The N. Z. Times THURSDAY, JUDY 25, 1907. THE ATTITUDE OF ORGANISED LABOUR.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 6270, 25 July 1907, Page 4

The N. Z. Times

THURSDAY, JUDY 25, 1907. THE ATTITUDE OF ORGANISED LABOUR.

VlTtt WHICH 18 INCORPORATED TUB “WBLUMOXON INDEPENDENT." ESTABLISHED IS|6-

When, tho other day, tho Hem. J. Rigg sought to emphasise the need for an independent labour wing in Parliament by declaring that no attention was paid to tho resolutions which aro constantly being passed by labour organisations, wo did not think it necessary to giro him the flat contradiction whioh is tho only answer to jiis contention. A sufficient answer to him is supplied by tho proceedings a‘. Monday night’s deputation to tho Minister for, labour. The deputation, who represented tho recent Confer, onco of Trades and Labour Councils, traversed almost tho whole field of legislation in the''requests which they submitted to Mr Millar, and they received a reply so sympathetic, upon tho whole, as to make it quite clear that the Government is accustomed to attach much weight to tho requests of organised labour and to go a long way to show its sympathy with thoir requirements. . Nobody, reading the report of tho deputation, can fajl to bo struck with tho value of organised trades unionism as a means of expounding tho aspirations of the workers of tho colony, or to bo' pleased with the wide range of thq subjects in which organised labour takes a serious interest, "We do not intend to disouss the many and various points of polioj* raised by tie deputation; they have all been amply enough discussed in our columns already. Special attention should be directed, however, to the terms in which the president of tho conference addressed himself to tho working of tho Arbitration Act. We do not refer to his suggestions of amendment, with which wo are in ■ sympathy, although wo should enter a dissent from the suggestion .that the establishment of Wages Boards will injure tho cause of tho workers by operating as a gag to the courageous advocacy of the claims of workers by the workers’ representatives. What impressed us unpleasantly was Mr Cooper’s declaration that, although the Trades and Labour Conference wishes to preserve the Act, tho 39,000 unionists in tho colony “are not going to con the ground cut from beneath their feet, and their organisation disbanded. If they cannot get a fair measure of protection by tho law of thq colony,” he continued, “they will have in' consider their position; I say it advisedly.” They had almost lost patience with the Act, he said, and “they trusted some amendment would!be made to protect unionists.” There is nowhere such hostility to tho principle' of “preference to unionists’’ as to justify such menacing language as this, but as My Cooper made no reference to the. recent strike, we accept his tone 1 as evidence of the temper of erangised labour towards any policy of a rigid enforcement of tho Act. Tho slaughtermen’s strike did anythng hut disclose an urgent necessity for the better protection of unionists. It disclosed, on the contrary, tho need for protecting industrial order tgainst a lawlessness that the : trades unions of the colony very pointedly declined to discourage at a time when discouragement was urgently wantedWhat the public wishes to know from official unionism is.'whether the unions are friends or foes to tho final and penal authority of tho Act. Ttyafi is a question still awaiting an, answer, and wa should like to sea in labour circles a frank recognition of the goodwill and fairness of the Government in giving, meanwhile, Ja sympathetic car to the request for some amendment of tho Act,