PARLIAMENTARY BATTLE

Evening Post, Volume CIII, Issue 32, 8 February 1922, Page 6

PARLIAMENTARY BATTLE

The Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Bill has not been altered except as the Goyernment willed. The only defeat that the Goyernment har, received is selfinflicted, and consists of a somersault on the proposal to deprive the Amalgamated Society of 'Rail-, Way Servants of a vote in the election of the Labour representative' on the Arbitration Court. The. railway employees do not go before the Court, and the Government twenty-four hours ago objected to one of the railwaymen's unions possessing such a vote; now it. gives two railwaymen's unions a. vote each—that is, instead of withdrawing the medicine it doubles the dose. The Government's failure to reconcile the vote-limitation (in th» election of a Labour representative) with proportional representation is no doubt due to the fact tha£ the thing cannot be done. Apart from these features of the debate, the Government fought out its first real stonewall debate' fairly well. But the debate is a sign that times are changing. The political fight is becoming keener than for years past, and its' keenness tends to increase. The days of Opposition flabbihess are going.' The Government will need morestrength in debate, and more firmness, in principle. It still has, prior to the election, another session in which to make good on main roads and other subjects.' It will need., to make the best use of its time. '