THE MATTER -BEFORE, PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Herald, Volume L, Issue 12255, 14 May 1903, Page 7

THE MATTER -BEFORE, PARLIAMENT.

ATTITUDE. OF THE jGOVEBNv \, : . w , '.ailltrl 4 :' :" , X BOOM' 'FbE:'REPEI*TAN9E." - >t i.~< •»'.';»■; >:j '*tt . »t '■ , , vv Jjfed^TA^^ I^EVEIIQPMBISfTS POS- ;"/; I \\ ' n \ : . Helßournej May ;13..; 13.. t - '•Tfe'o^feidng'oi the special' session oi Pacfi^tteiit* was '. carried out with.;. the, simplest ' : e&r&oi6riy b£' record in> the lii9tory of-tfae State. . •Jl:<;-J l:<; -' 1 • < ' ,D]^pi€e. -fiife' J agam?t street gatherißg-, a'large-crovrdjaosemr bl^d-at the entrance of thevEifa-ibitiOTi Buiidi%;whEeTje f ihe-State' l J arliameirtis now hpuse3i : to waftcb. , the -atrivol r.of the Governor, ifit "no ; ctemonstratioa; "Barricaaes ' were- erected an the ' v-icin- • ity of the Exhibition buildings, iand> a, strong i iJoh / eV plcfetid on duty. JS&& Go^mpr'a speech sonsis ted of a couple of feehien^i^'lWve.e^ticd'yflu together alter a very, brie! recw3, in order to obtain ywur, voice on a matter of most ,pressiiig urgency. My advkerg,- purpose,, submitting tc y° u immediately a measure toi deal with/ the strike which. now, unhappily, exists in the railway service/ The Premier, on ' rising*/ was io/idly cheered by a very House. He said, .he intended to ask leave to intro duce a .short 13111 ' dealing with , the sfrike. The Government had taken action 'on the" strength of the Act pass-, ed-by the House enabling the, Minister; to direct that a certain policy should be earned out. r The Government directed- the-rajlwj»y_.sery a: D ts to oliev tae Jaw forbidding pujSxc" servants to associate with "a jiolitical body, and at a result, they now had to deal with a long meditated revolt.. He recapitulated ~> the events'* leading up to the •trike, and' said he went to meet the Men with, a sincere and earnest desire -to prevent,. by, any means shdrt of absolute surrender, the catastrophe which kad, occurred. In order to gain their «nds7^the*Tttea*-woEe- prepared ..to. force Parliament and the 'country on ' theitf knees to -petition them; to, take charge of State property. ,It was an attempt ' to wrpnch by violence from the public what they riould nbtget constitutionally. Anything" short of complete victory meant absolute disaster and 'dislocation' of parliamentary government. It ' had -beeir «aid that ministerial ap- . tion precipitated .the strike, but he, pointed' out that six months r.go the men threatened toustrjke necause they met*. askfdfi^.shaire in.the retrench--»ment f orced ..upora aU sections of- the public by the -state of the finances. Conciliation was Jmpos«ible f«'-. ""t, as many offhe ! me» had- oeen misled the GovernmMt >^» , *«» ff uld [

be room for repentance. Room could not, however, be left for over, and) it was only by complete and absolute submission to the Department and the public they; had injured, that they could --hope_to.— be - -taken- back inio grace or 'favour by those they had injured, or the Government which represented them. He said ihe Government were askipg tho House to give powers 1 to birtng"- the strike to a successful termination., If^.they failed, either through want, of determination ■or want of support of Parliament, it would "be • disastrous, not only, to the future Government of Victoria, but to the oiler States of Australia. The Government- would deal with it finally and effectively, dome' foolish persons .ndivo'cated conciliation, • but . anyone' who urged conciliation . at sufch a time ,as the .present joined themselves wjth those obposing the Government. Mr Irvine then read the pr?amble of the >proposeci Bill, whichi" stated the necessity c of * suppressing the strike, > Sir A. J. Peacock^ leader . of the Opposition, .* followed: the, Premier. He said he a.ci.nyj^dvihe action of tie Premier^ ain4 .insisted that thp vijrnment jpausi^ when constituted authority, .was, tht^eatenedJ He,; wished to 1 mov.e-aii. amiendment which, .while regretting, < what- ,,tlje nien had., done,' directed /that ,be ordered, to return, to „work forthwith,, and. if this v|ere done Parhamtsnt would consider their grievance. He hoped something, Qjf this sbrt i would be, done t.o save . widespread distress; and misery. ' Thenien .must -give in, "but" he hoped even ' a{t the eleventh hour a chance would-, be given;' them.. ( ' ', ; , ' The Premier shook his 'head; in response to Sir A. P?acock/s proposal.' rMr Bromley declared that the Government .wished the men should have no rights. 1 . Their: association with the Hall for 17 years Had done no harm...- JEhe_ Oogernmßnt .was. respons-_. Sble for the strike, but the Government's --pttppets, the Employers Union,, Ref|^n' i^Lea^uee, -aoid o.thez/ sijnila^ bodies advocated conciliation. Details of the Bill have not yet been t disclosed., • Important developments are possible to-morrow as the- result of Parliament's meeting.

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