Legislature, -.Asse_mb1y ,

Friday, March 1, 1968

L. George Dewar: Mr. Speaker, I would like to make a few further remarks to complete my address. I thought perhaps I might mention something with respect to the report in the Guardian of the remarks I made last night. Usually the press hears about all the mistakes they make when a report is made and I thought it was only fair that I should mention that, although I can’t single out any par- ticular reporter because nobody took resposibility or credit for it, I would l'ke to say that it was very good and very accurately reported. I thought perhaps who- ever did report it deserved to have that recognition. I promised the Minister of Labor, if he was in his seat this morning, that I would make a few remarks with respect to his operations. The Department of Labor, of course, is an important func— tion of Government . Labor is an important element in every phase of our economy and I think that I can say that the Minister of Labor is trying to do a very good job. I may not be very complimentary to him a little later on. However, I think he has possibilities, perhaps, of becoming as famous as an Islander that died last fall in the United States who became one of the great labor negotiators, mediators, in the United States and I think it’s only fitting that that man should be referred to here in this Assembly. I refer to Mr. Cyrus Ching who was formerly from Last Point, Prince Edward Island, and who, as a young man, went to Boston, I believe, and had a job as a streetcar operator and in time worked up to be one. of the top Federal Government negotiators in the United States. He was appointed to a very high position by President Truman and, until his death a few months ago at the age of over ninety years, he still had a position in the Labor Department at Wash— ington. He was a very commanding figure. I understand over six feet six inches tall, and was very well known in all parts of the United States.

Cecil A. Miller: And a good Liberal background.

George L. Dewar: I don’t know at all what his politics were but he couldn’t help that. (Laughter) I heard an interesting story some years ago and probably the Minister of Labour may have been taking a page from his book last fall. I under- stand that Mr. Ching was in a very tough arbitration in Washington some years ago and the gentleman on the opposite side of the table was Mr. Lea and the negotiations weren’t going very well. They were having great difficulties arriv- ing at any agreement and finally Mr. Ching said to Mr. Lea, “Do you know what we should do, you and I?” “No”, Mr. Lea said. “Well”,, he said, “We should go out and start a laundry,” and, of course, everybody laughed and the ice was broken and from then on the negotiations went along very smoothly and they soon arrived at an agreement. The Minister of Labor here has signified that he’s going to make some changes in the industrial Relations Act at this session of the Legislature. I do not know whether this arises out of some troubles that he had last fall in negotiations between union and management but presumably it could be so. I know we all followed with interest the controversy in the news- papers with respect to this strike and especially the correspondence that the Min- ister of Labor saw fit to present to the newspapers of this Province with respect to his difficulties. Now, of course, I think that the situation was serious when orders of the court were more or less being disregarded. I think, perhaps, we could use a stronger word but I do not think perhaps it is necessary to do so and that the Civil Service Commission had great trouble acting as a mediator because they couldn’t get information.

M. Alban Farmer: Public Utilities Commission.

George L. Dewar: Public Utilities Commission, that’s right, I’m sorry; or couldn’t get the various groups to make the representations that they expected should be made and, I presume, that probably he’s going to do something to tidy up the Act to help out in situations such as this. However, we were very pleased to see that the difficulty was solved and I must commend the Minister of Labour for his activities in this respect. I think the circumstances surrounding the solution were certainly remarkable, perhaps a little extraordinary. My information may not be altogether correct or official but I do understand that the Saturday before Christmas, which was getting pretty close to the deadline, the Minister was in-

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