“Actually Nothing New”

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25735, 22 February 1949, Page 4

“Actually Nothing New”

STATEMENT BY MINISTER OF LABOUR

The new amendments to the Economic Stabilisation Emergency Regulations had been agreed to by both the Federation of Labour and the Employers’ Federation, said the Minister of Labour (Mr A. McLagan) yesterday. He said that the amendments had not been before the caucus and he denied that the Labour Party had split on the question. . Newspaper reports had given the question a prominence out of all proportion to its real importance, said Mr McLagan. There was actually nothing new in the amendments. The Arbitration Court was empowered to take certain specified considerations into account on an application for a wage pronouncement or a general wage order. The last of these was a blanket clause covering “all other con-

siderations that the Court deems relevant.” Mr McLagan thought that under this clause a case could be stated for wageearners to receive a greater share of the “national dividend.” In fact that matter had several .times been before the Court. The Federation of Labour, however, was anxious for the amendment, as a result of which the Court was expressly required to hear argument on this point, the Minister added. The amendment was agreed on before caucus met. Mr McLagan said, and in view of the unanimity of opinion it was not even considered necessary to bring it before caucus. “To suggest that it caused any split in caucus is about as absurd as the claim of the Auckland carpenters to have forced the Labour Party into this action,” added Mr McLagan.