Mr Walsh Hints At Wage Claim

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30127, 10 May 1963, Page 14

Mr Walsh Hints At Wage Claim

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, May 9.

Mr F. P. Walsh, president of the Federation of Labour, told the Labour Party conference today that there would be an F.O.L. application for a general wage increase soon, if there was a rise in the consumers’ price index.

Mr Walsh’s reference to a general wage order application came when he was speaking on the subject of dairy farming.

His criticism of farmers was the only off-beat note in his address to the conference which only yesterday formulated a policy for helping the farming industry in the event of election to office in November.

When he was quoting figures showing increased farmer incomes he drew his only interjection from the audience. One member asked if he was referring to dairy farmers. Mr Walsh said he was not. but he would later.

Later, he quoted figures which, he said, showed dairy farmers were doing better than the workers.

Mr Walsh told the conference of various things the F.O.L. would seek from the next Government —freedom of association, and the right of unions to organise and negotiate working agreements free of the Arbitration Court. He said the workers had experienced a 1.9 per cent fall in their standard of living since 1957, on the basis of minimum aw’ard rates, and he hoped to have that corrected.

He again argued the case for one trading bank in New Zealand. He said the F.O.L. would also ask the Government to place the same financial restrictions on stock and station agents and loan companies as it now placed on banks. He referred to take-over bids among stock and station agents, and said that once a firm got a monopoly, it commonly abused it. There was a need to develop secondary industries “if we are going to avoid unemployment," said Mr Walsh.

Overseas firms operating in New Zealand should be forced to publish balance sheets, he said At present, the meat companies did not publish balance sheets, and they told the workers: ‘‘We’ve had a bad year.” but they would not prove it. Mr Walsh said the FO L. had achieved a fair measure of success in i s opposition to labour-only contracts in the building industry and it appeared this vexed question would be settled Labouronly contracting could destroy the trade union move-

ment and, eventually, all legitimate builders because of price-cutting and long hours of work. Mr Walsh said the F.O.L. would continue to press for three weeks’ annual holiday for everyone. The F.O.L. stuck to its view that lottery proceeds should go to hospital funds, as in Australia and Ireland —in spite of Mr Nordmeyer’s, contrary opinion. Mr Walsh said he also had a contrary view to that expressed by the Labour Party president (Dr. A. M Finlay) that New Zealand workers were not working hard enough. Mr Walsh said Dr. Finlay’s statement was not fair. He had been telephoned from all over New Zealand and asked to correct the statement.

Mr Walsh said the Seamen’s Union was going to pay £1 a member towards the Labour Party campaign funds >nd he was sure the industrial movement would give financial support. Dr. Finlay, thanking Mr Walsh for his address, said he wanted to correct the impression he had criticised workers for not working hard. He had said that everyone would have to work harder if New Zealand was going to meet the problems ahead of it.

Mr Walsh was warmly applauded at the conclusion of his speech.