AN INDUSTRIAL PROBLEM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14109, 10 July 1909, Page 6

AN INDUSTRIAL PROBLEM.

[by TELEGRAPH.— PRESS ASSOCIATION.]

Wellington, Friday. A deputation from the Furniture Trade Union to-night-, asked the Acting-Minister for Labour (Hon. J. A. Millar) for information as to the position of unionists and nonunionists under awards giving preference to unionists. The point was that at present there is no law to decide whether the suspension of a non-unionist amounts to dismissal, whereas under one section of the Act suspension of a unionist amounts to dismissal after 10 days. It was complained that at present the non-unionist was in a better position than the unionist. A case was instanced where an employer told a man to take a holiday and not put his name on the employment book. Ho did as directed, and while he was llhus out of work a non-unionist was taken on.

Mr. Millar, in reply, said that no doubt an anomaly existed. Ho would look into the matter. Probably there would be an amendment of the Arbitration Act next session, though if they started amendments they would have to run the gauntlet of the whole concern, and he- had bad enough of that last year to last him some time. ' In answering a complaint about the method of keeping employment books, Mr. Millar said the system was to be altered. Everybody who went to the Labour Department and said he was unemployed would have to fill in a form stating the particulars of his circumstances, length of unemployment, etc.