PLUMBERS' REGISTRATION.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1718, 8 April 1913, Page 6

PLUMBERS' REGISTRATION.

SETTING HP THE BOAED. The Plumbers' Registration Act, passed last session, provides that a board shall be set up' to control tho issue of plumbers' licenses in all. parts of the Dominion, so abolishing tho system in vogue, under which licenses entitling a plumber only to work in a certain municipal'area or country district aro issued by' local bodies all' over the country, which levy a varying scale of fees. Henceforth plumb-, ers licensed by the board will be entitled to pursue their calling in any part of the Dominion. The new pluuibers' board is to consist of the following members:— (a) Tho Chief Health Officer for tho time being. . (b) The Inspector-General of Schools for the time being. (c) A person for tho time being holding in New Zealand the position of engineer to a borough council or drainage board, .who shall bo appointed by tho Governor. (d) Two persons being, respectively a master plumber 1 and a journeyman plumber, .who shall be elected by their respective federated associations. liegulations governing tho election and appointment of members of were gazetted last week. Dr.. A T alintine is Chief Health Officer, and Mr. G. Hogben, as Inspector-General of Schools, are members ex-pfiicio. Two drainage boards and twenty-two boroughs, having a population. of over 5000 persons, are entitled to submit nominations to tlie Governor in respect of the third member of the board, an engineer to a borough council or drainage board. These nominations are now being awaited. Both the master plumbers and the operative plumbers are taking steps to elect their representatives on the board. The procedure of the elections is laid down in tho regulations recently published. In each caso the election is to be conducted by the federation to which the operatives' unions or masters' associations are affiliated. Each district union or association is entitled to nominate a candidate. Afterwards ballot papers are to be distributed, and , individual plumbers and master plumbers, are to send their voting papers direct to the presidents of their respective federations. As soon, as practicable after the closing of the ballot, returning officers aro to be appointed and the ballot papers are to be counted ill the presence of as many members as care to be. present. The executive of the Master Plumbers' Federation is at present located in Auckland, and the executive of the Employees' Federation at AA 7elliligton. The candidates definitely nominated so far as representatives of master' plumbers' associations are: Air. C. AA\ Martin (AVellington Association) and Air. T. Ballinger, of AVellington (\A T anganui Association!. understood that the Auckland Association's nominee will be Mr. , Alex. Burt, and that Air. John. S. Douglas will be nominated-in Duncdin. The operative plumbers through their federation elected a representative some time ago,'but the election has since been quashed as informal. In propagation for a new election. Air. 11. Thompson, president of the AA r ellinf:ton Union, has been nominated.in this district, and Air. ■T. Clark has been nominated at Auckland. There.have aUo been nominations at Christclnirch and Dunedin.