LABOR LEGISLATION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10956, 26 April 1907, Page 4

LABOR LEGISLATION.

SPEECH BY HON. J. A. MILLAR.

(Per Press Association.) ■'. .WELLINGTON, ! this day! Speaking at a i.jcial, the Hon. Mr Millar, after ref en ing . ; to the administration of' the -Labor Department, claimed.it had the interests of tlie workers at heart, xiie Department -"was -one of the most important of the State, because it hud the interests of over . two-tliirds ot the people of the colony committed to its charge, its usefulness was curtailed by Pui'iuunch't not giving eufficient officers for 'if. tidrministration. A lot had been doiie in labor matters, but a lot remained' to be done. At the same time, they should not forget this, tliat the only men who had a; knowledge of the. workers were those representing places wiiere the workers Mere situated. They were , the men who liad the factories and shops under their eyes, but they were in a minority in tlie House. When one : made a proposal with reference to labor matters tlie experience of the past showed that every inch of the road had to be fought, owing to the opposition of the country. if the labor movement was to make headway it must have organised country labor. Until the workers got that they would never get the labor legislation they were entitled to through the House. Look at Hansard, and see what they tried to do with regard to the Saturday half-holiday. He did not believe any edition had shown 25 out of the House of eighty in favor of it. Continuing, he said he did not know wtiijt the present Parliament was, but it may bo more progressive, in the way of labor legislation tliat in past sessions. Last year they had the Arbitration Amendment Bill, containing twenty-six clauses. It was cut down to five. He had so little chance of pulling that Bill through tlie House that lie dropped the whole Bill, and took one clause, which was sufficient for him. It was to create a court of arbitration, an independent couit from the Supreme Court. He said the, delay in arbitration matters hud 'been of such a character as to demand that Parliament would put a stop to them in future. This session he hoped to put through legislation which would do away with all the delay that had taken place, and deal with"'disputes as tiiey arose. Ihe Workmen's Compensation for Accidents Act was another mutter lie intended bringing forward, and he hoped to deal with amendments to tiie Shops and Offices Act. Continuing, he said they all liad one aim and one common object, that was, the uplifting of their fellow-men. He hoped that in the course of a year h e and his colleagues would show a good record for the tune they had been in office, i hey had lo=>t a great and powerful man in Richard Jolm Seddon, and they now had to lake up the work and do the btfit they could. Tiiey had not tlie manti of him.* They had to mako a name and get as good an opinion of the presenb Utbinet as existed of the lute. As far •„ he Mas concerned he would do all ho could.