THE RIGHT TO STRIKE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 22, 21 October 1907, Page 9

THE RIGHT TO STRIKE.

/■; ; HON.. J.. IUGG'S VIJSWS. '. .;.( ■ Speakjng at tho annual dinner of tho Wok . .; lington Letterpress, Printers' Machinists' ~ . Union on Saturday night, the Hon. J. Rig(? rpferenco. to the new Industrial -. and .Conciliation Act.. The' Government would v, .:. ( ! ; ■ be : wpll advised, he- thought,' to. drop the ''-''■ < Bijl for tlio. present,, in view of the antagon- ' y.':'i .. ism :tbwarris.'it'.that had been v displaycd. by ■ ;, | 'tlib'.wtorkers or'-the Dominion. The Bill Was ''"'■,' intended- to : benefit tho workers, hut, if they V"-..'■ dij not want'toVbo -boiiofited, it should not'.'•;,'■■ bo tforced-upon •them..-'. If there were good ''■""■'■; ■ '■ provisions in. tho-Bill—and ho believed there ■/■■ would'be'better for the Government '•■■;- . "to ;drop it this sossioiy bo as to allow Mr. -it-'. ; 'Miliar, to get '.amongst tho workers during ~ ... the recess, and explain;its intentions; it'.. , . : v could then: be bfougljt, forward next session. ';. z '<: 'Personally, lie' was: in' favour of. 1 lidustrial' -V ; -/■ ■Couiicjls/iiV place.of tho Boards of Concilia- ~ M ■tjon.'"' Siioli counqils 'would lead to oxppcli- /.'; ; ; 'tjOn in. Xliii sottlp'iildnt of disputes, nnd,- more- '"/., i ", .. oveiV' would -bo' bettor qualiliod to deal with '",',; ■[ .. • 'technicalities that cropped up from time to';! . ■time." rl ,yiider ; ' tho" presonf arrangement it,. ;■' ■, -.ivas'alin'ost'irappssibla 'for thoso ' who ,wero " .. r ■ not exppi'ts .to got h L proper grasp gf tho ''j technicalities involved' m> sonio trado dis- "',.;': putos'.*•■'. ':, u '"'"'; ■"•'■■' ' ' .■.■'■ ■■■■'■'.'.!. ■ ' But''wblit lib , phiocted'to.moro particularly ;;..;;;. in iregard." to , the ■'Bill was that ono of. the ; ~;', . ■inost vital inatters affectiiiß tho workers was .'''...•■; noli dcalt-'with.:. Tlio receiit-slaughtermen's ' "-' ?: . .strike slibrfcid'"".that- 'senile of the niou would .; huyo' bebiv v seiit to gaol "had -not some ar- •'.!''; nmgonie'nt'been arrived at. , . He str.ongly ob-: ,l ] ■■; jectud'to any , process'thatvniadc it a orimo' ■;• .; ■•"fpr'i a man to strike. And thero was no '■■ . attoinpt in tho Bill to deal with that ques- '" tioh. Ho Unew, of no -other civilised oouiit , . try where there was a law .which made it a '•, ■ : ■ that was dpno hero '~ ;.' ■)iy itli'c'.prpcoss of .'writ of attachment, as in- , • . staii'qorl in"tlip.'caso of■ the slinightormnnr -, ;■ . ' ■.'!'/rf]'ftve'b(!pn accused nftidvqcating stakes, '' lilit tliat"is iiot' true," 'Mr. Iligg rontinuod;. ;'' . "1 do not advocate■ strikes; I tliiiik they. '-•; 'should he prevpiitod by all possible means. .-"-' ! , But if'tlinrepre. no nieans'sufiicient to'deter- •' , liiiiip ii disputnV ami i)<on strike, they shon)d "" ! noi tlibn'-hd p'ut'into gaol. 'In Kngland tho "■■ ; rigliE to strike is recognised, and peaceful '■-.. /picketing!is.pormitted. Why. should it ijot '' bo 'So herci'P, ' '■ ! ''. If .itieij'wciit to theCpitrt to sottlc their ■;■: dispute, ,: -he' continued/ tljey should faitlifully libido "by ; its term? whilst it was in'" ■•' . : Forc'e.'but thero ought to- bp a change mado, : ' so'that qii ajvarcl would bo for a fixed term. ■ ; Hut at preaent an'aivard ran until super- •;■■ ■' sqded by iinpther award; so that thpre >vas ■/■■''■ . no opportunity to'observe its conditions for '■■''. a' fixed tr>rni, and then get tho liberty to strike, Tlu wanted thoso provisions altered, ; rind, ho hoped to bo able to put up a good -S fight when the time' canje. Ho regarded it 'as :'ii|i interference with the liberty of tho people that should not bo tolerated in a free country that noil, because they woro disEatjsficd and. went on striko, sljoujd bo put . i into gaol, either .by direct or indirect pro- • ; enss.-and ho would use his best efforts against ' 'Mr!'Trcgear, Secretary for Labour, was ;,; also present, and he followed with a few ro- ■■■■ marks, though .'scrupulously.; careful, as ho ox- ;. plained, to keep outside tho heated zone ';. of politics. The'king-they had to consider -..:■■■ ' chiefly, he said,. was the Economic King. .: '. Their grehtest chncern lay with tho man ■;'.. who:could say whether or not they should :. bo allownd to work for tho wherewithal to • get their bread. Ho urged thorn to dp all ..-.-■ in their power to foster Unionism;' without m> : it tliey could do nothing. ■