THE HEMP INDUSTRY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 450, 27 February 1909, Page 3

THE HEMP INDUSTRY.

ROYAL COMMISSION ASKED FOR. EMPLOYEES WAIT ON THE MINISTER. The Manawatu Flaxmills Employees Union appointed three delegates, namely, Messrs P. T, Robinson, R. H. Dalhousie and G. S. Whibley, to wait on the Minister of Labour with a request that the Government set up a Royal Commission to enquire into the hemp industry, and review the whole question. In order to strengthen the request the deputation was armed with facts and figures connected with the industry of a particularly interesting and exhaustive nature. The Minister granted a patient and sympathetic hearing to the representatives at Wellington yesterday and questioned the delegates and carefully examined the figures. He did not commit himself beyond stating that he would place the request before Cabinet. We are intormed by one of the deputation that the Minister was particularly interested with the cutting rights imposed by the Moutoa Estate, and he particularly drew the attention of the pressmen present to that phase of the question. A full report of the deputation’s visit, together with the whole of the information submitted to the Minister, will appear in Tuesday’s issub of the Herald.

In an interview with the Secretary of the Flaxmills Employees Union this morning our representative was informed that marked exception was taken by the deputation to an inspired article published in the Wellington papers to the effect that if a vote were taken at least 75 per cent, of the flaxmills employees would agree to go back to the conditions existing before the award came into force. This statement, said Mr Robinson, was published with a view to belittle the deputation. As a matter of fact the employees at a recent well-attended meeting, were unanimously opposed to working under conditions which existed before the award came into force.