THE BARMAIDS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 12410, 21 March 1911, Page 2

THE BARMAIDS.

FUIIiMS- OF HEGISIEAIIO'X

(Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. The secretary of the Hotel Employes' Federation, Mr Long, of AucKland, telegraphed to Mr D. McLaren, M.P., and Mr Carey, secretary of the Wellington Cooks and Waiters' Union, asking them to see the Minister of Labor, to protest against forms for registration of barmaids being sent to licensees, "lhe unions m each centre *hopld. the responsibility; otherwise much abuse," stated the < telegram. As a. pre- ] liminary slep the Labor Department was interviewed m support of the protest. The posit*ont the .-J Union took up was that fotthg;' ofc registration cotttd be obtained at the ofiicij of the ,'lpciil inspector, or m smaller centres, where there was no labpr bureau, from the sergeant of police. , The, intention of the . Legislature, it was 'pointed" out, was to confine the employment of women behind the bar to. those now m the. t,vade and 1 those depend em, on this calling for a j livelihood at the time the legislation I was passed. There was a risk of the indiscriminate ' issuing of certificates. , The Labor Department, m.. reply to the . representations, made it clear that it did not wish to debar any woman genuinely following this . calling from, the privilege J of still remaining <«.in this class of em- ] ployment, and so was afixibus to see j that every girl had an opportunity .of registering by affocding her a chance of easily obtairiing &yregistralion'<form. . In addition, the Department , did not wish J to be put m a position of possibly hayJ ing to institute, .^proceedings: for any , abuse of registration without • having • given full .warning of • the; obligation « in this matter. r , There would be; no x^egis- . tration without the fullest inquiry into the boim fides of the Applicant by in- ' spectors of the 'Department; and m, . smaller centres the police .would be asked to co-operate with the officers of the Department m, seeing . that the regulations were properly complied with, i A point of some interest has been raisedv by ift cowespondfent, ,who asks whether -the pcrtdcL of serv-ice necessary to qualify for registration- lias all to bp spent m New. JZealand. He is r .o>f opinion that' as the section stands it allows a woman to come' across from, say, Sydney or Melbourne, and apply for registration, without fear ,of refusal, 1 so long •as within the twelve months preceding t November 21st last she has been emj ployed ia .a bar. /or a. continuous period of at lea»st three months. As faE as can be seen, he says, there is t absolutely . nothing td cdnfine the qualifying service to the Dominion. The point was re- j I ferred'ta officers o>f the' Labor* Depart-) jment by a "-"jlew* 1 Zealand Times representative. Tliey said- thilt as it hnd not previously been brought \inder their j notice they Vere not prepared to say { what force .was. m jt. . . Jt\ however, it I j arose m connection with any application, legal . advice would have to be .taken. '