I.L.O. CONFERENCE

Evening Post, Volume CXXXII, Issue 75, 25 September 1941, Page 13

1.L.0. CONFERENCE

IMPORTANT MEETING

ALLIED VIEWPOINT

The announcement made yesterday by the Minister of Labour of the appointment of the Minister of Lands (Mr. Langstone) to represent the GovL.nment at the International Labour Office conference in New York next month was referred to in the House of Representatives later in the day by the. Prime Minister (Mr. Fraser), when he asked the leave of the House to reply to a notice of question by Mr. W. J. Poison (National, Stratford). Mr. Fraser emphasised the importance attached to the conference by those with whom he had discussed the matter when he was overseas, and he said that the time allowed to make the selection of New Zealand's representatives had been very short.

Mr. Poison wanted to know whether the State was to pay for the delegation and what steps had been taken to see that the delegation was representative.

Referring to the opportunity the conference would give for a meeting with the representatives of the Central and South American Latin Republics, the Prime Minister said that one had only to think for a moment to realise how important it was that these republics should grasp the viewpoint of Allied democratic countries, in view of the propaganda activities of the Axis Powers in South America.

Mr. F. W. Doidge (National, Tauranga): How many representatives will New Zealand send?

"Not .as many as I would like," replied Mr. Fraser. He added that the record of New Zealand delegations to previous conferences was such that they were held in the highest respect. In view of New Zealand's standing at these gatherings, the Dominion's representation was fully justified, apart from the other consideration he had mentioned. In normal times arrangements were made well ahead, and he would have liked the Minister of Labour (Mr. Webb) to have attended, but this was impossible. In addition to Mr. Langstone and Mr. Ben. Sutherland (employers' representative), and the Hon. 'R. Eddy (workers' representative), there would probably be an officer of the Labour Department.

Mr. Fraser stressed the importance of the conference, not from the angle of employer and employee, but because of the common cause of swinging the workers of Central and South America wholeheartedly into the war effort.