RELATIONS IN INDUSTRY

Press, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 26874, 29 October 1952, Page 7

RELATIONS IN INDUSTRY

NEED FOR HARMONY EMPHASISED ADDRESS BY EMPLOYERS’ PRESIDENT “A nation that neglects harmony in industry is only looking for aggression from outside,” said Mr S. O. Dillon, president of the Canterbury Employers Association, in his address to the annual meeting of the association yesterday afternoon. ‘‘The future demands that we keep peace in industry. Changing conditions make it imperative. „ , x , “What we need is peaceful, steady production,” Mr Dillon said. “We have to consolidate our position. If we don’t, we will not leave to our children and their children a heritage of peace and wealth, but possibly a heritage of misery.” Mr Dillon referred to the standard wage pronouncement issued by the Arbitration Court, and said he was rather astounded that during the whole of the workers’ case they did not acknowledge any part of their responsibility in lifting the costs of the commodities and services which they were quoting as having increased, and as a legitimate reason for asking for astounding increases. “It now devolves upon employers throughout this country to make it very plain to the workers that there is a much thinner veneer between profit and loss in industry than many of the workers’ advocates and some of the workers would like us to believe," said Mr Dillon. “We must make it very clear that unless some stabilisation is reached in regard to wages, and there is some definite improvement in the unit rate of production a man-hour, then we cannot expect to do anything else than precipitate ourselves into headlong inflation We, as employers, should stress these points from time to time to impress on everybody the need for steady, productive progress.” Referring to the waterfront strike last year. Mr Dillon said it was quite obvious that the country was still feeling the effects today. He thought most people would agree that it had been a foul blow to the economy of the country. New Zealand had missed the market and peak prices for her exports. and a very vast amount of money had been lost, not only by the strikers, but in the cost to wage-earners. When workers put up costs through strikes, everybody—whether man, woman, or child—was affected.