Women and Labour.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5278, 7 June 1895, Page 2

Women and Labour.

The women's paper published in Wellington, Daybreak, has spoken out very plainly on the rnmour that the Lyttelton. Harbour Board was about to discharge the crew of the dredge in order to make room for some of the constituents of its Chairman. "It is an example," our oontemporary declares, "of the contemptible spirit of localism run stark raving mad." "If there ia anything "it continues, "which will operate quickly and successfully to split the Liberal Party, it is localism carried to this extreme. It is not unreasonable to imagine the displaced and impoverished dredge hands, on finding themselves victimised by the Liberal member for Lyttelton, voting Conservative in Dunedin." We are not sure that our contemporary is justified in assuming that the member for Lyttelton actually proposed to deprive the present crew of their employment ; indeed, Mr Joyce has stated that he had no intention to do anything of the sort ; but the lady editor's comments upon the position are worth quoting, if only as a sample of feminine satire. " Either the discipline of the Liberal Party iB very loose," our contemporary remarks, " or Mr Joyce's relations to that party are not bo Btrong and definite aB of yore. He is probably working on his own hook. There is one thing certain, that although— according to his own statement —he has 'pulled the Premier back by the legs when he found him going overboard/ it is highly probable, when he finds himself overboard and in similar imminent danger, the Hon Bichard will gratefully return tho compliment by throwing him a grindstone or something of equal buoyancy." This is soarcely fair to Mr Joyce. However much that gentleman may have differed from ihe Government on minor points of policy, he has never shown any disposition to work, as our contemporary elegantly puts it, "on his own hook." He ia one of the most loyal, if not one of the most subservient, of party men.