LABOUR DEPARTMENT PROSECUTIONS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18619, 15 July 1930, Page 3

LABOUR DEPARTMENT PROSECUTIONS.

To the Editor of the “ Timaru Herald.” I Sir,—l read with the greatest interest ' your leading article in Saturday’s issue | dealing with the prosecution instituted | by the local representative of the Lai bour Department against Mrs Jenkins | and desire to congratulate you on the very effective manner in which you 1 traversed the extraordinary methods 1 adopted by the Department to thwart : legitimate business. That the presiding i Magistrate recognised the harassing i nature of the prosecution, was made ; clear by the nominal fine which he imposed. Considering that the kitchen in ' which the girls would have worked, had the necessary permission been granted, j is certified as providing the required air i space for eight workers, whilst but 1 three would be employed had the perj mission been granted; that the girls ! were willing to work the additional I time, and that the employer was wil- | ling and prepared to pay the stipulated | wages, and in addition give the girls time off the following day—a thing that is not required by the award—why on earth, it may be asked, did the officer refuse permission? It is pure unadulterated moonshine to say that he withheld permission because of health reasons. If three girls would have their health endangered in working where the air space and accommodation is certified by officialdom to be sufficient for eight, what of the health 'of the latter number? When Mr Mcj Kessar refused permission he usurped 1 functions which should not belong to | the lesser functionaries of the Department, and in any case he should not be the final court of appeal. I think the i time has come when the whole ques- : tion of labour awards should be taken . in hand and reduced to something rea- ! sonable. As at present the awards are • so many and the language in which j they are drawn up is so vague that the i learned occupants of the Bench are unable to interpret them, with the result that appeals are made to the Arbitration Court for interpretation! Could anything be more farcical? And then what does the Court do? It does not interpret the award according to the language used, but according, as it then conceives the Court intended when the precious award was drawn upl Employers have remained silent all too long. It is time they arose in their strength and strangled the dragon which threatens to bring about industrial chaos. —I am, etc., GEORGE STREET.