SUGGESTS WAGE "CUT"

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 101, 26 October 1925, Page 9

SUGGESTS WAGE "CUT"

STATEMENT BY MINISTER OF

LABOUR

LEADER OP LABOUR PARTY

CRITICISED.

(Bl CELBOIIAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION.)

GORE, 24th October

The Hon. G. J. Anderson, Minister of Labour, has just returned to Gore after a country visit, and has replied to a statement made by Mr. H. X Holland in Wellington, that the Minister of Labour had carefully considered a reduction in wages of "s 6d per week, owing to a proposition appearing in the annual report of tho Dep.'irtment of Labour.

What Mr. Holland conveniently ignored, says the Minister, was the fact that the report, although presented to Parliament in pursuance of law, was written, by the head of the Department, and not, by the Minister. Apparently Mr. Holland holds the opinion that the Minister of Labour should dictate to the Secretary what the latter should publish in his annual report. This, said Mr. Anderson, had never been clone, and as.far as he knew, it had not been the practice of any previous Minister of Labour Previous Secretaries for Labour had incorporated in their reports views which no Minister of the Crown could hope to give effect to, but which, at the same time, were of universal interest.

As fin- as the reduction of 7s Od from the wages of workers was concerned, to be placed in a central fund and paid out to those with largo families, Mr. Anderson said ho was totally opposed to such rt scheme, and had ncyer stated or implied that it should bo enforced, or that it was desirable to aUevnpt to enforce it. U h had not placed.such a suggestion be fore the Government, and the tiov eminent, had never considered the iiiriitcr: The opinion on ".Family AllowMills' 1 in the report was merely an .•ic-i'leiim expression on a labour mat k-r by the Stf'i-ctnrv for Labour him•self. If Uv. iroll/'iid believed that it >vas thu place to interfere with the'personal opinion of liis officers, or idiomatically to adopt them as matters of Government, policy, and would carry chat principle into practice if ho ever had the opportuiiitv hi; would quickly iind that a fret' people such as jY-w Zealanders are, would immediately repudiate him and his views.