ARBITRATION MATTERS

Evening Star, Issue 22440, 10 September 1936, Page 8

ARBITRATION MATTERS

BASIC WAGE NDT APPLICABLE TD APPRENTICES DELAY IN FIXATION NOT IMPORTANT [Prom Our Parliamentary Reporter.] WELLINGTON, September 10. .The advisability of introducing further legislation givinc the Labour Department power to exempt adult apprentices from the basic wage under certain conditions is being considered by the Minister of Labour. . The Minister stated to-day, in reply to a question, that it was not his intention that the basic wage should apply to those serving apprenticeships under the Apprentices Act, but there was a division of opinion among the legal advisers of the Government as to whetliei it would apply. He was therefore considering the ; question of making the position clear by introducing a further The attention of the Minister was also drawn to the fact that the Arbitration Amendment Act provided that the court must declare the basic wr.ge within three months after the passing of the Act, and that that period had expired on September 8. . The Minister replied that owing to the abnormal amount of work thrown on the court it had not been possible for it to fix the basic wage within the time allowed in the Act, hut the delay would not matter very much, because the court was the deciding factor as to when the basic wage was to operate. The question of setting up another court, even if it was only of a temporary nature, would be considered, said the Minister. He was getting a report on the number c cases that had to come before the court and the probable length of time that would be taken in dealing with them.