LABOUR EXCHANGES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14304, 25 February 1910, Page 5

LABOUR EXCHANGES.

A PROMISING START.

• By Telegraph.—Tress Association. —Copyright. (Received February 24, 10.10 p.m.) ". j 'f ' • »<' , London, February 24. In the House of Commons to-day Mr. Sydney Buxton (President of the Board of : : ; Trade) stated that the Labour Exchanges had made a promising start, and had already filled several thousands of situations.

WORK FOR THE WORKLESS. , The Labour. Exchanges Act, which came •into operation this year, was introduced by Mr. Winston Churchill, President of the Board of Trade, and, ! although':'onlyV: consisting of ■■' some naif-dozen clause!!, provides a comprehensive scheme for the deeasualisation of casual labour. The scheme is as fol- ■ lows:—The whole country is to be divided into ten divisions, each with .• a' divisional 'clearing-house,: presided over' by- a ■ divisional clerk, and all: co-ordinated with a national clearing-house in London. , 'Distributed t among these ten divisions are 30 or 40 firstclass labour exchanges in towns of .' 100,000 inhabitants and upwards, 45 second-class exchanges in towns between 50,000 and 100,000, : and a number of sub-offices in small towns. A joint advisory committeo" is - established in . every . principal centre, on which representatives of workmen : and employers will meet in equal numbers, under the chairmanshin of.' an impartial permanent v, official. Tho ; measure enables the Board > of ; Trade ■to collect and furnish information as to employers requiring workpeople, and workpeople seeking engagement, or employment, and to.authorise loans towards meeting the expenses of workpeople travelling to places where employment* lias been ! found : for thorn throughV a labour exchange. ~An important provision is embodied in clause 2, which enacts that no', person shall suffer'any disqualification or bo otherwise prejudiced: on account of refusing to accent employment found for him through \a .labour exchange 1 where the ground for refusal; is . that a trade dispute: which affects his trade exists,' .or - that the wages offered . are lowor than those current in the trade in the district < where the : employment is found, i A penalty of, £10 will be enforced , against persons knowingly making false statements for the .purpose of obtaining employment •"* or .procuring workpeople through a labour-ex-;change. The ordinary • working of : tho system is estimated to cost £160,000 a year, and whilo the building of exchanges is in progress the expenses will bo £200,000 a year.