UNIONS AND AID TO BRITAIN

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25275, 29 August 1947, Page 6

UNIONS AND AID TO BRITAIN

EMERGENCY COUNCIL PLAN OPPOSED SHARE IN CONTROL OF INDUSTRY WANTED (P.A.) WELLINGTON, August 28. Disagreement with the proposal to set up an Industrial Emergency Council as recommended by the Aid to Britain conference was expressed in a resolution aflopted by the National Council of the New Zealand Federation of Labour. The secretary of the federation (Mr K- McL. Baxter) reported that the National Council could find no such proposal affecting other interests associated with the Aid to Britain campaign and was of the opinion that it could secure the full co-operation of the trade unions of the Dominion in the campaign without an industrial emergency council. The National Council further pledged itself to full co-operation in the campaign, and called upon the workers of New Zealand to give the campaign their wholehearted support. The report of the special committee on the Aid to Britain campaign was adopted as follows: “The National Council of the New Zealand Federation of Labour endorses the recommendations (with the exception of the Industrial Emergency Council proposal) of the conference of representatives of various economic and social interests held in Wellington and calls on the workers of New Zealand to give wholehearted support for the Aid to Britain campaign. “The National Council feels that side by side with increased production to meet the needs of the people of Britain and of New Zealand, the recommendations of the 1947 conference of the Federation of Labour should be implemented. Production Committees The recommendations, which have been referred to. a committee of the parliamentary Labour Party, proposed the setting up of production committees which would give workers a say in the planning and control of 4heir respective industries, in which they could see to it that the goods required by the people of Britain and New Zealand would be produced. “We feel this policy would make for efficiency and the fulfilment of the maximum programme of the Aid to Britain campaign. The National Council feels that if post-war stabilisation is to be made effective our policy must move toward increased production and rigid restriction of the increased profits resulting from such increased production, to ensure an advance in the living standards of working people, along with regular wage adjustments to stimulate industry and thus ensure the consumption of an increasing volume of goods as they become available.”