"GOOD" AND "BAD"

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 124, 27 May 1936, Page 10

"GOOD" AND "BAD"

CLAUSES ANALYSED. i 44-HOUR WEEK FAVOURED. " WELL-MEANING IDEALISTS." (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Tuesday. Opposition criticism of the Shops and Offices Amendment Bill was opened by Mr. S. G. Holland (National, Christcliurch North), who expressed approval of many of the provisions of the bill, but said that it contained a number of objectionable clauses that were also in the Factories Bill. The Minister, he eaid, had charged the Opposition with discussing only the bad clauses and not saying anything about the good clauses, but he considered that there should not be any bad clauses in a bill. However, he was prepared to say that there were some good clauses, which he was pleased to see. The Opposition, he added, was in favour of a 44-hour week for shops and offices, and he hoped there would be no misunderstanding on that point. Mr. W. J. Lyon (Government, Waitemata): Will you vote'for that clause? Mr. Holland: Definitely, we will vote for it. Mr. Holland also said the Opposition was in favour of the commencing rate for young persons being fixed at 15/ a week, and agreed with the overtime rate of 1/6 an hour. Mr. J. A. Lee (Government, Grey Lynn): We're converting you gradually. Mr. Holland said he did not need an}* converting. The Opposition, he continued, supported the clause which prevented an employer from extracting a

premium for teaching a worker a trade, and also the clause which provided that youths under 18 years must not ba employed in restaurants after 10 p.m. However, there were other clauses that were not so satisfactory. "Drunk With Power." At least one bad clause had been eliminated from the bill, and that was one that would have prevented a boy of 10 or 17 from carrying a bag of sugar on a bicycle, side car or trailer. The more one studied the Government's proposals, said Mr. Holland, the more one was forced to the opinion that the Government's industrial programme was a result or product of a team of wellmeaning idealists, who were "drunk with the power for which they had thirsted for many years." He was aware, he said, that the Labour party was trying to run the Chris tchurch tramways, and that the ratepayers, were being asked to find £20,000 a year. Mr. W. J. Jordan (Government, Manukau): What did they have to find before Labour took over. Mr. Holland: They never found one penny. That was a very good interjection. It was a fair statement to make :n connection with the Government's industrial legislation, continued Mr. Holland, that there was a general feeling of alarm among employers. There would be an increase in production costs of from 20 to 40 per cent at least, and local manufacturers would not accept forward orders. At present industry in New Zealand was prosperous, but it could not prosper if costs rose 20 to 40 per cent and the Government denied industry the right to recoup itself for those increased costs. No Danger of Ruin. "I want to make the confession that this is not a terribly bad bill," Mr. Holland continued. "It is not a bill that is going to ruin industry. I don't think tlint anything the Government docs will ruin the country —countries are not ruined by Governments—but I do not say that the job we will have to do in three years' time will be made any easier by this bill." (Government laughter.) Mr. Holland suggested that more elasticity should be allowed in regard to the time of closing for the halfholiday, and that the overtime clause should be amended to provide that notice be given to the inspector within 24 hours, instead of in advance. That was the position in regard to work in hotels and restaurants, and there was no evidence before the Labour Bills Committee to show that tlie present provisions had been abused. Mr. Holland also asked that the provision in regard to half-yearly increments of 4/ a week be amended, so as not to penalise an employer who paid a young person more than the minimum rate in the first six months. Another suggestion he made was that the half-holiday in hotels and restaurants should begin a little later than 1 o'clock. Keen disappointment that the Minister had not seen fit to exempt the legal profession from the provisions of the bill was expressed by Mr. Holland, and in conclusion he also put in a plea for the exemption of banks from the bill.