The Wanganui Chronicle. FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 1947. SABOTAGE BY LEGAL PROCESS.

Wanganui Chronicle, 7 March 1947, Page 4

The Wanganui Chronicle. FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 1947. SABOTAGE BY LEGAL PROCESS.

JT will provide a shock, even to those whq take a strictly religious view of Sabbath observance, to find that the legal process has been set in motion by a Government department in order to sabotage production. ’While the Government is spending large sums of money in a worthy endeavour to bring about an increase in production that same Government authorises the prosecution of men who responded to that appeal. The prosecution of shearers who worked at Mangamahu on a Sunday in order to meet the needs of the occasion brought about by bad weal iter seems to be the most singular act that has been brought to public notice for a long time. Tile prohibition on shearing on Sundays lias been in the award for over a decade, it being placed there by agreement between (he parties. The protection of men from being compelled to work for seven days in the week is an appropriate provision because a day’s rest in seven is a human necessity. Whether it has been strictly adhered to over the whole of the Dominion is quite another matter for it does not appear that many prosecutions have been conducted in the courts. Why the Department of Labour should have taken action in this instance requires explanation, but it is most probable that it was compelled to act at the instance of some complainant. If this is so, it would be interesting to learn whether it was a case of a man who would not work stopping those who would. The loss of many working days during November did not make necessary the observance of the prohibition against Sunday shearing and the needs of the industry required that these operations should be speeded up. Under the circumstances the prevention of men working when they would amounts to sabotage by legal process. Seeing that the provision in the award can lead to such an unsatisfactory situation as is revealed by this prosecution the time lias arrived for challenging the continuance of the prohibition. It is a very desirable provision if used with discretion, hut seeing that discretion is not to be observed its validity is impaired and the whole matter should be reviewed in the interests of the sheep-rais-ing industry as a whole and the contractors for shearing and the shearers themselves.