REGISTRY OFFICES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1771, 9 June 1913, Page 4

REGISTRY OFFICES.

REPORT TO BE OBTAINED. A deputation of registry office keepers waited upon the Hon. W. P. Massey oil Saturday, in his capacity as Minister for Labour, to protest against, the recent action of the Labour Department in gazetting a reduced scalo of fees for registry J 6Uleesr: The rtsresenWtions mado were on similar lines to those made by a deputation which waited upon tho Hon. A. L. Herdmaa Veconily. Mr. Massey said that tho alteration in the scalo was the result of numerous complaints which had reached him. 110 reminded tho. deputation that legislation on tho Statute Book and regulations made thereunder directed that registry oflieo fees should 1» paid partly by tho employer and partly by tho worker. Their own books showed, he continued, that Uiey wero charging tho worker the maximum and employers tho minimum. In consequence, there had been numerous applications mado to him to cancel tho whole of their licenses and allow tho work to be dono by tho Labour Department. Ho was not inclined, for several reasons, to tako up that position, but would quite freely admit that tho registry oflieo keeper was entitled to his fee, just os tho worker was entitled to his hire. Something had to bo dono to put matters right, and to give effect-to tho intentions of Parliament, and if an arrangement could ba made by which a license would be cancelled in tho event of fees being apportioned wrongly, ho would have no objection to going Wit to tho old scale. Apart from this, however, lio intended to get a report from tho officers of tho Labour Department regarding tho lnamiel in wliich cvory registry office in New Zenland was conducted. Whon ho had obtained this report lie would make up his mind as to wliat was tho proper course to take. As to a complaint that insufficient notice had been given of tho new scale of fees, 'Mr. Massey said that amplo notice had been given in tho press aud in tho publications of tho Labour Department.