"BOMBARDED WITH COMPLAINTS."

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1022, 11 January 1911, Page 6

"BOMBARDED WITH COMPLAINTS."

:■ .' »: —■■■ ■ AN. OFFICIAL REJOINDER. Calling yesterday at . the .office of: the: Copks!, : ana. Waiters'. Union,' a reporter' /was informed by the secretary . (Mi*;' B.'J; 'Carey).'that, employers' 'do' not yet- seem '•to' h&yo : <realised the full im'port;' of' the recently-passed -"amendment < tof he - Shops land Offices! Act,- and 1 its .bearing, on, -existlinp .-. _ 'The. Cooks' and Waiters' Union,'.' said 'Mr.: Carey,-' "is being bombarded with complaints of workers- in respect of nonobservance: by: employers of. provisions re-, dating" to' holidays, .wage-rates, and", hours. •A niimber-of these complaints have been referred to the'. Labour - Department. I ithinfc," continued'Mr.-Carey,- "that if the ;D?partmerit • were 'to .take "a firm stand, ; and' were to (show; ; by 'prosecution,' what .1 is' the exact nosition in which employers ■are. placed, they would save themselves needless troublo in the long-run'. "I~ cannot understand why warnings should be repeatedly issued." There aro no warnings under-the. Licensing Act. It eeetris to me that only where workers are •concerned, and where they stand to suffer, are warnings deemed necessary. The X>rospect of immediate' punishment _ for. any breach' of the" Licensing' Act h'as proved at all times, a sufficient deterrent, and : I .am • inclined to'advise the Department- ti> act similarly in regard to Labour legislation.: I say''without hesitation that the new.Act. is not. yet:in operation with' fflll effect, nor is it likely to be for some weeks yet." Making" inquiry at tho Labour Department/in'reference to the foregoing eom(plaint, a reporter was informed that certain clauses in the Act had been referred 'to tho Grown Law officers for interpretation as. to their bearing, not merely in Wellington,', but'in' all parts .of New 'Zealand. Whcro the interpretation of the Act was clear," tho Department had. already taken steps to enforce its provisions. Tho Department never prosecuted a man without giving him a reasonable opportunity of linowing . what'course lie had to follow. Circulars, .containing the necessary information, had already been sent out to all .hotels and restaurants,' together with extracts ■ from the Act relating to the particular establishments addressed. This had been done before Christmas, and the inspectors wore" now taking steps, in conjunction with their ordinary duties, to see that .the Act'was complied with.

Official reticence is sometimes carried to .strange lengths. The reporter who made the above inquiry, inquired further of. the J Labour Department officials what particular clauses' of the Act had been, referred to the Crown • Law Office. The ; reply-was that, no information could bo given on the point. , This, although in , Biiswer to a'previous question, the official response had been that a hotclkeeper, making the same inquiry, . would be informed as 'to the particular clauses referred for interpretation;.