A PRECEDENT.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 156, 26 March 1908, Page 7

A PRECEDENT.

fBY TELEGItAMI.-T-SPECIAIi CORRESPONDENT.] ' Creymouth, March 25. Referring to tho circular by the Labour Pepartment on the provision ins the Arbitration. Act, ; anent newspaper comments, the Star ~ says that, had the Department done its duty .k.st yea'r, , when, the Vslaughter'men. at the various factories in this. Island ceased work,- and ; practically went on striko, and had they, enforced the -provisions of tho Act, instead of. allowing most of./the■ men' to leave tho Dominion .without paying the fines imposed, and dallied with the others uo that tho A6t was made a laughing-stock ol > PJ* highly probable that/the Blackball miners would have been deterred from taking 'the,; stand they havo done; for i fear of tho consequences; -but- seeing that the slaughter-men-wero allowed a freo hand to do as 'they pleased—either to pay or '.not, as they -ithough't fit-~and so set the 'Court at defiance, the; Blackball men wero-: quite justified in taking that as a. precedent,'and demanding their ■ own terms' beforo going' 'back, to work. Instead, of taking the newspapers to task for irritating the thin-skinned Labour Depart-; merit, it should at' .least justify its; 'own causo by adopting such measures as will not bring tho Act it', seeks' to uphold into ridioulo and disrepute.

DONATIONS. . ■ -.(BY : TF.LECKAPH —MIESS' ASSOCIATION.,) Christchurcii, March 25.. The Christchurcii General Labourers' Union fast night voted a £10 donation and £1 a week as long as the'strike lasts to the wives SMul children of the. Blackball miners. A further collection of £5 was niado at the Trades' Hall on Wednesday, and tlio Flaxmilier3' Union at Foxton has donated £10 towards the; support of tlio wives and children of. the Blackball strikers. i Tiio Wellington Trades and Labour Council will hold a public meeting in the Town Hall Concert Room this opening, at 8 o'clock, when Mr. Hickey,. Blackball Minors' Delegate, will'stato tlio position of affairs.