LABOUR LEGISLATION.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16258, 8 July 1918, Page 5

LABOUR LEGISLATION.

DEPUTATION TO MINISTERS.

An appeal for amendments in tho Dominion's Labour laws was mado by a deputation from the Labour Federa-j tion which waited on the Acting- i Prime Minister (Sir James Allen), tho Hon. W. H. Merries, and the Hon. W D. S. MacDohaid, at Wellington, on toaturday. Tiie Hon. J. T. Paul said that when the war started tuo Government, iie undorstood, took tne ground tuat no domestic legislation womd be undertaken during tno currency of the war. Ino comeieiiee oi : tne united J?etieiatiou of labour iiad considered the position and condemned it. 'l'iio view 01 the conference, and his own view, was that whilst the attitude of the Government might be rignt wnen it was arrived at, the attitude now, owing to the longlitening of the war, was anomalous and wrong. The position as ho saw it was that tho more perfect they could make their industrial legislation during war time, or any other tune, the better chance they had of using the fullest effoit of the nation. Anyhow, tho conference believed that certain domestic legislation should be attended to. The Labour laws were still to some extent in the nature of an expeninont, and as time went on certain alterations wore found to bo necessary, in tho Workers' Compensation Act and .the Arbitration Act, for instance. •" ! they could be assured that amending legislation wculd b© considered, tho secrotary would forward to the Government the Federation's proposals. I Mr T. Bloodworth urged the amendment of the Arbitration Act so as to I make awards binding on all people enpaged in any partioular industry. They ' found, for instance, quite a number of poople engaged in the building industry , who, because of certain sections in the I Act, were not bound /by the award. J That caused a good deal of dissatisfaction among tho men, and did not seem to be fair either to the. employees or t>e employers. Further, lie urged that 1 the Workers' Compensation Act should jbe amended so that injured workers should receive compensation from the ; date of the injury. Sir James Allen said that, in resr-~' to domestic legislation, it wn.« not anticipated that tho wnr would Inst as long as' it had, and the fnct mipht be a roaeon for the Government reconsidering its attitude on the. subject. On that point, however, he e«uld not say anyWnjr. The two leaders were in England. and must bo consulted on the ' The deputation's representations would b« placed before them. but. in fny case tbny would, he honor], be before the next pivsion of Pnrlia'an i-l pvprv conKMcrntiori would he rnve" to tho rwß of the deputation. Tf +v>(» nroposals oti the sub-jV-t of wero sent in it he an arrnimoit in favour of the its nttitrid© 01 triWoof of le<"-lation. i Cut he could not wive any promise.