REGISTRY OFFICE CHARGES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2805, 18 December 1907, Page 9

REGISTRY OFFICE CHARGES.

DEPUTATION TO THE MINISTER 03 LABOUR. Shortly after his arrival from the nortl on the 12th the Hon. J. A. Miller, Minis fcer of Labour, was waited on by a deputa tion representing the registry office proprie tore of .Dunedin. The deputation, whicl was introduced by Mr J. F. Arnold, M.P. Comprised Mrs Fish, Mrs M'lntosh, Me36n Brown, Skene and Co, Maokley, end Brew The plaint put before the Minister wae with reference to the charges recently laic down by the Governor-in-CouncU for regie try offices. The fees to be charged tc applicants for work had been reduced, whilst those charged to employers had beer increased. The result was that th« em plovers declined to pay the inoreased amount, and were themselves advertising for the servants and hands they required. By reason of the new scale, business had fallen off, and unless an .alteration wai made the offices could not be carried on. This was a serious matter, for those whe had been keeping registry offices for a number of years were unsuited for any other occupation. Mrs Fish and Mr Mackley mentioned that they had each been 26 yean in the business. The Hon. Mr Millar said that the amended soale issued by regulation was the result of numerous complaints made in Parliament by members. He pointed out that in the aggregate they inflicted only a slight lose on the registry office proprietors, for whilst the fee chargeable to servants was decreased that chargeable to the employers was in most instances increased, so that the total amount was very little less than under the old scale. The ectle had been drawn up after getting information, as far as they could, throughout the country. He was going north in a few days, and would make arrangements to get full information in Christchuroh, and early in the new year he would go into the scale again if the information he obtained justified that being done. He desired to make it quite clear, however, that he was not going to put heavy charges on to the workers, for the employers were in a muoh better position to pay a high rate.