FURNITURE WORKERS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 655, 4 November 1909, Page 7

FURNITURE WORKERS.

>-;;the -conference'concluded. '■ • : ,r^DEPUTATION; TO THE MINISTER/!V.' ■, . The .Mnfereite; of Agates of' thfe varioiis ffumtiire ; .Workers', Unions..in New : Zealand . was coiwludedjesterday./ ' ■■■'■•:' '■ ; v .v ' i-':'A','*i>uitirtl<)n:j'fronl v .tli« conference.Was- r* ', carved by the Minister for Labour (Hon; 1 Ji A. .Millar) yesterday, v ~V '■-' • :■'■•, .■•'.',. .. 1 '^ r ' ?!•.''%ritirty,'was tho -principal.'speaker, : ;??u.outlined the eonolusiojis arrived.at by the jCOnfcrcJi* .with "regard to .the dismissal "of i workers,.',th6: recovery; of ;penaltiea .imposed -in , ■Opurt. cases taken by: unions after'the refusal , 'of ■ , tno ' I^oour-''Bepirttneiitvto 'tnkb«thehi topi l i .'r.egis.crcd. partnere]iip.f;;deflmtion : .of.. the form- : .to ...the Workers' .Compensation Act. .Other speakers ehdorwd • ;rh6 remarks..'.: ■"-•'..) i ■,;;.'■:-..;..,:-jy,v ..<•/?•■.,.:■. : ■ ;..In,:tho- courso. ofvhisrroply,,.tho-. : Minister. '. ; rettmne:tp.the tjufestion. ot. defining,when":a i. worker, could:be held ,to,bo dismissed,,said that ■', there ~wats t no doubt !a defect in tho "Act in this ' .respect.. Ho.proposed to legislJite-in tho direction; of imposing a time limit to meet the cnso ( -absence ; ifom • work; for a., given', tldov would c be.held.toiueaii dismissal. A man wouldafter- c wflrdS;Jaye,to,be..at..work:-for..a. K ivch tiino ; : before ne.cpuid beseemed to bein employment. * . .".We.Pr'noiplp.'pt handing over tho, penalties f awarded, to unionswhich •successfully contested" a Court .cfcca had been proved -by/experience to * ;bo an.unsound one;-, Howas soiTy to hear from f Mr.,Moriftrtythat:theLaßoiir Department had : l .refused to take cases, to Court.which the .'unions ' had subsequently: w6n when they took them up ; . ibemsolves.. Tho :faet that.the .cases were won ' suggested the: inference "that.,foiii f ■had not Sufficiently Studied, the'.merits of'tho ' same.,',He promised to' see Mr. Loma's"' with tefercnoe_to the.matter. It might bo.feasible to allow the umops to. rocovbr their own costs jnW. Court proceedings ih',whidh :they might 'be successful .'after., the Detartmeht" 1 had declined .to take ;th()ni up.'iii The vqiiestion: of ; registration of '.'partnerships,-: {continued the Mimstef.'had in it the Same'elements of difll- ;' culty which hadfeohfronted them when dealing : With .the Chinese laundries. ' He promised to : wok-into the,matter :and. see-what -could bo ■■■. .done. .'Ho ~a'greed.-!that unregistered"'' parther- ' ships opened the .way for. evasions of : the wages provisions of the Act, but the question was'not tin easy t one to decide.' ' : ;:.' ■'■;-. '.:.'■■•':■'<.■,' , Referring to the suKgestion that'compensation I;for,accidents to,.workers bo paid'as from the .. I date'fof; the accident, instead of after the first v soven days, : .thevMinister 'said ,that after' the I 1 taost cdreful investigation; it had,been ascor- c itained that the.insurance companies would re- ii quire triple, the present irate of premiums' if t . they.. l were ,'iisked to-cover, risks-tor thesfirst X ;seven:days.. Within that perlod 7 'tho number of J, accidents 'was-.very' considerable, but a large ■~ proportion of these were trivial.'Atpfesent, if » ;a man,were disabled for itori'days; ho received :» compensation for three days, but if ha were ~ disabled' for, fourteen days ho-received-com- if sensation:;for, : ;the, rwhole., tiuio.:. .■He , (the t Minister)- was,.' Strongly., of-opinion :. that the. ■ present..arrangement.;.was .the best:- 'for. '.the £ .workers'. He wohlcj'not counsel ihom to ask .the fr insurance/ companies, to. increase, their:. Tisks. i :If thoy did, it would come back oh themselves •, ..in the' shape,:of increased premiums.'.'• Without J. :these irisurahce3,:(!ohtractors .would:' be. over- S whelmed ;with; compensation claims, '•■fie cited ? ; the-, case, of-.the. Westport Coal Company, where z. 'tho.risks'were: 1 so great, and the premiums so Fi high that the company simply could not afford ?, to take advantage of'the protection'offered by / insurance: Tho other matters" submitted would j be goho into, if possible, this session.. '■: '■',. *