FIRM FINED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 May 1941, Page 6

FIRM FINED

FAILURE TO REINSTATE EMPLOYEES ON CONCLUSION OF SERVICE IN TERRITORIALS. COMMENT BY MAGISTRATE. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Failure by D. P. Fisher Ltd., piston and ring manufacturers, to reinstate two employees at the ' conclusion of their Territorial military service, resulted in their conviction by Mr J. 11. Lnxford, S.M., who, in a reserved decision today, commented that in one instance the defendant firm had attempted to punish a young lad whose only fault was a keen and commendable desire to make himself an efficient citizen soldier and that,’ in the other instance, it had attempted to discredit a youth as a workman in order to evade its responsibilities under the regulations. The first instance, Mr Luxford said, called for a substantial pen-j alty and he imposed a fine of £2O and also' ordered payment of six weeks wages at £1 12s 6d a week and payment of the costs of the information.

The lad. T. K. Needham, was a volunteer member of the Territorial Force, who was ordered to report for mobilisation training and who applied for reinstatement on the day following the completion of his military duties. He was told that the matter would be considered and later was informed that the firm could not reinstate him. In the other case a fine of £lO was imposed,' with three weeks’ wages and costs. The Magistrate remarked that the fact that the man obtained employ’ ment at a higher wage three weeks after his discharge from the Army did not minimise the defendants’ offence.