ESSENTIAL INDUSTRIES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3056, 18 April 1917, Page 8

ESSENTIAL INDUSTRIES

PENALTIES FOR STRIKERS TRANSPORT WORKERS LIABLE An Order-in-Council. was ■ gazetted yesterday, which adds to the list of industries classed as essential the following:— i The shipping industry. The carriage of goods,, merchandise, or passengers by land or sea. The lading and unlading of ships. . The frozen meat industry. In February last regulations were made giving the Government power, if satisfied that any industry is essential for the public welfare, to declare that industry ah essential industry. At the same time regulations were made declaring strikes* or lock-outs .in industries which had been proclaimed to be essential to be seditious strikes or lockouts, and declaring also that persons who were in any way parties to such' seditious strikes"or lock-outs should bo deemed to have committed an offence under the regulations. The penalty for' breach of this or any other of the War Regulations may, in the discretion of the magistr ite hearing the case, be a fine not exceeding £100, or imprisonment for- a .period not,, exceeding twelve months. ' By Order-in-Council dated February • 16 the coal mining industry was declared to .be an essential- industry. Until yesterday no other industries had been proclaimed to be essential. The effect of the regulation now is that the following classes of workers are made liable to special penalties if they go on strike:—Coal miners, 6eamen.aiid firemen, waterside workers, drivers, railwaymen, and all men • employed .in I frozen meat works... • •