AN UNUSUAL INCIDENT

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 321, 7 October 1908, Page 6

AN UNUSUAL INCIDENT

It is long since the peace of the Legis- , lafcivc Council was so seriously disturbed as by the diiel between the AttorneyGeneral and the Hon. J. Rigg oh Mbnday afternoon. Nor is it often that in such a quarrel both parties contrivo to be so greatly in the wrong on so many points of their dispute. Mn. illG G, it appears, was until Friday last wn-* : the impression that as it passed the Eouse the Bill contained no provision for imprisonment of strikers. When the Bill was brought down it was provided in Clause 9 that the penalty for failing to give notice to strike in certain industries should be "a fine of ten pounds or imprisonment for three months " on summary conviction before a magistrate.' The Labour Bills Committee struck out the reference to imprisonment, at the same time increasing the maximum fine to £25, and this correction was maintained in the Bill as it finally left the Mouse. Mr. lUgg, remembering the many Ministerial pronouncements against imprisonment; may easily have believed that the express dfcletion of the reference to imprisonment did mean that strikers would not bo imprisoned. The fact that the naximum of the fine was increased fiiight well have been taken by him as confirmatory evidence of stibli an interi l tion. let the reverse was the case. Hci had therefore good reason to doubt the bona fides of the Governriient, and of the Attorney-General, who does not stem to have taken any trouble to explain the position in a frank or friendly way ■to Mil. Ridd when the Labour Bills. Committee was dealing with the measure after it had passed the House. Whether Mr. Rigg should have chosen the line of attack that he appears to have solemnly considered before ,deciding upon it is another question. ■■ He was assuredly at fault in pressing ins charge against the Attorriey-Genferal with such bitterness and violence. Even ifj as anyone will admit who has watched the proceedings in the Council during the last two sessions, he had ample rea l son. to resent the manners of the Attorney-General, and ample excuse for desiring to repay him in kind, He, ntight have selected some other occasion Uian one on which his cause depended for sympathy upori dispassionate argument. As a matter of fact, Mr. Rigg did injure his cause, arid he failed to press home his argument against the imprisonment of strikers as he might have done. Biit the Attorney-General was as clearly in'the wrong as Mr. Rigg. His own words make it plain that when the Bill was before the Labour Bills Committee he was anything but anxious to give Mr. Rigg's arguments there the consideration due to them. What else can this passage of his speech mean?— " No man does more harm for Labour than that gentleman. Other Labour members had met him in a spirit of conciliation, and the Hon. Mr. Paul had got into the Bill amendments of i_ore importance twenty times over than Mr. Rigg had ever done." That is not conceived iii tlie spirit of tolerance and coolness which always actuated the Attorney-General's predecessor, the late Colonel Pitt. Dr. Findlay has given so many evidences of his dislike.of Mr. Rigg arid his intolerance of those who differ from him in debate—or, let us say, his pride of intellect—that it seems assured that he took exactly that line which woiild gbad any ' independent Councillor into acting as' Mil. Rigq acted. It was -quite absurd of Dr. Findlay to talk of " his honour " being assailed; and to leave it with a flourish in the hands of the Council His honour was hot involved at ali. But to some men a fairly long course of Parliamentary life is necessary before they perceive that iii attacking a Government's tactics one does not asperse the privatfi character* of Ministers. Although we disagree with many of Mn, Rigg's political opinions, we should riot care to tell our Laßotir friends, that Mr. Rigg is their enemy. Mr. Rigg's reputation as a leader of Labour needs no defence froiri anybody, nor can it be destroyed by the Attorney-General. Dr. FindlAy, we feai'j is out of touch with the realities of politics. He would not otherwise have endeavoured to isolate Mii. Rigg froiri his friends in the Council by pouring upori .them a beriediction from which he excluded liis " avowed foe." The reaily unfortunate thing about the incidferit was that everybody was too agitated to seize upon the point that, since the imprisonment of strikers cannot after all be avoided under compulsory arbitration, it is time another way were found for the settlement of industrial disputes.