PREFERENCE TO UNIONISTS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 5643, 18 July 1905, Page 5

PREFERENCE TO UNIONISTS

DEPUTATION TO MR CARRUTHERS (Received July 17, 10.9 p.m.) SYDNEY, July 17. A deputation from tho Sydney Labour Council urged tho Premier (Mr Oarruthers) to make the preference clause effective in the amending Arbitration Bill.

The Premier, in reply,said the amending bill would be introduced in about a fortnight. Ho believed the measure would commend itself to men who thought dispassionately. He was a strong advocate of arbitration, and the Government would try to make the principles of arbitration more acceptable generally. Tho bill would define subjects which might be fixed bytho Court, including fixing a minimum wage for all classes of labour, as well as the question of hours and provision for iged, feeble, or slow workers. His view was that it would bo going too far to say in tho law that there should be nreferenoe, but if Parliament said there should bo preference to unionists, then chat preference must bo real and substantial.

The Premier condemned the political element in unions. If unions were not associated with political parties ho considered they would be in a better position to advocate industrial reforms, as all parties could then assist them.