LABOUR MATTERS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1686, 28 February 1913, Page 5

LABOUR MATTERS.

DEPARTMENT ASSAILED. DIVIDED OPINIONS. THE PREMIER INTERVIEWED. INQUIRY PROMISED. Various proposals affecting the interests of trade unionists were laid yesterday beforo tho Hon. W. l'\ Massey, Prime Minister and Minister for Labour, by a deputation representing the Amalgamated Society of Engineers and the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners. Mr. \V. C. Noot, secretary of the, Tramways Union, attended, but took' no aotivo part iii the proceedings. . The deputation was introduced by Mr. 'J'. M. Wilfonl, who said that in the first place tho deputation had a complaint to make against tho Labour Department. Under tlio Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act inspectors of factories were inspectors of awards. Tho complaint of the deputation was that Labour Department inspectors did not exert themselves to see that awards were carried out, unless complaints were made. They did not exercise d general paternal influence over awards. Control of Apprentices. Another proposal of the deputation was that the provisions in the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act dealing with apprentices should'lie. remodelled'on the lines of the West Australian Arbitration Act. Under.that Act indentures were registered in the Arbitration Court, and apprentices were required to undergo periodical examinations. If .they were found to be • "round pegs in "square holes," they were advised to choose another calling. On the other hand, provision was made to ensure that employers should give apprentices the instruction they had a.right to expect. - Another, request was that a' clause should be introduced to guard against any overlapping of industries, ' and where necessary to provide a line ot demarcation between industries like boilermakirg and en&irieering, which were liable to overlap. The engineers further desired that only qualified men ,who had served an apprenticeship should be allowed to undertake such work as making connections to gas, oil, and steam .engines, cither in engineering .shops or on repair work. ' ' . The Arbitration. Court. , The carpenters and joiners, Mr. Wilford continued, were, asking for a reconstruction ,of tlie Arbitration Court; and its conversion into'an Appeal Board to which unsettled disputes could be referred. It . was suggested that tho; board should consist of two experts representing respectively employers mid .employees, and an independent chairman. To his recollection, Mr. Wilford added, this was tho Canadian system," Another request was ..for a provision in the Act whereby any' employer or firm.engaged in an industry should bomade a party to an award governing'it, provided he employed one or more worker's .engaged in- the" industry; It wasi further suggested .that no employee or firm illiquid bo allowed, to' make an application for' .exemption 'to the' proposed Appeal Board'until it had been first considered by a Conciliation Council. Still another proposal was that the obstacles which ligw hindered the obtaining' of a Dominion award should be .removed.' Spokesman for the Engineers, . ; Mr.'S. J. Elston, Australasian organiser for tho Amalgamated Society of Engineers, said the time for the deputation had been, selected with - regard to tho • fact that a Dominion of 7 his'society and a Dominion conference of Uic Amalgamated Society of Carpenters, and Joiners 'vere'ivt'.pfesent sitting in Wellington. He was prepared,' lie rehtinued, to give specific instances ' in which tjic Lalio'iir Department inspectors " had . failed to carry out their duties as inspectors .of awards:' Tho administration of the , Department had' given rise to general"'discontent, The employer got'ft considerably . deal out .of .the Department than ; did.;' -unionists; In fact; if the Department existed' as an agency for. tho'employers they could hot get a much' better deal out of it than tlioy did now!, It was almost impossible for tho unions to. get a prosecution;,' . An Inquiry Asked For. -

Olio object of tho, deputation was to ask for a commission of inquiry into tho administration of, 1 tlie." Department." Mr. Elston stated .that oil January'2l lie was told by Mr. Talbot, Labour Department inspector at ,G.r,ey mouth, that the duty of an inspector was'confined- to making 'inquiries when complaints were lodged. Mr. Talbot .also told him that' an inspector got no kudos from the head of ,the Department oil. account of the number,of prosecutions lie' initiatcd, but rather trot credit for haying "a clean .sheet" at tho end' of the year. Later, Mr. Elston continued, he:'mentioned, .the 'same matter to' Mr. Lomas (Secretary'-for Labour) at Christchurch. Mr. I 'Lomas told,him that inspectors .were given Specific instructions to m'nke 'inquiries as. to. whether awards were being observed and offered to show him a birculnr letter in which these instructions were conveyed to inspector?. Mr; Elston: added that ho 'understood' from all the inspectors hp hnd spoken to, however, thnt they sat in their offices and jvaitod until some union representative made a complaint;, Then they moved, sometimes, bjit generally the results; jjrero very unsatisfactory 'from tho union*»>«iiit of view. : Mr. Lomas had told him that union organisers weroln a better' position to do this work than inspectors of'factories. Tluis being so he (Mr. Elston) suggested that the union offioials should get thc nioney for it, He. lwd no hesitation in saying that there was a general misapprehension in the minds of inspectors of factories as to'their duties. Personally he'would not be satisflp<l with an ordiiinrv inquiry, but would like a Royal Commission to, look into the matter. ' « . "No Satisfaction," x Since November 12, 1912, Mr. Elston continued, lie had put ten cases of breach of award before the Department. With the exception of one case at Irivercargill the iinions' concerned got absolutely no satisfaction. In Dtiiicdin on November 12 lie reported to the Department a cose in which a young man named Fail, who had served'five years a« a'patternmaker with Messrs. A. and T. Butt, was Riven tho usual certificate on leaving, and also a soleiidid reference. Subsequently he worked as a journeyman with firing in Dunedin and Christchurch, and again received splendid references. On returning to Dunedin lie was nrrain emploved by A. and T. Burt, but the'firm paid him only 3fis. a week instead of the minimum rate of 60s. per week. Tho case was reported i to JXjv Browett, Labour Department inspector at Dunedin, who' eventually took up the ease "in' a half-hearted sort of manner." Up to the. present verv little had! been done. The inspector had informed him that he had .recoimnendod that tho caso N> taken to th« "Arbitration Court. My. Elston submitted that this was a. case .for an ordinary prosecution. Another case was neglected at Inverear. gill <uv tho plea that it was impossible to ge.t 'data as to the particular days on wl"ch '"nl'npaid work .'was done. Sir. Elston cited other cases of alleged underpaying in different' parts of the Dominion. He stated thnt a blacksmith had been employed in Cable's foundry at Kaiwarra as an improver without a 'permit having been iirst obtained, as required by law. Mr. M. Malonoy (Dunedin) supported the representations which had been mado on the subject of apprentices. No Grlevanco at Auckland. Mr. H. B'arifield (organiser for the Auckland district carpenters) said that his organisation liad very little in the shape of grievance against the Labour Department. He did not know whether the Auckland branch of the Department was better supplied with more intelligent officers or not limn branches in other parts of the Dominion. As a fact, the Auckland inspectors find been charged with being over7.palous. If the law was not being admifiMeyed properly in remote, places like Dunedin or Invercargill. it was no doubt right that th? deputation should make complaints. . Dunedin Satisfied. Mr. E. Kcllett, organiser for the Otago carpenters, said that ho had teen nothing

of tho matters complained of. At any timo when lio had taken a complaint to tlio Department lie had always received the utmost courtesy, and got a quick reply. There must bo some other way of going about it, but tlio complaint* mado did not apply so far as tho Dunodin carpenters were concerned. The representative of the Auckland engineers said that tho! secretary of his organisation had considerable difficulty in securing the enforcement of awards. Mr. Elston pointed out that seventeen unions had cancelled tlieir registration within a limited period. This indicated discontent on tho part of those.who certainly did not wish to oppose arbitration. •Mr. G. Blatherwick, representing tho Wellington carpenters, said that when bo. had a griovapco he went, to the head of I tho Department, and if he failed to obtain satisfaction, ' took anothor course, His union had taken tho troublo'te provide its members with "financial cards," and considered that tho Departmental inspectors should ask tho men on tho jobs whether they had these cards. At present tho inspectors did not do so. Protection Wanted.,' Mr. Malonoy (Dunedin) remarked that a good deal of machinery entered New Zealand duty free. It was tho opinion of,, his society that tho industry needed some protection. "If you don't give it to us,.' added Mr. Maloney, "take it oir tho others, and let us get cheaper boots and clothing. We .don't see why we should be tho exception." Mr. Elston said that Mr. Maloney was voicing his, personal views, and not those of tlio Society of Engineers. . Mr, Moloney: I am 6peaking for a majority, Mr.' Elston. '

MINISTER IN REPLY,

CHARGES TO BE INQUIRED INTO.;' The Prime Minister said that ho , was : J? 1 '? glad to meet tho representatives of the.different trades. Certain charges liad been mado against tho Labour Department, and a commission of inquiry had been asked for. As far' as tho charge of bias was ooncomed/ it was hardly borno out by the facts, and he was glad to notice that oil this ppint there was a difference of opinion amongst members of tho deputation themselves. . His instructions Jo tlio 'head of tho Labour Department (Mr. Lomas), who was a particularly good officer, wore to administer the Act fearlessly;, without fear or favpur.. Tho position of an inspector, however, . was sometimes ii very difficult one. He had to administer theActandyet mustavoid harassing unduly either' employers ori'.em-l ployees. Ho hrfd not had an opportunity of meeting the inspector at Dunedin who had been mentioned, but recently lio had appointed a former member of Parliament (Mr. Arnold), Assistant-Inspector of Factories at Dunedin,' and had received letters from both employers and Employees indicating that the appointment had given great .satisfaction, Tlio wholo of "tho_eases.mentioned by Mr. Elston would bo inquired into. Every inspector must do his duty, and, if ho did not must' take the consequences.' * A full statement regarding tlio caso of the young mirn Fail' at Dunedin' had been forwarded to tlio Department ljy. Mr. • Browott (inspector at' Dunedin). On February 15, Mr. Rowley (Deputy-Chief Inspector) had .written' ,to .Mri Broivett' regarding .the alleged 1 breach of award • by,, Messrs. A.-and T. Burt, : and telling him that as lio had been too late to have tlio case heard at tho ,'ast sitting of the Arbitration .Court he had better, withdraw., the citation and filo tlie case before a magistrate. The letter added that an almost identical caso, was about to bo lienr(l by Dr." M'Arthur in Wellington. " f The Duties of Inspectors,' v : Thp. instructions .ip inspector's " generally, .Mr., Massev continued, .were to carry on. .tlie • administration of .awards irrespective of' complaints being .made, but'to a'largo extent the wholp time "of < nil, inspector. was . taken Up' in /dealing with complaints!' , As to the request for an inquiry,; Mr. Jlassey remarked .that he could hardly set up a Commission, with 1 a roving 'commission, to 'make the inquiries suggested, but the inquiries would ,be mad'«. .' ' 1 " ' '. 1 . V The Labour Court, .. He wont 9n to stato that an amendment to tho Arbitration Act was'in-pre-paration. It. would bo a' consolidating measure bringing the Arbitration Act'up to date, and .simplifying it os far as pos-: sible. As to tlio suggestion that another, form of' Labour Court should.be set up, the Government intended to stand by tho Arbitration, Court. Ho'did ;iiot say (Jiat, ,tli© Arbitration was perfect,, Ho would bp; glad to receiveiny suggestions., for the improvement of tie Act; .and submit them to tho Labour Bills' Committeb of tho House of .Representatives. ■" . As to-one; of .the minor points raised, Mr. Massey said that it .would not bo fair and would hardly be practicable ,to prevent men engaged in driving'engines' from doing minor repairs, i . : He would give' special instruction's regarding the suggestions about apprentices," and. would look' into the matter with :a view: to nil amendment being hiado'if pn ajnendment, 'were ! needed.'