OVER-RIDING PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 47, 16 July 1914, Page 5

OVER-RIDING PARLIAMENT.

AN UNUSUAL POSITION. Per Press Association. . C'iristchureh, Last Night. | the curious spectacle was seen tuj day of assessors in a sitting of the Concihation Council weighing a motion which on the face of it seemed to usurp I some of the powers of the Legislature. j In its bald form the motion read- "In I the event of any legislation being parsed affecting hours of work in woollen mills, Buch legislation shall have no effect during the currency of this awaTd." To explain the position, it should be said that the woollen mills, which em- , ploy largo numbers of females and boys now work 48 hours per week, and that Mr. T. M. Wilford, M.P., ha= introduced an amending Bill into the House of Parliament to limit the hours of women workers to 45. The employers' assessors, before entering on consideration of the claims made to-day, wanted the question of hours settled, and suggested Borne agreement to this. One of the Labor men responded by proposing the motion quoted, and the matter dropped for the time being, the employers understanding that the proposal' had been agreed to. At the end of the sitting this question cropped up again, and the union men were loud in their denial of anv such motion. One individual went, so'far n« to say to a Press reporter that if lie" i reported the motion thev would repudiate it. The fear of ilic'Labor men w; , 3 | that if any publicity were given to what i the employers certainly regarded as an I agreement, any <-.han<V of Mr. WilfordV Bill passing Parliament would he gone.

AN UNUSUAL POSITION