LABOUR PROBLEMS.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16816, 23 April 1920, Page 6

LABOUR PROBLEMS.

SIR JAMES ALLEN'S COMMENT. (SPECIAL TO "THE PRESS.") DUNEDIN, April 22. Speaking at a farewell luncheon tendered to him to-day by tho Otago Expansion League, Sir James Allen touched on the labour question. He diagnosed a3 purely functional, tho result of misapprehension, tho apparent stato of hostility existing between employers and employees, which in many cases limited production. Always it had seemed strange to him, Sir James said, that in this young country of New Zealand, we could not always rely upon all our working men to give the best day's work for a good day's pay. He had asked a business man to enquire why the American working man apparently did more in tho day's work than tho New Zealander. The answer had now come to hand: that the working man in America did not feel that tho employer was hostile to him, which feeling apparently existed in the Motherland and New Zealand. Ho would like to say that in his experience those of the New Zealand working men who had that feeling were mistaken. The bulk of tho New Zealand employers were not hostile to their workers, and a large number of the latter were not hostile to their employers. He was sure that among the others the suspicion of hostility would be dissolved. The American working man fought like a tiger for the best wages, but once the matter was settled he buckled to and did as much work as possible. If we could achieve this universally, New Zealand would go ahead by leaps and bounds. Wo wero not progressing as rapidly as wo might if this suspicion was dissolved and every man put liis shoulder to tho wheel and never went slow.