THE THIRD PARTY

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 115, 18 May 1938, Page 6

THE THIRD PARTY

REGARD FOR PUBLIC

LAUNDRY RESTRICTIONS

"We must not lose sight of a third party—the public," said Mr. A. W. Nisbet, advocate for the employers, at today's discussion in Conciliation Council of the Wellington district laundry workers' dispute.

"A laundry is a public utility," Mr. Nisbet said. "The present Government have some very laudable ideas, and however one may disagree with some of their methods of trying to implement their policy, I think most people admit that some of their objectives are very laudable. One of their opjectives is to create greater leisure.. . . Surely that leisure should apply not only to the worker but to his wife. A laundry is a pulbic utility, just as the removal of refuse or the supply of clean water is, and if» the cost of laundry work is going to be forced up out of all reason it simply means that the work will be thrown back on the housewife and she will not be enjoying the leisure that she is entitled to. I think we have to maintain a balance between fair treatment of the employees in the laundry industry and undue restrictions on a public utility."

The Conciliation Commissioner (Mr. M. J. Reardon) presided over the meet: ing, at which Mr. F. D. Cornwell was the advocate for the applicant union, the Wellington Laundry Workers', Dyers', and Dry Cleaners' Union, the assessors being Mr. F. Oldham and Mesdames L. Gibson, Taylor, and D. Turnbull, all of Wellington. With Mr. Nisbet as assessors for the employers were Messrs. A. Anderson (Petone), J. W. Penman (Wellington), L. de Launay (Wellington), and G. L. Riley (Wellington).

Little progress was made during the morning, and discussion was continued this afternoon.