VAUDEVILLE ARTISTS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 53, 2 March 1916, Page 7

VAUDEVILLE ARTISTS.

CKEQK. ON IMPORTATION. '," MEl^UKNE;;;Feb____ry 1 '22.::' The Australian Vaudeville Artists' Federation has requested an amendment of the. Contract Immigrants Act to enable some check to hie placed on tfie" : __it' portation of vaudeville " artists from abroad. The federation does not complain of the introduction of high-class acts, but maintains that in general the Australian performer, df afforded a reasonable opportunity, could give as much satisfaction as an imported artist. , -The' Federal Act as it stands only .applies' to -manual, labourers, and requires th£t';the ; terms of contract shall be ajK proved' in each case by the Minister be* fore the immigrant lands in 'Australia. The A.V__L Federation proposes -to. -extend'the'definition of "contract rimmi-' glint"'so" as to apply' to vaudeville artists, and suggests "the substitution of the registrar under the Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Act in' lieu of the/Minister- as the one whose ap proval should be obtained. — —.-— The question of amending the Act, Mr. Mahon stated;'v-as of course one with which would have to deal, but'as the original intention was only to make .t-apply to manual labourers,' and the "question- of extending its scope to professional workers involves consid--erable difficulties in administration, he does not consider that. any actors can be taken at present. •!