THE RIGHT TO WORK

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7077, 15 March 1910, Page 7

THE RIGHT TO WORK

FOE FitEE LABOURERS REPRESENTATION ON WAGES BOARD. REMARKS BY A JUDGE. By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyrielit. (Received March 14, 11.15 p.m.) SYDNEY, March 14. The Industrial Court to-day granted a claim by the Free Labourers' Association to he represented on the Wages Board. The "Wharf Labourers' Union strongly opposed the application. Judge Beydon, in granting the request, said ho thought it very singular that the dismissal of free labourers at th© central wharf a fortnight ago was rendered possible by the fact that the Act contained no provision protecting non-unionists against such treatment. Had unionists been dismissed because they were unionists, instead of non-unionists being dismissed because they were non-union-ists, the employers would have been liable to penalties aggregating £3OOO. If the right to work was not a right which the law should protect it was hard to Bay what was. To be a nonunionist was not an offence against the law. He was afraid strong feeling would be aroused, but he had come to the conclusion that the free labourers' claim must be conceded.