MINISTER AND HIS CRITICS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20679, 18 March 1937, Page 6

MINISTER AND HIS CRITICS

ACTION IN FREEZING DISPUTE A SPIRITED REPLY By Telegraph—Press Association WELLINGTON, March 17. A spirited reply to criticism over his action in connection with the settlement of the recent Auckland freezing works dispute was made by the Minister of Labour, the Hon. T. Armstrong, when addressing the New Zealand Dairy Board Conference to-day. “I wonder why these newspaper editors and Chamber of Commerce are still passing resolutions, and I wonder what they think the Minister of Labour shoul dhave done in the circumstances,” said Mr Armstrong. “If I had done anything any other way I would have come in for much more criticism.” The truth about the matter had not been told, he said, but where it had been told it was quite all right. He had not seen it published, but he had seen a lot of “tripe” of the other fellows published. Mr Armstrong reviewed the history of the case. He said that he told the men that there would be no meeting with the employers unless work was resumed, and the majority of the men decided before the day was finished that what they had done w-- the wrong thing. “Do you think poison gas would have settled the trouble?” asked the Minister, “or would It have set all New Zealand on fire to appeal to reason? Thats what I did.” The conference between the parties, Mr Armstrong continued, went on for two days, and at times it seemed like a deadlock. Now people said “What did you use the big stick for? Why did the Government direct the freezing companies to pay more? Why flout the arbitration laws and brush an award aside?’ No Reflection on Court “We did not do anything of the kind,’ said the Minister. "The award is intact and not interfered with. Nothing was done by me which could be construed as a reflection on the integrity of those who comprise the Arbitration Court.” The Minister said he knew that after several conferences with the companies one section of the men was suffering an injustice, that an anomaly had crept in, but it was an award and the position was taken up that although it was unjust the companies did not want to take the responsibility of giving an increase, so the Minister of Labour was to be saddled with the responsibility. “I will stand up to that, too,” remarked Mr Armstrong. “I had an assurance that if I directed it to be done the representatives of the freezing companies would do it. Some of you fellows think I did the wrong thing. Tell me what I should have done,” said the Minister. "Without being egotistical, I don’t think there are many men in New Zealand who could have done the job I did.”