EARLY CLOSING

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3144, 24 July 1917, Page 6

EARLY CLOSING

HOTEL WORKERS' PROTEST

DEPUTATION TO THE PRIME

Mi NISTM

liarly' closing <»: hotel bars was oppoiwi uy ji deiniUW. 'U I'upre.seiitim; hotel workuivs tlriouyliouf \ "t- , -Duuiinion, wmen waited upon We i.'M\ ue Minister (Kijjlit Hon. \V. !•'. Jliiosey.) yesterday. jjio. deputation was Jieudtd uy Mr. A. .Jackson, president of the jSI, 'Jtel and Kestauirimt Workers' Association • Air. Jackjou said that the hotel workers of i\ew Zealand ielfc t n at their interests were affected very i :iosely by the proposal at present bo-fort • the Ivovcni'nient, lor the six o'clock ak ' s ' n ff of hotel bars. If the Government iv i its wisdom decided that it was necK»u\".y that six o'clock closing of hotels sht'uld be enforced, the hotel workers aska d tho Government to legislate for the £\iinc loure of work in hotels as those An any shop that closed at six. If it Vvav> a fair thing to close the hotels at sis, then it was also a fair thing to provh\e ,I'or the servants of these hotels, so that they should not be thrown out of omjWoyment. The hotel workers' organisations had carefully considered the position, and after analysing it wero convince.! that fully one-third of the hotel sei*vante would be thrown out of work, wiiMiaut any provision .for their employment fceing made in any other occupation at wages and conditions similar to th<>se which they were now working under. The hotels at the present time wen? open for 1G hours a day, and the hotelworkers' award made provision for 10 hours a day, consequently this entailed upon the hotel proprietor the keeping of two shifts. With tho introduction of six o'clock closing one of these shifts could quite easily be done without; and in the case of houses near big residential areas, where the bulk of the business was done in the evening, it would mean practically all hands going put. Nearly 4000 Workers. "The strength of my orgameati-.m, ac--cordin" to our last returns to the rfgistrar, is 3821," added Mr. Jackson. "Of this total there are employed in hotels: Females, 1273; males, 700. From my organisation 700 men have gone voluntarily to tho front, and quite a lot if these men are now returning, expecting to get their positions back again, .is it v.'as agreed by the licensed victuallers in most of the towns in Now Zealand that any man who volunteered ar.d returned should have his position back again. This it would not be possible tj do if the hotels were closed at six o clock. Tho majority of men nowaremaiiung in hotels are married men with families, or men unfit for military si.rvico. Tho majority of hotel servants a-o lot suitable as workers except at the class of work they are now engaged in, and for these reasons wo ask the Government to take into serious consideration the position our people will find themselves placed in if the Government decide upon six o'clock closing, and inako no provision for shortening the hours of hotel workers, making it impossible for the licensees to dispense with any of their staff." The Prohibition Party havß;used certain sections of the public to er.giircer the feix o'clock closing movement, srfxd had "dug themselves in bf.-hind these people." The Prohibition Party had never yet put forward any suggestious as io what was to become of the hotel servants should they be thrown rut of employment as the result rf their agitation, "it did not appear t!<at they cared who suffered so long ;>s tney obtained their ends. They asked foi ylx o clock clown" , on the grounds of efficiency and economy. Tho worker in hotels eaw around kim tho more leisured nrd well-to-do sections of the cjuimnnity who, owing to the prosperity induced by war conditions, were able to spend money lavishly on their personal desires, borne of this claw wero amongst tlit.se who from the early closing platform counselled the workers to greater efforts in economy and efficiency. Would tho throwing out of employment of a large number of men and women, who would be inefficient, in other walks of life, make for greater efficiency and economy? A Charge Contradicted. "A member of the House has charged the officials'(myself included) of .the hotel workers' organisation of being in the pay of the Lid nor Party of this country," said Me. Jackson. "I want to give that the lie direct. It. was a cowardly thing to do to attack officials of an organisation in a place where we have no chance of replying. . 1 invite that gentleman to come along to a meeting of either the Auckland, Wellington, Christclnirch, or' Dmiedin Tfnions and make that statement to the hotel workers in those centres, and we -will see what the hotel workers of this country will have to say to him. The/ Prohibition Party circularised every trade union in this country, asking them to pass, resolutions in favour of sis o'clock closing, and it is owing to the fact that they, circularised the trade unions that it has been necessary for our organisation to go to no end of expense in combating that circular. My'organisation circularised practically all of the northern unions in answer'to the No-License circular, but we fou"d it was not possible to do the same with the South Island, so our organisation decided that it wns necessary in. tho interests of the hotel workers that we shouild interview all those other unions that had not been circularised, pointing out to them what it would mean to Hie hotel workers of this country if six o'clock closing was carried without makprovision for the workers in that industry. In Australia the introduction of six o'clock closing throw thousands of liote! workers out of employment, this despite Hie fact that the hotel workers wf'e working an eight-hour day.' Jtr E. Kennedy, secretary of the Wellington Hotel Workers' Union, supported "the claim of the deputation. IT» said that if the hotels were compelled to close at six p.m. the Government should face the ncce'sity of protecting the interest-* of the hotel workers who "•err threatened with less of their livelihood. The Prime 'Minister, in reply, said that the objects of Hip deputation had been to ensure that the special interests of th" class it represented would be pat'esrunrdwl in any prorawed legislation. The lintel workers <:oul<l be assured that their object had heci effected. There was not the slightest doubt of ihnr. Th" Government aim Ml at. helping the whole of

The Primp 'Minister, in reply, raid Hint the object* of Hie deputation had been to ensure that the special interests of th" class it represented would be safeguarded i't any procosed legislation. The hotel workers could be assured that their object hfl'.l neP'i effected. There was not the slightest doubt of that. Th" Govprnmnnt aimed i\t. helping the whole of t'ip n»ople. aiu 1 no one spet.ion wonM l>° allowed to suffer. Legislation to deal with th" linnnr tn'de had "ot yet bppn nrenared. The mn.ttp' , nnrl b""n considered one or twice bv Cabinet, but'it hi"' >,nt vet taken legislative shape. It would, however, come rn for decision within tlie next few weeks.