THE IRON INDUSTRY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14473, 13 September 1910, Page 6

THE IRON INDUSTRY.

A LANGUISHING TRADE.

SOME OF THE CAUSES.

[by TELEGRAPH.— SPECIAL correspondent.]

Wellington, Monday. Representatives of the iron trade, who waited upon the Hon. J. A. Millar (Minister for Labour) to-day, had a very doleful tale to tell as regards the effect of more recent legislation on their branch of industry. Mr. J. P. Luke, M.P., who introduced the deputation, said that the employers strongly objected to being required to pay apprentices during any period when they were oil work by mutual arrangement. He said that at Christmas time the various firms took the opportunity of overhauling their machinery. The lads were at this period of the year very glad to get a chance of holidays, as many of them had their homes in the country. Only recently Messrs. Price Brothers, of the Thames, wero fined for not paying apprentices during such a period of absence. It was only too apparent that too many disabilities were being placed on employers. What was wanted w,as a period of legislative rest as regards industrial law.

Mr. D. Robertson emphasised the point that the iron industry was very much handicapped. Every steamer arriving in New Zealand brought a lot of machinery from the cheapest markets in the world. There were now inspectors for this and for that, and in many ways the employers were under disabilities. He knew that the apprentices in Wellington appreciated the opportunity of getting home during the holidays. There was another matter to which he would like to draw attention. It was now proposed that in the case of an accident an employer might be compelled to pay medical expenses up to the sum of £10. At present employers were under sufficient liability in the case of accidents. Nowadays there were workers who, if they got a scratch on their finger, went off work for an undue length of time. The insurance companies would also object.

The Hon. C. M. Luke, M.L.C., said that to pay lads when they were off work was nothing more nor less than to pamper them.

Mr: Cable held that boys should only be paid for the hours they worked. No employer would make a present of wages for a month for hours not worked. Ho did not know what things were coming to. There was rather too much of this political persecution.

Mr. Crabtree said that tho Government should inquire into the decline in the iron trade. One of the reasons was that employers were harassed by legislation. Tho shops were going back to the little more than repair shops. There was no great volume of work at the present time. Tho Hon. J. A. Millar, in reply, said that ho knew that tho iron industry was one of tho slackest in New Zealand. There was no philanthropy in business, and people did not put their money into businesses for sentimental reasons. The statistics showed that from 1895 to 1909 the number of workers in New Zealand rose from 29,000 to 80,000. Mr. Robertson : There has been no increase in the foundries.

Mr. Millar: I admit that the number of hands in your trade has gone back. Continuing his remarks, Mr. Millar said that there had been nothing to take the place of the gold dredging boom. He admitted that the tariff was not fair to the iron workers and he had said so before.

Mr. Robertson : Why don't you alter it? Mr. Millar: I did as far as the House would allow. I believe in having the work kept in our own country. In the course, of further remarks Mr. Millar said that Messrs. Price Bros., of Thames, were fined ; under an award for not ' paying apprentices during the holidays. When the breach was referred to it, the Department had no option but to bring an action, as a. warning had previously been given. The remedy of the employers was to ask the Court of Arbitration to put in a clause meeting the point. He did not want to see boys paid for doing nothing, but he was not going to assist in making permanent employment only casual employment. There was case after cas? where workers were dismissed before the holidays and told to apply for reinstatement when work was resumed. If the employers started that sort of game the law would be made much stricter. He thought that a clause in the new Bill would be valuable. It read:—"No deduction shall be made from tho wages of any boy or any woman under 18 years of age, except "for time last through the worker's illness or default or on account of the temporary closing of the factory for cleaning or repairing the machinery." It could not be expected that an employer should have the right to put off an apprentice for five or six weeks without wages. He did not know that the amendment which the employers wanted could be made by legislation as well as in the award.

Mr. Robertson : As the law at present stands, we have to pay the wages of boys who wilfully absent themselves. In conclusion, Mr. Millar said that he could not discuss the point as to accident astirance. as the Bill was before a committee of the House.