LABOUR NOTES

Evening Post, Volume XCIV, Issue 114, 10 November 1917, Page 10

LABOUR NOTES

The session of Parliament: which has just ended was not of special interest to Labour, very Jttle industrial legislation being dealt with. Mr. A. H. Hindmarsh managed to secure the passage of a short bill to restrict the employment of female assistant's in restaurants, tearooms, and marble bars .to 10.30 p.m., except on a limited number of occasions and under special conditions. Hitherto there has been no limit to the hour up to which girl* in such establishments might be employed. "The supporters of the measure argued that, as the pubfie ayear or two ago were able to do withcf nt, lnai: bJ e barfi> they should now be able to do without them after 10.30 p.m.' The BiU originally fixed the hour at 10 p.m., and made the restriction apply also to hotela ; but the half-hour was given as a compromise with opponents, and the provision regarding hotels was struck out because it. complicated the measure and was not necessary on the same grounds as applied to tea-rooms. . Mother piece of legislation of special interest to Labour was the amendment of tne War Kent provisions of the War v° Ameudment Act-. This proviaed that proceedings to ascertain standard rent might be taken .by Inspectors of Factories on behalf of aggrieved tenants; that the law should apply to furnished houses, and that valuation for standard rent purposes should be based upon pre-war values. me last-mentioned provision -was inserted by the Prime Minister af the request of Air. -Hindroarsh, who pointed out that if the valuation were to take into'consideration the scarcity of bouses, cost of materials and other present causes of added he defeated 6 PMP°ee Uw ™M

One proposed enactment which threatened to cause trouble was dropped in the fijial hours of the'session.. This was the claaf added to the Statete Law Amendment BUI empowering the Government ■to suspend any award-or- agreement/ or any clause in the Shops and Offices' Act, or Factories' Act, so as to provide for ■the employment of disabled soldiers. The representatives, of Labour in the Legislative Council explained that they were 2m«l« PPO?1 lo f T kin S P™™°« for the employment of discharged soldiers; but Labour must see that thi& provision which would, be for all time, wa not I open to abuse. The Hon. ■J. Barr su°nf^ the".««P««ion of awards and tISA V't ■■PJ? VISIOns should be made by I the Arbitration Count, which would be »n-a position to consider the arguments Fiancis Bell explained that there w<is no desire fcj- infringe ithe rights of Labe Usom should be some definite provision for the-case of the soW.ers.The difficulty leading to Jon T'^ of*he dause was the ques-' "".' sto. h™ fte W should be adU.-isteied-whether^ by the Minister in charge of the Discharged Soldiers' Department, or by the Arbitration Court.th!t in the to the best methods to pursue.-It may be pointed-out that the Government^ already powers, though these, are' w4 powers only, to deal with awards aM Kv°rtf °f thf m°S- fc im P°rtant claimamade by the workers in the-recent plumbers' dispute was that employers should allow their apprentices time off in the dayTl" 6 I\% to^ ttend; technical claseei. Hie Arbitration Court declined to make provision in tliie direction, Mr. M'Cullough (workers' representative) dissenting ; but it made attendance at a technical school compulsory,for all apprentices residing within "four miles or the place where the classes are held ,(the | employers to pay the fees), and it further provided- increased increments for apprentices passing examinations.' Though the unions were unsuccessful in obtaining the daytime off through the Court it was secured by agreement with the employers in one small district—Nelson. 1 his agreement provided that one halfday should be allowed weekly during the first three years of apprenticeship for attendance at the technical school. This is quite a moderate provision,' since it deprives the employer of his boys' services for less than-one-tenth of the weekly hours—the apprentice will still have to devote .a considerable portion of his own time to school attendance and study. Also the time is taken when the youth is most likely to profit by a set course of instruction and . when Hs services are least valuable to his employer.- This small- experiment in- Nelson "should : be watched, carefully'by industrialists and teachers who have advocated regular and methodical instruction of apprentices in the daytime. . :'■ .