A CHALLENGE

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 8, 9 July 1931, Page 10

A CHALLENGE

WESTPOKT DISPUTE

GOVERNMENT'S STAND

NO DICTATION

The waterfront dispute at Westport, which is rendering tho port idle, was the subject of cross-talk between the Leader of the Labour Party and the Prime Minister in the House of representatives last night, when a strong stand was taken up by the Prime Minister against the attitude of the watersiders. Tlie Leader of the Labour Party (Mr. li. E. Holland) condemned tho Government for lack of policy in connection with the unemployment question, and went ou to refer to the "lock-out" by which fifty harbour employees at Westport had been rendered unemployed. If statesmanlike action had been taken, the dispute would have been localised, but instead of doing that, like spiteful children, the Government had laid idle all tho miners in the Buller area. The Government had deliberately locked them out; and," furthermore, the port was not being worked and tens of thousands of pounds were being lost through coal not being handled at a timo when local industries should be built up. The Government was preventing local industry from operating. Mr. Holland said ho would like to hear any member, on the. Government benches try and justify the action being taken. The Government was blockading the port and throwing hundreds of men into the ranks of the unemployed. "It is the most uneconomic, the stupidest, and tho most spiteful policy one* could imagine," said Mr. Holland. AN ULTIMATUM. Outlining the position as the Government sees it, the Prime Minister (the Bight Hon. G. W. Forbes) said that thoro were two mines working under tho tribute system, and owing to some objection being taken by the miners tho watersiders refused to handle the coal when it was sent down to the port for shipment. A representative of the watersiders waited on the stationmaster at Westport and informed him that the watersiders would not work coal which was handled by "unfriendly" miners. They would unload some trucks, but not others. Did Mr. Holland think that a Government with any self-respect was going to accept a situation such as that? Wlien the watersiders gave an ultimatum to the Government, declaring that they would determine what was going to be handled, it was time the Government took a hand. The answer of the Government was that if the watersider did not handle all the coal they would not handle any. "No discrimination is going to be made in the railway yards against the customers of tho Bailway Department," said Mr. Forbes with emphasis, amidst Government and Beform "Hear, hears." "If the honourable gentleman thinks the Department is going to be used in that way he never made a greater mistake in his life. It is a challenge to constitutional government, and I am prepared to defend that to tho very last. (Hoar, hear.) No watersiders arc going to say to the. Government they are goaig to discriminate in tho handling of coal, and it is just as well that they should realise it.' We havo given the men every opportunity to consider tho position, and calls for labour are made every morning, but the men arc not accepting work. • The business of the countiy can't be held up in that way."

Mr. Holland: "But you arc holding it up." '

"We are not," replied the Prime Minister. The Government that would accept such a challenge, he said, would not be worthy of its position. The watersiders were allowing themselves to be dictated to by others.

Mr. H. T. Armstrong (Labour, Christchurch East) said that it was only to bo expected that in the-ease of a dispute between employers and employees tho Prime Minister, without considering tho facts of the matter, would take tho side of vested interests. The Prime Minister had obviously been glad of the opportunity of switching the discussion away from tho matters upon which tho Government was really on trial.