LABOUR PARTY AND THE GOVERNMENT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13889, 29 April 1907, Page 3 (Supplement)

LABOUR PARTY AND THE GOVERNMENT.

DISSATISFACTION WITH THE ADMINISTRATION.

WELLINGTON, April 10. Tlio preGideilt of tho Wellington Trades and Labour Couiicil, speaking of the work of tho rcccnt conference in DunediU, says that a colonial federation of labour is almost certain to bo brought about in the near future. The feeling in the country in favour of an independent Labour party is, he says, stronger than ever in tho history of New Zealand, and tho next political eleotion will, he thinks, see a big change. The workers, ho adds, are not satisfied, bccnusc in spite of all the Labour legislation < thoy are no better off lhan they were before, except perhaps that they arc' bettor employed. _ That, however, is the result not of legislation, but of tho natural prosperity of the country. The employers are tlio people who aro getting all the ercam. Though the Shops and 'Olficcs Act has mado conditions mote reasonable, the it appears, are dissatisfied with its administration. Complaint has also been made in Dunedin wilh the administration of tho Factories Act.

"It is loniitvktiblo," says Mr Cooper, "that whilst the Government is so determined to see that the law is obeyed in regard to the Conciliation and Arbitration Act and strikes, it is allowing the Factories Act, as far as the Saturday, halfholiday is concerned, to be simply a deadlottcr in s number of country towns— Invercargill, for instance, and New Plymouth, places in Canterbury, Dannevirke, Mastcrton. and Feilding. In fact, I have been informed by both' workers md employers iu some of these places that females are being allowed to work on Saturday afternoons." In regard to the rccent strike, local Labour leaders are emphatic that it. was not " engineered " by Australian agitators. Mr David M'Laren, one of the Wellington delegates at the rccent confcreiieo in Dunedin, denies tho slatancnts made by the Minister of Labour, and says:—"We liavo positive proof that these suggestions of tho Minister of Labour are not in accordance with facts, and the morn instance of the absence of concerted action in New Zealand fihows that the outbursts arc in ho wish the result a prearranged /selicme. Arising out of this matter, I iieaf-d tlto Minister of Lal&ur say at the social given in piincdin that if third wero Strong coinplaints against tho clause of tlio act empowering inspectors to enforce awards he (Mr Millar)was prepared to have that clause deleted. Tho reflection was illso made that Wellington was the chief centre of complaints against the administration of tho Labour Department, but it is simplv mii exhibition of weakness ou the pari; of the Minister to twist tho protests raised against tho administration into an attack on the section of tho act referred to. No council, oonferetice, or deputation had ever obiected to the scction of the act just, referred to, but we shall still continue to demand that the whole act shnll he. administered in a business-like wav. The Minister quoted figures showing the number of cases taken up by hie department." "lloughly speaking," taicl Mr M'Laren

fo a Post reporter, "I find that during the past two years cases for enforcement were as follow:—For the 1905-6 year. 253 ease 3 taken into the court bv tho department, 214 being- won, and in addition to this some 251 wore settled, out, of court, by tho department without being referred to the court at all. For tho 1906-7 year just closed, 39.9 cases were taken up by ths departmont, 352 being won. These figures do not include eases which may have oosn settled by the department without reference to the court, and although I liavo asked for, 1 have not been able io get the exact dak under that head. Instead of the Minister pointing to the large number of cases won out of tho total number of cases taken in Wellington, ho would, I respectfully submit, be beiter employed in trying to ascertain the cause of the fact that the number of cases of breaches of awards have been on the increase instead of decreasing. A portion of the unionists of Ihe colony had bonn charged with brtak- ! ing the law, and others with* abetting them in so doing, but. now that tho recent con-" ference has declared in favour of Labour adhering to the act," said the Wellington [delegate, "it appears to mo to he incumbent on the t Employers' Associations and their federations to say whether they also uphold the act, and. if so, whether they •'can devise any scheme for preventing tho repetition of the past experience of a very, largo number of employers being found guilty of practically setting tho awards of tho court at ,: defiance." Concluding, Mr M'Laren said he anticipated that much practical good would result from tho Dunedin Conference, and that the ISOB conference would see a really sound Labour party in existence in New Zealand.