NEW LEGISLATION

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 67, 16 September 1936, Page 4

NEW LEGISLATION

LABOUR DEPARTMENT

BUSY

INTERPRETING DETAILS

With "■ the wealth of new legislation passed this session the 'officers of the Labour Department are extremely busy at present, clarifying clauses of the various Acts to individuals of the public, assisting them to apply them in their own instances, and generally oiling the. wheels of the law to the average citizen. Nearly every clause in a new Act will appear ambiguous to somebody, clear enough though its intention is in general, and there are people who are: quite unable to interpret the effect of new legislation on their particular affairs'• or interests without some assistance, V, i

This has kept officers of the Department busy, but putting into effect the purely automatic effect of the new legislation in a practical way has also given a good deal of work. Most of the questions put to the officers are in regard to borderline cases, where the particular clause leaves the inquiring party in doubt, and the duty, also devolves on the machinery of the Department to see that the new laws are in every case being complied ..with. There has been a general broadening of the scope of the Department's activities;.with the advent of the-new laws, and most branches of the Labour Department have" become extremely busy." Refitted and rearranged, all offices are now hives of activity, and so numerous are the questions and degrees of assistance sought that it is not easy to find members of the staff free to deal with members of the, public as they arrive. That there are no queues is due largely to the promptness and willingness with; which all questions are answered.. . . ''■ ■' HOURS AND FAIR RENTS. The introduction of the 40-hour week and the fair rents legislation alone are responsible for a great deal of the extra activities falling on a Department which has always had its fair share of work, while the number of industrial disputes in hand and pending has added to. ( the inquiries, madedaiiyV VThe completeness of the:placement ''scheme has entirely remodelled one 'phase, of the Department's work. V I: With; the" change in'legislation the i Trades Hall has become, if not technically a Government Department, at least the anteroom to the Labour Department, and the increased importance of trade unions is reflected in greatly increased work therei; where interrogators are also numerous. ..;■) ■

• MuchVof the legislation has made drastic i changes viriithe necessary tabulations and;iriethods of using the figures collected. .One of the important units which has not yet been ; fully put into operation is the machinery for detecting breaches of the new laws and when the Court of Arbitration has finished dealing with all awards, this part of the Labour Department's activities will be a considerable one.1 •; ■