NATIONAL EFFICIENCY BOARD

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3052, 13 April 1917, Page 9

NATIONAL EFFICIENCY BOARD

A LABOUR COMPLAINT NO REPRESENTATION . Sir James Alleu was waited upon yesterday by a deputation of the Timber Workers' Federation, who complained that lie had omitted to place a representative of tho workers 011 the National Efficiency. Board. The deputation was quite explicit as to what it wanted. They .would not accept as fi. representative of tho workers a man chosen by the Government who had perhaps once been the president of 'a union. They demanded that the unions should be allowed to choose their representative .in the same way as they now elected the workers' representative on the Arbitration Court. The Minister said .that when the Efficiency Board was .being sot up he considered, and Cabinet considered, .whether it would be possible to select Labour man who could serve their purposes. In the end 110 Labour man ;was appointed because the choice of a isuitablo man proved to be difficult. 3'he present members of the board were selected because they were patriotic business men with initiative and resource, \ and men who had made successes of their own businesses. He did not say that it was not possible, to find a Labour man with all these qualifications, but- the fact was that they icould not find him. But he ventured to suggest that, if he had selected- a [man out of the, ranks;of Labour he mould have probably, given, more ofSfence than he had by appointing 110jbody. For there certainlj did exist jealousies in the Labour' ranks..

"But," said Sir James Allen, "I do aiope that we will be able to take Labour with -us- in this efficiency movement. I have, in my, mind the possibility of having a Labour man as (expert adviser to the board on all labour questions, But tell you fthat I can't accept a nominated .man. pif you like to suggest a nominated jlnan I' will consider his qualifications, !but I should have to consult the Effiicienoy Board aiid also to use my own judgment in thfl matter, exercising (that judgment to the test of my ability. : And. I want to ask you how long does a mail 1 remain a Labour representative? If I had a Labour man on the board, how long would he have ffour confidence?"- . ' Mr. O'Byrrie: So long as he advocates our principles. Sir James Allen: Just so. He went ton to say that there were already oil (the board two men who had come from (the' ranks of Labour—Mr. Frostick' and Mr. Moss. Actually, Mr. Moss had once been president' of a carpenters' .union in Canterbury before he becanie 'a successful farmer. _ Mr. O.'Byriie: There are ; any nuni.iber of workers who have conservative Blinds. Sir James Allen: That'is what you say. If a man does not' agree with : Jot, you say that he has changed his .-views. Ido Suggest that Labour man toiight. have a little more confidence' in taen whb have, risen from l the ranks. He added, in reply to an interjection, iihat.it was-not correct to say that employers were' represented on the hoard. Employers .had never been . consulted through ; their- organisations or' in any other way. ..