Greymouth Evening Star. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1948. “Silent Contempt

Greymouth Evening Star, 24 February 1948, Page 4

Greymouth Evening Star. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1948. “Silent Contempt

’T’HE Prime Minister either has a eon- * veniently short memory or lacks a sense of humour. His cutting utterance regarding what he describes as the “capitulation” of the Auckland, mas er builders to the ‘ ‘ Communist-inspired Communist-directed go-slow policy \ carry weight if it had come from someone who* did not have his unenviable recor in dealing with militant unionists. surely, is a new Mr Fraser-a man with a sudden accession of courage, intent on exercising authority in no uncertain as - ion. Or is it really a new Mr Fraser? Events alone will provide proof. The Prime Minister treats now with “silent contempt” employers who lor years have seen the Government capitulate time and time again to the deman, of the extreme elements in the ranks 0 its supporters. They have seen the Government bluster and blunder. T „ ey • seen it buying peace at the cost of sto up future difficulties for itself. ™y have seen its Minister of Labour the provisions of his Secret Ballot Bill such an extent as to make them vntuall > ineffective. And yet Mr Fraser has the temerity to suggest that the Aueklan builders have “retreated ... . m tine weakling fashion.” H that is a correct judgment of their action, then it mnst .be accepted, for, after all, Mr Fraser should know quite a lot about these things. The Prime Minister misjudges the temper of the people when he sets out to shift the blame on to the builders, fi ci so-called “capitulation” is merely symptomatic of the people’s loss of confidence in the Government’s ability to rule. In the lio'ht of experience, the builders are mere; y anticipating the inevitable. It is Xettable that a great industry should be” brought to such a stage of J c desperation. It is not typical of Nw Zealanders. But the Government has only itself to blame for the decline m morale. It has decided to act too late if, ? llde q ed ’ it reallv intends to act at all with any degree of will to impose its authority.

Pensions For M.P. s THERE is a lesson in the Eire elections for hi°-h authorities in Government of New Zealand. Mr de A alera introduced a Parliamentary pensions scheme, but he went a little further than he Labour Partv in New Zealand. Tn Ene, Ministers after seven years’ service may be paid a pension of £5OO a year, and eve X four vears in office they are ent.tled one of the chief elee tioneering- planks of the ™'*‘ C S Mr Sean Mcßride, one of Mr de A Mei as principal opponents, took Jus Siam . le drew pointed attention to the fact that the 1938 Irish pound is now worth less than Ils and he contrasted the position ol M.P.’s with that of the pensioner. _ No New Zealander need be reminded of the favourable treatment, which is to be accorded to M.P.’s. The first example is provided by the case of Mr D. W. Coleman, Labour member for Gisborne who has announced his retirement after 19 years. Mi Coleman will pay £250 into the .Pensions fund and in the first year of his retirement alone will draw £416. As it isexpected that several more of Labour s lanlv large number of veterans will sccv retirement at the end of the present Parliamentary term, the undue haste with which the Government introduced a costly pensions scheme is readily iinclerstanc - able. Of course, it, made an eftoit to fasten equal responsibility tion, but it must be said in Mr Holland _ defence that his own proposals provided for pensions on a very much reduced, scale, to take effect five years after the introduction of the scheme, and not immediate^.