THE TRADE DISPUTES BILL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2719, 25 April 1906, Page 14

THE TRADE DISPUTES BILL.

The Trade Disputes Bill, which is tho diivct outcome of the Taft" Vale decision, which held that, a trades union's funds ar© liable for the illegal acts of individual memI»er3 of the union, was introduced in the House of Commons to-day (says a London message on March 28) by the Attorneygeneral (Sir J. Lawson Walton). The bill provides that no act of a trades union shall be held to be unlawful if such act is lawful when committed by an individual. It sets forth the light of peaceful picketing, which the Atomey-general declared was ark essential part of the right to strike, and defines the law of agency as applied^ to trades union funds for any act, unless it is perfectly clear that the act was authorised by the governing body of tho union. It sppcdily beoctme evident that the measure was not at all \o the liking of the Labour members, who before it-, introduction declared their opposition to anything 6hort of complete immunity for union funds. What is considered to be a tactical mistake on the part cf the Government in coming into serious conflict, not only with tho Labour party, but a large majority of its Liberal supporters over the introduction of the bill, is avowedly due to differences of opinion among Ministers themselves, a, strong majority being against complete concession to the Labour views, and the compromise adopted apparently pleases nobcly. The incident is the subject of regret on the part of- the Liberal newspapers, because they sa.y it, has already become known that the Government wHI yield by leaving the question to the decision of the House, and that the result of this will be frreat lo=« of prestige to the Government. Besides, il is Blmo3t certain to meet with opposition in tl\e House of Lords, which will seu.d the bill back to the-Hou&a

of Commons -shorn of the clause granting immunity to trades unions, and possibly of other' important features which probably ■would "have been accepted had the Government bcldly faced the problem.