EMPLOYERS' FEDERATION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14686, 20 November 1909, Page 11

EMPLOYERS' FEDERATION

ANNUAL CONFERENCE. (Per United Vp.iss Association.) WELLINGTON, November 19. At the meeting of the Employers' Association to-d.iy the first resolution dealt with the remarks recently made by Mr Kettle, S.M., in Auckland', and was as follows:—" This meeting, representing employers throughout the whole of the Dominion, desires to place on record it.-, high appreciation of tho following remark made by Mr C. C. Kettle, stiuendiary magistrate, at Auckland, on 2kt September, 1909, in connection with an alleged breach of the hotel employees' award : ' The labourer is worthy of his hire, unity is strength, and the workers aro entitled to safeguard and maintain their rights by all fair and legitimate means, but the meddling, mischiefmaking agitator, who through excess of zeal or under a mistaken sense of duly, foments discontent and encourages a spirit of hostility and antagonism towards employers, instead of cultivating and promoting a conciliatory spirit and good feeling between employers and employees, is an enemy of the employers, a greater enemy of the employees, and a curse to the community.' This conference considers that Mr Kettle is entitled to tho best thanks of employers and workers alike for his plain, outspoken and fearless condemnation of labour agitators of the class that- descend to such tactics as were disclosed in the case that was heard before him."

- Attention was also directed to the fact that Mr Kettle's remarks were supported by the following statement recently made by Mr Justice Pring, of Australia': "He lives on keeping up strife, and the sooner you awake to the fact that this agitator who lives upon your hard earnings is your enemy tho better for you."

Tlra attention of. tho 'meeting was directed to a report of some statements recently made', by Mr Scrapie, prr. 'dent of the West-land Miners' Federation, ns reported in the Greymouth Star.of:the 16th inst. as follows: "Mr Scrapie states that the Federation will give financial support to the Newcastle miners, but will not otherwise interfere in the trouble. Ik further added that the federation would not allow of Newcastle orders bcfulfilled in N.Z. or steamers takin? sufficient- coal to N. 15. to'last the round journey to Australia and back." The following motion was passed : " This federation strongly protests against the threat trade by the secretary of the N.Z. Miners' Federation that, sliould a shipment of roal be made to Newcastle, the miners will strike, and still more emphatically to tho unwarrantable threat made by the president that the federation would not allow steamers tc take sufficient coal to last" tho round journey to Australia and back, and that the attention of the Minister of Labour be drawn to it by a deputation to wait upon him this evening."