THE LABOR DEPARTMENT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2717, 24 January 1910, Page 2

THE LABOR DEPARTMENT.

CRITICISM OF THE DEPARTMENT.

, [Pick Press Association.] WELLINGTON, Jan. 22. Ati the opening of the Labor Department’s now suite of rooms yesterday Mr. W. C. Moor, President of the Executive of tlie Wellington Traues and Labor Council, ottered some criticism of the Department. The preponderance of opinion, lie said, amongst delegates was that the Department was really set up for the benefit of the employers and not the workers. Whether this was so lie was not prepared to nay, but it was a fact that the methods had created a feeling that all was not being done for the workers that might be done. There was no good inciting employers and enacting legislation which must be set at nought. The duty of the Department was to see that awards were enforced. In this Hie Department had shown remissness and often allowed breaches to go unpunished. SPIRITED DEFENCE BY THE MINISTER.

The Hon. J. A. Millar made a spirited reply. He thought all must admit the Department had grown very rapid- i ly in the 17 years of its existence, and its existence was justified By results. They had been told legislation was crippling capital. To that all lie could say was that he had never found much philanthrophy in business. (Hear, hear.) When they found during the Department’s existence that the number of hands employed in tne'country had risen from 29,000 to 78,000, it-* was surely a reply to the allegation as to supposedly harassing legislation. The Minister brought to mind the state of things when the Department was founded. Men were leaving for Australia in thousands because there was no work in New Zealand. Relief works were started, a day’s wages for a single .mn i being 2s Gd, and for a married man 3s Sd. The Department had taken on greater responsibilities every year. Legislation had been introduced to better the workers’ condition, until to-day students came from all over the world to watch the working of our labor laws at first hand, and to introduce them later into their own countries. Unfortunately in the Dominion there. w< re impetuous spirits who would like to upset, if they could, a system which had taken a long time to build up, but lie did not really believe such represented or carried liona fide workers with them. Hear, hear.) There had been talk of persecution, but the officers of the Department never had, and never would, while lie had anything to do with it, persecute anybody. On the contrary, they would be there to protect. > Applause.) It had been charged against the Department that it had offered bribes to Trades Union secretaries to come on to its staff. He could say without qualification that he had never tried to bribe a man in his 'ire. 'l'he only reason, some secretaries had been taken on was that they knew the labor laws, and became useful officers of the Department sooner than men who were quite ignorant of the legislation. Altogether he could claim that the Department had been a very great benefit to the whole community. it i ad been the indirect cause of preventing many serious industrial conflicts. And if been successful in preventing -:.»]>* one such it would have justified its existence, honestly endeavoring to do the very best for the workers it could. Some secretaries apparently thought inspectors should sit on the stops of every factory and look for breaches of the awards. Well, it would not be done. (Hear, hear.) The Department would not he allowed to persecute people. Sometimes the law was broken inadvertently, but where it was deliberately set at nought he wanted the Department to go just as far as ever the law would allow in dealing with the matter.