THE NORTHERN TERRITORY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 10710, 4 November 1912, Page 4

THE NORTHERN TERRITORY.

An interesting situation lias arisen in Australian Labour circles, owing to the determined attitude of the Administrator of the Northern Territory (Dr Gilruth) regarding the hours to T)e worked by men under his control. It is stated that when Mr Thomas vww in the Territory recently lie informed the men they could work the hours which tho majority of them decided were most convenient. Dr Gilruth fixed the hour at which the men should begin at S a.m., but when the hotel proprietors made representations that they could not get their cooks to start work in time to give the men their breakfast sufficiently early, he agreed to make the hours 7.30 a.m. to 4 p.m., with half an hour for lunch. The men . however, declined to commence before 8 a.m., and, pending a settlement of the difficulty, the Administrator is docking them half an hour's pay. The matter has been referred to ,Mr Thomas, who is thus placed in tho awkward I position of being compelled to decide between the Administrator of the Territory and the Association to which the men concerned belonged. Advocates of tho White Australia policy are much perturbed at the fact that during tho short time 'Dr Gilruth has been in charge he has approved of a substantia] increase of the wages of the Chines© cook, and has engaged; three Chinese servants. They aro desirous of ascertaining if white people could bo obtained, and it is not unlikely that questions will be asked on tho subject when the House meets.