MILITARY TRAINEES

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 69, 19 September 1927, Page 10

MILITARY TRAINEES

PAYMENT DURING CAMP

PROTEST BY EMPLOYERS

DUTY OF THE STATE

(By Telegraph.) (Special to "The Evening Post.")

DTJNEDIN, This Day

The payment of wages of youths and apprentices during their enforced absence from work while in military training camps is, in the opinion of employers generally, an indignity and injustice which has been tolerated long enough.

The Otago Employers' Federation and employers' trade organisations throughout the city have united in. a strong protest against the Government's action in refusing to amend the position this session. Cabinet's latest decision on the question is to the effect that no change will be made in the Act, which demands that employers shall pay. full wages to military trainees while in camp.

According to Mr. K. S. Dickson, secretary of the Otago Employers' Federation, the employers are indignant at the attitude of the Government, whicl^ has virtually gone back on the understanding .reached some time ago between the Minister of Labour and the Employers' Federation. Prior to the war, said Mr. Cookson, military trainees were paid by the Defence Department for the period of training spent in annual camps and during that time employers were not obliged to pay wages. During the war compulsory military training lapsed, but. on resumption of the system the Defence Department abandoned the policy of paying trainees Kand the obligation was thus forced upon the employers to pay wages for periods during which they were not only deprived of their youth's services, but also faced with .disorganisation and inconvenience consequent on depleted staffs. This has now become a cause of general dissatisfaction.

Speaking of what had already been done, Mr. Cookson said that during tho past four years the federation had made many representations to the Government asking that relief should be granted from what was considered to be an obvious injustice to employers. When the matter was first taken up two requests were made. In the first place it was asked that the State should pay trainees while in camp, and, secondly, that employers should be relieved of the obligation to pay also. The first request had been acceded to and the Government now paid about 4s, liut the second request was ignored, with the result that the employers were still compelled to pay full wages. "As a principle," said Mr. Cookson, "it is recognised that the proper military training of all youth is a State responsibility entirely and all cost of training should be borne as nearly as possible by the whole community. It will be seen, however, that this is very far from being tho ease in New Zealand. The employer of this class of worker has a direct contribution to make to the cost of the system, in addition to his indirect payment per medium of taxation."

Early in the present session, said Mr. Cookson, tho matter was taken up with tho Minister of Labour (Mr. G. J. Anderson) and the replies received from him indicated that relief would probably be granted during the present session. Intimation, however, had now been received that Cabinet had decided to take no action in tho direction of amending tho law to relieve the employers. Tho feeling among employers was so strong that several messages had been sent to tho Prime Minister (Mr. J. G. Coates) urging further consideration should bo given to the matter.