FIGHTING SPEECH. MINISTER FOR LABOUR.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVI, Issue 108, 3 November 1908, Page 10

FIGHTING SPEECH. MINISTER FOR LABOUR.

SECTION OF THE AUDIENCE TROUBLESOME. (VOTE OF CONFIDENCE. ! ■ (By Telegraph. — Fbbss Association.'! DUNEDIN, 2nd November. i The Hon. J. A. Millar addressed a crowded meeting of Dunedin West electors in the Garrison Hall to-night A section of the audience was composed of out-and-out Socialists and that portion of the Labour party that ha? declared war ' on Mr. Millar. They kept up a running nre ol lioots, interrogations, and interruptions, but, aparv from this, Mr. Millar received a cordial hearing from • the thousands of electors present, and made a strong fighting speech. Ho said he was not going to burke any question, but proposed to give a fair account of his stewardship. He had followed out certain lines of action, and was prepared to defend any position he had taken up. He proceeded to give a comprehensive account of the legislation that had been passed during the time he had been a member of the Ministry. Speaking of the Advances to Settlers Department and its operations, he remarked that out of five millions of money that had, been dealt with in connection with that department, there had not been one penny loss, and there were no arrears of interest. There were few financial institutions that held a similar record. THE SECOND BALLOT. j He commented on Mr. Massey's atti j 1-ude regarding the Second Ballot Act, and said that gentleman, two years ago, condemned in no uncertain terms the system by which a man might get into Parliament through the splitting of votes, and not represent a majority of the voters of his electorate. Yet Mr. Massey was now speaking in a deprecatory manner of the Act. What better scheme could they have? It had been said that the Act was not in the interests of the Labour party. (Howls.) Well, were not tho Labour party » majority of the people of New Zealand ? (Cries of assent J If that were so, then were not the Labour party going to gain ? Would uofc the Act so work that a Labour candidate going to Parliament would represent all workers? and would not the return of Labour candidates be ensured ? FINANCE. Speaking of finance, Mr. Millar said that Mr. Allen, although one of the cleverest men of finance in the House, made a great blunder when he said that their estimated expenditure ' far exceeded their visible funds. That was not so, as Mr. Allen would easily have convinced himself, had he only taKen the trouble to investigate the matter. H« went on to quote figures to show that the Government had made full provision for the proposed expenditure for the current year, and was not wildly voting away money as suggested. It had been said by one Opposition leader that- they had not borrowed enough, by another that they had borrowed too much. (Voices :So you have.) Well, if they had borrowed any less, it wdnld have meant an increase in the number of vii employed. The Government were only carrying on an absolutely necessary work. They had to cut their coat according to the cloth. PRESENT TAXATION JUSTIFIED. In justifying present taxation in the Dominion, he said the saving banks' records did not show that any distress was being caused or that taxation was working mimically towards the interests of the people. TJiere were thirty-six millions, representing the savings of the peopie. There was practically no taxation on any of the necessaries of life. The new tariff had done more to foster the industries of the colony than had been the case with any prior legislation. Had the alteration in the- tariff not taken place they would have had v within tho last two years, £2,780,000 into the coffers of the country more than was the case. Within thai time- he doubled whether one hundred tons of dutiable flour had come into the Dominion. , ARBITRATION. Speaking of the Arbitration Act, Mr. Millar said the opinion he expressed on the floor of the House that strikes were inimical to the best interests of the workers, was not a new opinion. That opin-. ion he held before he became a member of the House. He read an extract from a report dated 1890, when he expressed himself opposed to strikes. Ifc had been said he had changed since 1890. There was no machinery in 1890 whereby a man could rectify his wrongs. Ifc was to a great extent a case of strike or suffer. (Howls.) Now the system was different. Now if a union wanted to strike, power was there to strike. Under a system recently in vogue, the judge had the power of saying "what was a strike, but it was fairer that the House should by statute settle the question. The Government did not want strikes, and had done everything possible to discourage them. It had now provided machinery by which workers with genuine grievances had every opportunity of obtaining redress, every encouragement was given to workers to meet their employers and discuss matters with them, and there was something seriously the matter with the workers when they were unable to avail themselves of such opportunities. (Interruption.) What sort of a thing would it be if a union took advantage of the provisions of the Act and did not break the law itself, and yet devoted its funds to the assistance of another union on strike ? If they wished to strike they could strike, and were thus free to go on strike every hour of the day. Some of those who so strongly advocated strikes had never experienced strikes. (Applause.) Under the new law every possible provision was made to amicably settle disputes, and if a union did not intend to abide by the decision i of the court, it had full permission to I cancel the registration and so release itself | from the jurisdiction of the court. If it cho&e to remain under the jurisdiction of the Act, and take advantage of its provisions up to tho time of striking, and yet strike, it must be prepared to take the consequences. The workers must obey that law m the same way as they would obey any other law. (Applause.) He went on to refer to the fact that the New South Wales Legislature had very favourably regarded the New Zealand Arbitration Act. It had been said that he (Mr. Millar) was against unions' He would point out to them that in Victoria the only means of settlement of disputes between employer and employee were Wages Boards. Unions wer« not recognised at all. Wages Boards for New Zealand had been strongly advocated, but ha had been against that proposal, and instead an Act had been passed which recognised workers. Yet now they turned on him and said he was opposed to unions. It had been said that favours given were soon forgotten. His experience was leading him to the belief that that was true. (Howls and uproar.) ABOLITION OF CONCILIATION BOARDS. The fact that objection was made to the Conciliation Boards being abolished had led him to prepare a return showingthe comparative ineffectiveness of those Institutions. PripX £2 19QV there W>l Q .

accepted 52 recommendations in seven years, and they had sent on to the court 135 cases. After 1901 and up to 1907 the number of accepted recommendations of the boards was 25, there being sent on to the court 375 cases. During the last three years the cost of the Conciliation, Boards to New Zealand was £3003, and they had only settled eight disputes. The time had come wnen the Government was forced to recognise that the Court had failed to achieve the purpose for which it was established. The total number of strikes in New Zealand for the period was 23, and the. number of strikers 1117. Those rendered idle by the strikes were 2389. The total duration of these strikes was 216 days. The loss of pay to the men affected was £17,667, and ihe estimated loss to the employers was £15,658, so that the actual loss of money to the colony was £33,325. When machinery was provided to save such loss, the least the workers could do was to give it a fair trial. All legislation of this character was experimental, and it was only as different conditions arose that they could come to any settlement. They were grappling in the dark for solution of one of the world's problems, and if both workers and employers would only gr"e the new system a fair trial he felt sure there would be better results and better feeling than had been the case in the past. (A voice : What about Blackball ?) The miners had paid their fines, and the matter had ended so far as the Government was concerned. It was said that the Arbitration Court had never actually benefitted the workers, but he had prepared a return which showed indisputably that during the years it had been in existence the court had greatly benefitted' them. It had been said that the Arbitration Court was unfair. The total fines inflicted, on employers by the court had been (.£3581, and of this 88 per cent, had been paid. On workers the penalties imposed had been £1350, and of this 84 per cent, had been paid. It was impossible after that to say that the court acted unfairly I While the court had in every direction benefitted workers, he would point out that the Government had at the Fame time been improving the position of its seivants in all grades and classes. IMMIGRATION AND PUBLIC WORKS. They required immigration, but they were not going to allow immigrants to be dumped down on their shores as had been the case in Canada. Under the present system they were getting a splendid class of immigrants into the country, and as they came he had no doubt that suitable employment would be found for them. Regarding the public \ o-ks policy, he referred to the fact that 5100,000 had been voted for the Central Otago irrigation, and stated _ that they had determined to push on the Catlins i«iilway to the terminus. They had been twitted with not pushing on the Otago Central Railway, but the Government could no£ prosecute the construction of all railways at once. The question of providing the bapk parts of Central Otago with light railways was a question that must be considered in the future. In conclusion, he said the future policy ol the Government was to in every direction conserve the interests of the people of the Dominion, and to follow lines of progress which would, at least keep the country in tho place it has occupied for some years past. \ At the conclusion of the meeting Mr. Millar answered scores of questions. VOTE 1 OF CONFIDENCE. Amid increasing disorder, and as eleven o'clock approached, he was accorded by a huge majority a vote of thanks and confidence.