DEPUTATION TO GOVERNMENT.

Otago Witness, Issue 3842, 1 November 1927, Page 50

DEPUTATION TO GOVERNMENT.

LABOUR S CHANGE OF FRONT. \\ ELLINGTON, October 29. A large deputation representing the trades unions throughout the Dominion, and claiming to represent more than 90,00’C workers, waited on the Prime Minister (Mr Coates) and the Minister of Labour (Mr G. J. Anderson) to-day to protest n the strongest terms against the Arbitration Court Amendment Bill. The speakers urged that the measure should be with drawn. The deputation was accompanied bv Messrs H. E. Holland, P. Fraser and IL T, Armstrong, Labour members of Parliament.

In the course of his reply, Mr Anderson said there seemed to be a complete turn round from what was in the mind of the representative of the Labour unions about 18 months ago, when he received from almost every union in New Zealand a request that the Arbitration Court should be abolished. Since then their views had altered. He did not think there was a union in New Zealand that did not send him a resolution atking him to remove the judge or alter the law. Immediately after this bombardment he received'other resolutions from employers’ associations throughout the Dominion, also against the court. “ You apparently now find what i have always thought—namely, that the Arbitration Court Ts the sheet-anchor of the workers.” proceeded the Minister. “ Now you say it is proposed to play ‘ old gooseberry ’ with you. The Bill is now in the hands of a Parliamentary Committee, and that committee will be pleased to hear evidence from you. What you have said will be placed before the committee, together with other evidence. The Minister added that one thing had come from bringing down the measure — viz., the placing of the whole question before the public. “We now find,” he concluded. “that you peonle and certain employers and others who were frantically asking us to remove the Act are now asking us to let it remain.”