PAID HOLIDAYS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23517, 4 June 1938, Page 15

PAID HOLIDAYS

BRITISH RECOMMENDATIONS LEGISLATION PROMISED SHORTLY GOVERNMENT’S CO-OPERATION (British Official Wireless) (United Press Association) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) RUGBY, June 2. (Received June 3, at 5.5 p.m.) The Government has now considered the report of the Committee on Holidays with Pay and the Minister of Labour (Mr E. Brown) made a statement in the House of Commons welcoming the recommendations, to which, he said, the Government desired to see effect given to the fullest practicable extent. The Minister said that a Bill empowering trade boards and agricultural wages committees to provide for holidays with pay and enabling the machinery of the Ministry of Labour to be used, if desired, in the administration of holiday schemes would be introduced and, if there was a general desire to facilitate its passage as a non-contentious measure, he hoped to be able to pass it into law during the present session. Mr Brown mentioned that he did not think it would be opportune to include in the Bill any proposal for dealing specially with domestic servants, as had been recommended by the committee. Voluntary Agreements Tire Government, he said, attached special importance to the recommendations for encouraging voluntary agreements for holidays with pay and for stimulating co-ordina-tion in industrial, educational, transport, lodging and other holiday arrangements, which was essential if the workers were enabled to take proper advantage of their holidays. These recommendations did not require legislation. The question of co-ordination of holiday arrangements concerned a number of different departments and a standing inter-departmental committee was being set up to deal with that aspect of the matter. The committee’s recommendations for fixing the Easter holiday, Mr.: Brown said, would be borne in mind, but he was advised that there was no immediate prospect of being able to give effect to them.