HOURS OF WORK

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21198, 22 August 1940, Page 5

HOURS OF WORK

WOOLLEN MILLS CASE STATEMENT BY MINISTER (By Telegraph.—-press Association) WELLINGTON. Wednesday The Hon. P. C. Webb, Minister of Labour, said today, in connection i with Mr W. H. Barber’s statement 1 at the annual meeting of the Wellington Woollen Mills Company re hours, that it was regrettable that Mr Barber had stated that the hours committee of the Emergency Council , had refused the extension to woollen j mills workers, without disclosing j the full facts. The committee had no power to either grant or refuse extension of hours. Its functions were to investigate any matters referred to it by the Emergency Council arising out of war conditions, and to report to him, through the council. This duty it was carrying out to his entire satisfaction. “Not Sufficient Evidence" After explaining that mills had been enabled to work to capacity, in shifts, Mr Webb said that the application from the Woollen Mills Asj sociation to work nine hours a day, ! five days a week, had been fully ■ dealt with by the committee and, he : understood, the application was not supported by sufficient evidence to J enable the committee to \ r ary the 1 previous decision. The association was invited by l letter on July 29, however, to supply the committee with certain specific information in order that the matter be further investigated and he was advised that up to the present no reply had been received. It was reported from Wellington yesterday that Mr Barber, chairman of the Wellington Woollen Manufacturing Company, Ltd., had stated that the hours committee of the Industrial -Emergency Council had refused the request for an extension of five hours a week by the staff working an hour longer each day.