SPECIAL TELEGRAMS

Evening Star, Issue 10886, 21 March 1899, Page 2

SPECIAL TELEGRAMS

WELLINGTON, March 21. The Minister of Lauds proceeded South last night ' Mr Commissioner Tunbridge is expected back from his tour of inspection in tha North about the cud of the week.

Captain Russell has announced his intention to address the electors of Hastings on ibe 28th.

Commenting on the annual report of the Wellington Trades Conncil, the ‘Post,’ whilst approving generally of unionism, and of the proposal to establish a labor newspaper to voice their own peculiar views, condemns the reference in the report to “ recent attacks on the working of the Conciliation and Arbitration Act by the capitalistic Press of the colpny,” and to “ what appears to be an organised attempt on the part of certain employers and newspapers to discredit the working of the Act.” The ‘ Post ’ proceeds to say that, in common with other journals, it has had to comment adversely upon the use to which certain unionist leaders put the Act, and also upon certain faults and limitations inherent either in our measure or in the principle of compulsory arbitration. It cannot Ignore' the experimental nature of the Act, which as yet has bad no severe strain put-upon it, and there has appeared an unfortunate tendency on the part of the unionist leaders to nse the machinery of the measure as a lever for extracting small, and sometimes vexatious, concessions that hamper rather than encourage the spirit of goodwill between employers and employed, and that promise to interfere unduly with the natural pouree of industry. Finally, the writer argots that the report shows that the breach between the Labor party and the Government is widening.