N.Z. Invitation To Duke’s Study Conference

Press, Volume C, Issue 29540, 15 June 1961, Page 16

N.Z. Invitation To Duke’s Study Conference

(N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON, June 14. Plans for representation at the Duke of Edinburgh’s second Commonwealth Study Conference in Canada in mid-1962 were announced by the Minister of Labour (Mr Shand) tonight. The conference will study the human consequences of the ehanging industrial environment in the Commonwealth and will be organised on much the same lines as the 1956 conference at Oxford.

For the 25 days of the conference the members will be the guests of Canadian industry and Labour which will meet in full the costs of board, lodging and transport from May 13 when the conference assembles in Montreal until June 6 when it finishes at Vancouver. New Zealand has been invited to nominate up to 10 representatives. They are to be men or women, mainly between the ages of 25 and 45, who are likely in the future to occupy positions of responsibility in industrial management or labour organisations. Evidence of a capacity for leadership in industrial or labour organisations was therefore an essential requirement, said Mr Shand, since the value of participation in such a conference rested largely on the influence a person could exercise afterwards through such organisations. Since the main way by which nominees could have demonstrated capacity for future leadership and responsibility would be through association with organisations, it was planned that nominations should come forward only through organisations and not from individuals or individual enterprises. The conference would comprise people of many different races, religions, politi-

cal parties, and occupational groups. It would be essential that nominees should be people of wide tolerance, able to mix freely, to see other points of view, to take a full part in discussions, and to speak reasonably well in public. All these qualities would be taken into account when selecting New Zealand's team and should be specifically covered in the nomination papers. Organisations were therefore invited to nominate persons associated with industry in any capacity who possessed the necessary qualifications, said Mr Shand, All nominations were to be sent to the Secretary of Labour by July 21. The expenses of sending the New Zealand delegation

to and from Canada were estimated at £5OO a person. The Government had made a grant of £2OOO and this would cover, at a minimum, the air fare in full for five persons. The Government hoped that contributions from other sources would be sufficient to add at least another £2OOO. Organisations making nominations were invited to state with the nomination the amount which they were willing to contribute to the conference fund. A panel of three independent persons would be appointed by the Government to make final selections. The number to be selected would depend upon the finance available in the conference fund, said Mr Shand.