UNIONIST DEPUTATION.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 65, 8 July 1914, Page 6

UNIONIST DEPUTATION.

£piß" Press Association.] Wellington, July 8. A deputation from the Federated Timber Workers' Union waited upon Mr Massey to-day to lay before hurt among other matters an objection to the importation of foreign timber in small sizes, which deprived local workers of a considerable amount of employment. The deputation asked that duty be placed on all timbers under the size of 12 v 12. The deputation asserted it had been found that when wages wc.vc raised by the court 5 per cent, the price of the commodity affected often went up to 10 to 15 per cent. They that employers could not raise the suggested an amendment of the Act so prices unless it was proved to the court they had a claim to do so.

Replying, Mr Massey said there was a certain amount of force in the request for increased duty on the small size of timbers, and he would give it his attention. The Government would gladly help in stopping employers raising prices. The Forestry Department was experimenting with a variety ot poplar as a substitute for white pine for butter boxes. It was the intention to establish a State sawmill in Waipoua forest. The difficulty as regards carriage of "shorts" was that the railways must pay their way. It depended on the way in which Parliament got through the work whether they could deal with the Workers' Compensation Act. As to\the suggestion to put an export duty* on butter, he pointed out the serious danger of tampering with exports. They should encourage exports in every possible way. No doubt butter had been too dear. New Zealand was utterly opposed to any combination for putting up the prices, and he was prepared to introduce legislation to prevent it. As to the Union's liberty to spend funds as deemed fit, he pointed out that the present law applied to the registration of. unions only for the purposes of; the Act. It seemed to him that a trades union was not intended to be a political association, and it was hardly fair to use the funds of a minority for purposes of which it did not approve.