LABOUR AND LABOUR LAWS.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 12911, 27 February 1906, Page 7

LABOUR AND LABOUR LAWS.

THE WORKMAN'S MARKET VALUE the monthly meeting of-the .Wellington Industrial Association last Monday, the president, Mr J. P. Luke repeated a statement made by him at th» annual meeting of the Industrial Association last September. It was as follows : "The conditions applying to a man not able to earn the- wage as set forth by the Arbitration Court are of a character that will practically prevent such men from getting employment. How -many are there of these poor unfortunates suffering far the necessaries of life consequent upoa the arbitrary laws-in vogue, and how many more are, there receiving help from the State- and other sources that would., not be needed if, while the workers protected their rights .and, improved their conditions of-imng, : they extended to th«r unfortunate,brothers that right of honest labour which all free men under our glorious constitution are entitled to."

He now : said that he had nothing tc withdraw from that- statement. He had a right as an individual and as a citizen to express his own opinions; and he would say that .many men were suffering from the false ; application of the laws in vogue at the present time. Moreover, he could give names if he chose to state them. Mr D. Robertson 6aid he thought the association should. support Mr Luke in the attitude he had taken up. Rome of the people who wanted to make the laws of the ecrontry were doing much harm. They: were killing industry by holding the opinion that every man was equal and alike, and was worth the same money. There were no.two men alike, and every man,had his own market value. An employer of me-a who carried on, on,,any other .principle could not hope to succeed. . The preference to unionists, which was continually being asked for, had, it seemed to him, gone as far as was possible, but apparently not as far as was wanted by the labour unions.