NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 760, 8 March 1910, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

o In a speech delivered in Boston on January 14 last the Hon. W. L. Mackenzie Kino, Canadian Minister of Labour, gave an interesting account of the working of the Industrial Disputes Investigation Act since its enactment in 1907. We have often referred to and commended this Act, which compels the parties to an industrial dispute to refrain from hostilities until the dispute has been publicly investigated and reported upon by a Board. After tho issue of tha renort, boikj&aities am

free to do as they chooso. Mr. Mackenzie Kino laid great stress upon tho special virtue oi the Act, which is "the absence of any compulsory obligation on the part of the employers or employees to accept the findings of a Board." The only element oi' compulsion is that which requires the parties to have their differences fully investigated, and, said Mr. King, "it was the voluntary nature of tho ultimate settlement which rendered the compulsory submission of a case to a Board workable."- Since the Act was passed in March, 1907, there have been 80 applications for, the establishment of Boards.- In 74 of these cases direct agreements had been effected or strikes averted; In eleven cases the parties had composed their differences before tho Boards sat. Canada has thus been saved 74 out of a possible total of 80 serious strikes in connection with its coal mines and industries in the nature of public utilities. During the years 1901 to 1906 there were over one hundred strikes in these industries; Of the six cases since 1907 in which settlements were not effected, four were wholly, and two partially, concerned with the question of union recognition. Altogether 57,000 employees were directly conoerned in the disputes that were peacefully settled, and Mr. Kino estimates that the Act has already saved the working classes over _ £700,000 in less than three years. What had been saved to the community was incalculable. Me. King mentioned that several States in the American Union are investigating the Act, while Prance and other countries have similar legislation 'in contemplation. The Transvaal Government has adopted the Act in its entirety. It is only a question of time when New Zealand must also get into line. There is no sense in retaining tie primitive idea' of permanent coercion. It has served its purpose, and should be discarded for more up-to-date' and juster methods.

The cabled announcement, of the latest step of the New Zealand Government in carrying out its naval policy—namely, tHe interview between Ms._ Hall-Jones and an Admiralty official respecting the New Zealand Dreadnought—suggests to us that'our readers may like to know what the Spectator ,■ which excels all other journals in the firmness, wisdom, and sobriety of its articles upon the ■Navy, has to say of the naval policy of Canada and' Australia. "There are,"-it says, "two chief objections to the policy of naval tributes":

One is that the British taxpayer would bo.tempted to regard them as made in relief of his own . pocket. He would forget that the co-operation of the colonics in naval defence is intended to make assurance doubly sure. The other is that the Colonists themselves would take infinitely less interest in Imperial defence if they simply put down sums of money to be spent invisibly , in great Britain, instoad of having navies of their own taking shape under their , eyes, manned by their own people, and perhaps built iL their own yards. . . . We believe that both in Canada and Australia an intelligent opinion will now.arise on tile problems of naval defence which could not have been created in any other,way. Perhaps the complete naturalness of Canadian naval ambition will become more apparent if we compare the situation noiv with what occurred when the garrisons of British Regular troops were withdrawn from Canada and Australia. Canada and Australia might have said then that they did not, care to ,go to the trouble of training and maintaining troops of their own, and would prefer to fire British regiments to continue the work of garrisoning tho country. Instead, of, that, they preferred to raise troops appropriate , to their peculiar duties. • . : A' hundred years from now, when a considerable Canadian Navy' will be. in existence, manned by the splendid, seamen who inhabit tho Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Canada, Englishmen will wonder that it' was proposed that Canadians should pay other sailors to do their work for them. And this biings us to our final, but not the least important, point in favour of local navies, which is that our total naval strength will bo greatly increased by the extension of the shipbuilding resources of the Empire.

It.is nofc pleasant to reflect that New Zealand is denied the chance of proving :this argument to be'sound excepting negatively.,: The Spectator's reference to the military forces of Canada and Australia is very pertinent. The Prime Minister ought to explain to the' public why it is proper to provide our own military defence and improper to do anything for onr naval defence. If a subsidy to the British Navy is the right thing, why not disband the Territorials, repeal the Defence Acts, and pay, a subsidy to the British' Army ?

Signs are not wanting that the question of the City Mayoralty is beginning to arouse a little public interest. Several gentlemen who are suspected of having cast eyes on the Mayoral office still continue-shy of making a definite announcement as to their intentions, but they are starting to talk a little. Mb. J. P. Luke, who has been a member of the City Council for a. number of years, is' apparently willing to contest the seat jf the Council desires that he should do so. . Mr. J. J. Devine, another councillor of many years' experience, appear - ; not unwilling to yield if the necessary pressure is brought to bear. Mr. Wilford is singularly reticent. He speaks oracularly of having decided on a course of action, but is not yet prepared to take the public into his confidence as to what that course may be. There are very few people, however, who doubt that , he will enter the lists. Mn.' Bolton is another of the silent ones, although his friends profess to speak confidently of his intention to stand. The only candidate who up to the present has come out into the open is Mr. C. J. Crawford, Mayor of Miramar. Ma. Crawford has had an experience of municipal work extending over a number of years, and is known as a level-headed man in business affairs, and possessed of a sound knowledge of finance.' He is certain to,put up an energetic fight, and his candidature should evoke a good deal of public interest. 'The election is a long way off yet. but we should-not be surprised to see the contest eventually resolve itself into a struggle between Messrs. Crawford,. "VVilford, and J. P. Luke.