THE PREMIER AND INDUSTRIAL ARBIRATION.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 195, 12 May 1908, Page 6

THE PREMIER AND INDUSTRIAL ARBIRATION.

Exactly what the Premier should have said concerning the •'Conciliation and Arbitration Act in his speech' in Reefton may be determined for himself by everyone] who remembers the; lamentable story —which is still an unfinished story—of the Blackball strike; and the behaviour of the Government throughout the whole trouble. This at any rate is certain, that what the Premier did say is of a piece with his weakness'and'evasion .in the past. The Press Association' summarises his reference tp the Act in thr;c sentences, which we quote in full for their ludicrous inadequacy to the situation \-r- ' ' . Speaking of tho Arbitration and Conciliation Act, the Premier said .next session the Government would bring down measures to amend .the' Arbitration Court.'. The Court was, a good pifXJG of machinery, but required some alteration, which-the Cabinet' would make, and the Cabinet would do its best to preserve this portion of our laws, as it had been of the greatest benefit to'the'worker. Ho would be (frank / onough to tell those 1 concerned that tho Government of New Zealand would never allow anything to be done, either by employer or employee,' that would cause disruption of industrial peaco. If the Premier will not admit that his administration has brought the Act into contempt, if he will not even at this late hour do something to avoid the ignominy of having deserted his post and left the guardianship of the law to a publicspirited company, he might at least be frank about what he intends to do, and why he intends to do it. ; As we have saicl on previous occasions, an amendment of the Government's methods will obviate all other amendments; and, equally, no amount of statutory amendment will avail if the bad methods of the Government are'' to continue uniformed. Tho Premier proposes now to amend the Court—the Court, which alone stands in no need of "amendment "! Presumably the proposed iimendment will b§ either a. contraction or an , extension of the Court's jurisdiction, but we cannot grow .enthusiastic over any such alteration, if political expediency is to tie the Court's hands as they have been tied in tho Blackball affair. It is immaterial whether tho jurisdiction of,the Court is whittled to a point or expanded to tho utmost horizons of human affairs, if that jurisdiction is to be made subject toithc decision of a Minister whose colleagues set more store'by the requirements of party, strategy than the demands of justice. ' ; :