PARLIAMENTARY.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 14326, 17 October 1910, Page 6

PARLIAMENTARY.

Per Press Association. THE ESTIMATES. "WELLINGTON, Oct. 15. The House oi Representatives sat Uito, the iistimnt-es, liie following concludes tho report of the sitting:— Air Alassey moved to reduce the item of i:3Uu for publications, including newspapers by £'l as an indication thai the iiouse was not satisfied w.tli the Jiiuiol-er's reply to the quest.-.n as to how tho amount. of £7bo had been sp;:ut male:- this head year. 'IV amendment n\us lttot by 31 votes to IS. Customs and Marine Department, £120,135, was pasW without* alteration. Labour. £22.827. Air AVilw-rd moved a reduction ol' iho iirst item by 1" L as ail indkatic:: that the Labour .Department- was not. couductiejj; its business ill a proper maimer. There w.-.s no doubt that the administration a., unsatisfactory, both from the employers' and employee.,' point of view. Tko Labour "Unions in various parte of the Dominion had expressed a lack of confidence m tile Department, and lie desired to k-rnv L l ll.' reason for tills. The Department ~ v::.i clearly uot doing its duty in rcl'tisiiiK to -obtain interpretations of -swards when requested to do so by un.uus. He referred to the rooiiious e-v the i'uriiiinro Union with tli-j iiranhjvers and allied that the .Department had faiiei! to do its duty In regard to this union. A prosecution had been laid against a Napier tirm who were not- bound by the award at the time, and it was alleged that Air Guhns, Inspector <:l' Labour, had written to the firm, asking them if they intended to plead e;e.ih y. Tn another ease, the samo union had asked the Department to take a rase up with a view to obtaining an interpretation oi' an award, but this was reand the '.in-.m bad to undertake lilt- ca c itself. 11l other cases the Department had refused to take action, and the imam was obliged to do so. In one case a penalty ul JL'io bad been imposed. The lion. J. A. Aliliar went over the cases referred to, and said thatthe Department had taken 523 ea.s.-s during last year. The Department we.uid not taKe in>truet:ons iroin any union as to when eases should bo taken. One ease which, the Dop a lament liad refused to take up, was a debatable one betwen the Joiners and the Furniture Union. Another ease was that oi an apprentice whose indentures had been destroyed l>y lire. Other cases were of a kind in which action could not be taken for various reasons. Air Aloriarty, secretary of the Furniture Union, had desired to be in a position to demand that the Department, should take action when ho desired it. If the unions were not satisfied, he was prepared to amend the law so that the onus of taking action should be with the unions. The amendment was lost on the voices, and the vote pnss.-;d. The House rose at 4.10 a.in.