THE MINISTER OF LABOR

Feilding Star, Volume I, Issue 283, 5 June 1907, Page 4

THE MINISTER OF LABOR

fPHE PBBBB ASSOCIATION.] Dunedin, June 4. Mr J. A. Millar addressed a meeting in the Princess Theatre to-night dealing pretty fully with the legislation passed last session. The Government had done everything to husband the colony's resources and do something towards paying off debt, and he considered the recent surplus was the result of good work. It was hoped in the course of time that the dead loans would be finally wiped right out. Reference was also made to the satisfactory increase in exports, imports, and customs returns, all snowing that the purchasing power of the people was in no way reduced. The Government was told that the Land Bill was going to put them out, and Mr Massey had attempted to create au impression that Government were attacking the freehold. There was not a line in the bill attacking freehold except that of a man holding over £50,000 worth of unimproved value. The question was not that of freehold v, leasehold, but that of endowment or no endowment. Despite any statement made to the contrary, the aggregation of large estates was going on. The reason for the outcry against the bill was caused first by excess of assets over liabilities as shown by the banking returns, and second by the high prices for wool, mutton and butter in the Old Country. Recent events showed defects in the Arbitration Act caused by delay of the Court to deal with disputes. This delay must be avoided in future and he proposed to ask Parliament to authorise the creation of a Wages Board instead of the present Conciliation Boards to deal with disputes as they arose. The Court would remain and the right to appeal to that body would be granted under certain conditions. With regard to the cry that the increase in wages had. been swallowed by the increased cost of living, he granted that, but he asked where the people would have been if there had been no increase in wages ? He considered there was no justification for the rise" in the price of flour, as there was none for a Melbourne firm being able to sell kauri cheaper than in Christchurch. This was the work of rings. He favoured a Board of Commerce and export duty to solve the diffioulty. He intended bringing down improvements to the Workers 1 Compensation Act and proposed increasing the amount payable for death at £600. So as to avoid unnecessary litigation he would submit a schedule for value of lost or injured limbs. Workers would then get greater benefits than under the existing. Act, and while there would be no increase in the premiums there would be a great saving of legal expenses. He wished to make himself quite clear as to the Saturday half-holiday controversy. He had been practically forced to administer the law in this direction. It was his duty to do bo and he would always endeavour to see the law carried out as closely as possible. Under the Shops and Offices Act he intended to introduce legislation to deal with Chinese laundry partnerships which evaded the Act, and steps will be taken to see that employees at laundries were employees in fact.