, we think, litti© disagreement amongst politicians. Tho prim© object of tho measure is to reduce- the hours of work for women in woollen factories, and wo aro strongly in sympathy with the fixing of as light a standard of work as possible for every woman who is compelled by circumstances to earn h6r living by working for others. In the Houeo it was made clear that tho same view is hold by both the Reform and "Liberal" Parties, and in tho Council tho majority of tho membors who votod against tho Bill also share this view. But there aro two arguments against the Bill— both very reasonable, but only one of thoni of tho SrEt importance. The first is that tho reduction of h6urs proposed will, owing to the conditions of work in a woollen factory, throw idle for the reduced period male workers as well as women. With this point we need not deal, further than to admit that it affords a reasonable argument against the measure, or at any rate a strong argument in favour of that enquiry by tho Labour Bills Committee which was refused by the House and not considered by tho Council.

The real fault of the measure is that it embodies the principle that tho Legislature may, in any case it chooses, invade the territory placed under the special jurisdiction of the Arbitration Court. We had imagined that this principlo was admitted to be bad by everybody excepting the extreme Labour section which is hostile to our arbitration system. Whilo tho system of compulsory arbitration is maintained, it is the duty of everyone to sco that it is fairly worked. The very foundation of the case for its maintenance rests unon the argument that Parliament is not fitted to order tho details of work in any industry. If at any timo Parliament may usurp the functions delegated to the Arbitration Court, tho Court, as the final regulator of industry, ceaaos to bo anything; but a sham. In tho past a Judgo of tho Court, with the approval of everyone save a very small class of interested persons, took occasion to emphasise this very point and to reserve power to redress the balance when it was upset by Parliament. Of course it is being suggested that the people who dislike this particular Bill on tho very good grounds we have forth, are brutal oppressors, enemies of the democracy, sweaters, and all the rest of it. But this suggestion is obviously false and absurd, aud it is difficult to believe that many people can be deceived by it. The "Liberals" must remember that tor eleven years—that is to say. ever since IDO1 —they maintained, and never proposed ce ta alter., the provision which ihc Bill fcceks to amend, i

Progress of the War. There is little definite news from the seat of war this morning on which to base any comment. "With tha exception of an unconfirmed and improbable statement on the part of tho Austrians to the effect that the Russians have evacuated Lemberg, the news is, on the whole, favourable to the Allies. There is no question, however, that the fighting in tho Eastern Theatre is be-

coming increasingly sirenuous and approaching a critical eta go. llio Austrians seemed to have been temporarily galvanised into fr&sli lif o Ity the arrival of German reinforcements, and it is stated that they ,ir© massing on the Servian frontier the largest army yet employed against Servia. The French report a notable advance on tho part of the Allies in tho Derry-au-bac district, between tho Meuso and tho Argonao. and on tho left wing tho best news is that tho Allies havo oecupiod tho ancient town of Ypres. But the detail allowed to pas>s the censor are really t<so meagre to enablo 0110 to gather a clear ide.i of the operations

or to prononnco an.v dogmatic opinion upon them. ThLs apparently followed the defeat of «a German forco tbat tried to mako a raid on Calais. As the first advance of the Allies from France into Belgium .sinoo tho retreat from Mods and Charlcroij it is lvclcome news.

Tt was fctatod in yesterday's cablo niesjHgas on the authority of a French officer, tbat the Kaiser owned an "hotel" in tho heart oi : Paris, whare ho had et-ored motor-cars, petrol, and ■tons of ammunition, and from the. balcony of which ho hoped to watch his troops parous down tho Champs lUyse-es. 'A'o ho»c none- of our prohibitionist friends will hastily concludo that tho Geriri.in Emperor has added tho salo of intoxicating liquor* to his other enormities. "\Y 0 should be wiry to bo tho means of- circulating a:i unjust ir.:prcssion even rcg::mlir. X the Kaiser, and therefore it may be ;is well to explain that the tcr.vn mansions of tho well-to-do classes aro called in Paris.

A thorn in tho sido of the "Liberal" <vho are making their last attempt to keep Wardism afloat is the tendency of members of the party to get out of step. Excepting when the Bill is so plain and simple that it cannot possibly bo misrepresented—the "Liberals'; denounce it with tho utmost vehemence as a "Tory" measuro/ and denounce a-s "Tories" ' and "reactionaries" nveryone who votes for it. But, as wo havo said, there are usually somemembers of tho Opposition sick to doaih for tho moment of tho policy of blind butting and bellowing, and these relievo the tedium of being obstinate!? foolish by supporting the Bill beforo tho House. Tho latest caso in which Oppositionists indulged in the luxury of being natural and voting as their intelligence- directed was in connexion with tho Loan Bill. Amongst tho supporters of tho meaeuro, for which there was a majority of nearly, two to onb— were Messrs Craigie, Davey, Hindmareh, and McConibs. V.'o wonder what the simplo "Liberal" voter thinks of the criticism which involves tho assumption tbat these members aro "Tories."

One of tho Bills to. which wo luivo referred above as Bills too' plain to bo misrepresented oven by'tho "Liberals," camo on in tho House yesterday. Tins, was a Workers' Dwellings Amendment Bill, extending and liberalising the benefits of the system under which people of small incomes are enabled to secure homes for themselves. Tho Bill, we are told, was approved by Messrs Wilford, Ell and Witty, the only members of tho Opposition who are mentioned in the Press Association report. Theso'members, and all their friends on the samo sido of tho House. wiJl continue- to support the Bill. They will also continue to say when they address the electors that every single measure of tho Government's bears tho mark of reaction. In the past threo sessions innumerable Bills have been passed, against which tho Opposition did not dare to vote. Tho public will accordingly know tho term to apply to the people who offer their baro word against the testimony of tho Statuto Books to the democratic character of tho Government.

The discussion upon the Education Hill, which took place in tho House of Representatives on Wednesday, was not without its humour. The Bill, in addition to re-shnping the administration of our education system on lines which havo tho approval of almost everyone who is interes*«d in education, provides a very substantial increase in the salaries of tho teachers.. The Government asks no moro credit for this than is due to tho removal of a long-stand-ing grievance. Soon after the Government took office, the "Liberals," who had shown no concern hitherto for fcho underpaid teacher, immediately began to talk of the scandalous underpayment of these public servants, and of the well-founded discontent of the profession. They hoped, apparently, that the muddled state in which they left the finances, and tho unbusinesslike way in which they had managed the country's affairs, would make it impossible for Mr Allen to help the teachers, and . would thus furnish "Liberalism" with a stick to beat the Government with. It is characteristic of them—of their tjioughtlessnetis and short-sightedness—-that they failed to sco that every word they uttered was an indictment of thoir remissness during 20 years of opportunity to treat the teachers fairly.

}»"ow that the Government, following up its -first measure of relief, is proposing a new scale of salaries, under which tho teachers, on the average, aro paid 53 per cent, (in tho caso or men) and 82 per cent, (in tliocaso of women) more than tho good, kind "Liberals" thought enough for them, tho Leader of the Opposition has a word or two to say. "Hβ was of opinion," ho growled, # "that teachers Were not going to benefit as largely as the Minister and tho House supposed." At all evtfnts, even his own figures show that the least rosy calculation by an Oppositionist makes it dear that tho removal of the "Liberals"' from office has benefited the teachers very substantially indeed. He uoiv ''recognises,'' ho says, that- the teachers should be treated as well as other public servants. Wq are very glad. It would be <i pity to spoil liis new virtues, and send him back to his ofd ideas, by putting him in office again.