A COMMON FRONT

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 132, 1 December 1936, Page 14

A COMMON FRONT

N.Z. MANUFACTURERS

PENALTY OF FAILURE

PRESIDENT'S ADVICE

"I am sure it will not require any persuasion from me to make you realise that the present is a time when the necessity for all manufacturers to stand together to form a common front is more vital than ever," declared the president of the Wellington Manufacturers' Association, Mr. Lan Ma theson, at the annual meeting of the association last night. The penalty for failure in that direction, he pointed out, was also greater than ever. The president expressed his pleasure at the growth of interest in the association and at the increase in the membership of firms from 213 to 323. Manufacturers had come to appreciate, he said, that it was vital to their own well-being to take a very much more active interest in their association. Mr. Matheson referred to the passing of the Industrial Efficiency Bill last session. At a general meeting held in September a resolution was passed by the association embodying the view that a clause should be inserted in the Bill to the effect that no decision of the Minister or the bureau regarding the-application of licensing to, or coordination of, an industry should be binding on any industry without the concurrence of the majority of those engaged in the industry. This principle was incorporated in the Bill, and he felt sure that the securing of this safeguard had the far-reaching results which the association had recently achieved. "Manufacturers," he said, "are able to feel a great deal more secure than they would have had the Bill gone through without that provision—or, indeed, had there been no Bill at all, for had the Government decided to proceed, using the powers given it under the Board of Trade Act, it could have done almost everything that the Industrial Efficiency Act provides, but without the important safeguard I refer to." CONTACT WITH OTHERS. Commenting on industrial matters, Mr. Matheson said that it would be in the best interests of all to have some means of keeping contact with the views of employers other than those engaged in manufacturing, it was his hope that some means would be found whereby employers inside and outside manufacturing would be able to align their views when broad questions arose that affected \ all classes of employers—for instance, the constitution of the Arbitration Court. On the motion of the president, seconded by Mr. W. A. Fisher, the report and balance-sheet (already published) were adopted, tributes being paid by various speakers to the work of the president and other executive officers. The election of officers .resulted as follows: —President, Mr. Lan Matheson; vice-presidents, Messrs. R. B. Smith and H. Higgins; treasurer, Mr. W. A. Fisher; past-presidents, Messrs. J. T. Spears, J. Abel, F. Campbell, and W. McLay; branch chairmen, Messrs. E. Swailes (Hawke's Bay), and W. G. Black (Manawalu); life member, Mr. E. Bull: 'general executive, Messrs. R. Burn, W. H. Stevens. J. J. McCaskey, D. Kean, H. W. Thompson, J. H. Whittaker, L. J. Dykes, G. S. Amos, E. W. Ackland, C. G. Franklin. W. F. Graham, W. G. Harrison, E. Lynneberg, jun., J. G. Marshall, K. Pallo, J. | W Penman, J. R. Ritchie, A, Seed, G. I C Seers, E. E. Stonebanks, H. R. Turner, A. H. M. Wright, AY. Livingstone, and R. Bucklelon. Special reference was made to the work of the. secretary (Mr. A. W. Nisbet) and his staff.