HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 46, 31 August 1928, Page 11

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

The House of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m. The Prime Minister (tho Eight Ho«. J. G. Coates) inaugurated a dobate.on tbo National Industrial Coufarenco by moving a formal motion that his state* ment presented on. Tuesday bo referred to the Go.vernmen.fc for consideration. Mr. M- J. Savage (Auckland West) supported the motion by saying that tuo best thing to do was to have roundtablo discussions on industrial questions. Ho.agreed with the suggestion that another conference be held in the recess to discuss the future of the Arbitration Act. The workers wore not going to agree to a reduction in the standard of living, but he believed that it was best to have amicable dis: missions.- Tho philosophy of some peoplo seined to imply that they believed in a reduction of wages, but he emphasised that there was no likelihood of people being prepared to agree to have their standard of living reduced. He hoped the employers would see the matter in that light.- The Industrial Conference was to be comnionded, for it was the first time that such a thing had happened, and the more they could promote good relations by the better understanding of one another's problems the better. Ho did not suppose that the lion and the lamb would ever lie down together. Mr. J. A. Nash (Palmerston): "Why not?" Mr. Savage: "Because the lion generally wants the lamb to be inside." Those who advocated more work for the same wages' must be in favour of a reduction of wages. A rethiction of wages was not in the interests of any country, bocause if the buying powers of the people fell the industrial. powers of the community would also fall. The purchasing power of the people was the measure of pur Home and foreign trade, and it was essential that that purchasing power should.be as high as possible. New Zealand co\ild not export indefinitely without taking goods from the country to which they exported. No country could minor, goods unless it was able to purchase them. Any discussion at an industrial conference should be founded upon a realisation of tho economic fact that anything that made for a lowering of the purchasing power, of the people must result in industrial stagnation. It; was a docided step forward to know that the Government was prepared to call together all parties to the industrial contract, and if that conference arrived at a unanimous decision it was tho duty of the Government to give effect to it. Mr. W. 13. Parry (Auckland Central) commoudod the Prime Minister's frank statement of Tuesday. There was a tendency on tho part of the Press to placo the responsibility for disputes on the shoulders of the workers. _ The workers, however, while not wanting to minimise their part in industrial disputes, wished to emphasise that their struggles were due to bad economic conditions. (Loft sitting.) \