40 HOUR WEEK

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 June 1936, Page 5

40 HOUR WEEK

MR. SAVAGE’S COMMENT

[PER press association.]

WELLINGTON, June 15. “There are' some people who refuse to admit that machines are doing the work of men.” said the Prime Minister, Mr. M. J. Savage, when the cabled re-

port of the comments made at the International Labour Conference in Geneva by Mr. A. C. Mitchell (New Zealand delegate'' on the working of the forty-hour week in New Zealand, were referred to him this evening.

Mr. Mitchell is an employers’ representative on the New Zealand delegation to the conference. “Mr. Mitchell says that the forty, hour week will send God’s Own Country at top speed to the devil,” Mr. Savage said. “That is his opinion, but for yea-s now. machines have been displacing men from industry. Producj tion is increasing. and less human labour is required. The only- way' in! which to meet this situation is to maintain the average men’s standard of !iving or to improve it. if possible: and,l at the same time, see to it that he| works a shorter working day, a shorter j working week, and ultimately, a short-1 er working life. J would anyone in Geneva or any where else, to prove that that is wrong! Some people appear to object to reductions in working hours, because they' hold that the working man is not fitted to use any additional leisure which would be pro-; vided for him. There ar* plenty of leisured people to-day, who seem to be able to enjoy- their leisure to the full and. at any rate, as working hours are reduced, it will b? the duty- of the Government to provide facilities to ensure that the working man will be able to make profitable use of his increased leisure.”