Report From The Capital— Talk Of Profit-Sharing Bill Continues

Greymouth Evening Star, 27 September 1947, Page 2

Report From The Capital— Talk Of Profit-Sharing Bill Continues

(SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT) WELLINGTON, This Day. The indication given in this column several weeks ago that the Government contemplated the introduction of a Bill to make profit-sharing compulsory and to give worker representation on boards of directors of companies has now been taken up by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Holland. The indication given in this column was probably the first given throughout the country but Mr Holland went a little further when addressing the Auckland Chamber of Commerce. When the article was published, it was stated that Mr P. Kearins (Government, Waimarino) was being mentioned as a likely sponsor for the new Bill. Since then, Mr Kearins has denied this to your political roundsman, but he added that if such a Bill was introduced he would vote for it.

It would now appear that the idea stemmed from no less a person than the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr Parry, who made reference to the proposed Bill in his Address-in-Reply speech. It had long been gossip in the lobbies of Parliament Buildings that .the suggested measure had the support of Mr Parry, but it was stated that for various reasons the Minister would prefer to have it sponsored by an ordinary member.

The annual conference of both the Federation of Labour and the New Zealand Labour Party in June stressed the need for greater worker representation in industry, and it is no secret that many unionists want greater control. They feel that nationalisation is not the answer, as it merely transfers authority to a new boss “the State.” In the past they could appeal to the Government about “the boss,” but when the Government and the boss are the same person, things become difficult. It is now their aim to insist on a a greater share in profits and in the management of industry. This was followed by a reference in a speech made by Mr M. Moohan (Government-Petone) and former national secretary of the Labour Party to the fact that he hoped the Government would introduce a Bill this session dealing with worker representation in industry. Then came the Minister of Industries and Commence who urged that after certain ambunts of interest had been set aside the remainder of company profits should be distributed among employees. Mr Parry’s scheme could cover both these points. Whether the Government intends to introduce such a Bill remains to be seen, but where there is smoke there is often fire. By his speech to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, Mr Holland obviously hopes to goad the Government into either a confirmation or a denial, but so far neither has been forthcoming. For instance, it has yet to be proved that the Government is behind Mr Parry’s plan, but so many oblique references have been made that the matter cannot be ignored. The proposal has disturbed businessmen considerably, and an early announcement of Government policy is being awaited with intense interest both by them and by trade unionists. Science Aids Speaker Of all the 80 members who comprise the House of Representatives,

, the most onerous task is that of Mr | Speaker. While he would, probably have preferred to have remained as an ordinary member and concentrated on his newly-acquired property at Otaki, the present Speaker, Mr R. McKeen, more or less had his present position forced upon him by the defeat at the general election of Mr F. W. Schramm. Apart from keeping order and maintaining the dignity of the House, one of the tasks of Mr Speaker is to time the speaking period of each member. This ranges from five minutes during question time to half-an-hour in the Address-in-Reply debate and one hour in the Budget debate. In the past, Mr Speaker has had to watch the hands of a small clock on his desk but the recent installation of a mysterious-looking little box has helped him considerably. The brain-child of a member of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, it works automatically. All Mr Speaker is called upon to do is to set the instrument when a member rises. While he is speaking a green light shows from a small bulb. When the member is within five minutes of exhausting his time, the light changes to amber and again to red when he has exhausted his time. The contrivance is visible only to Mr Speaker and it must prove a blessing to him in fulfilling his multifarious duties. £5,000,000 Up In Smoke Without the knowledge of the average Wellingtonian, who could have done with only one of them, about £5,000,000 in bank notes went up in smoke in the furnace of a Petone factory earlier this month. Although no official information was available as to the amount, it is understood that £ 5,000,000 was about the total destroyed. There was nothing sinister in the Petone bonfire—it was merely a routine destruction of called in banknotes from both the Reserve Bank and trading banks. Worn and damaged notes are called in from time to time and destroyed under strict official supervision. The average £ 1 note lasts for about two years but during the war, for labour and paper-saving purposes, this life has had to be extended. The total note circulation in New Zealand is over £40,000,000. Peculiarities In Dress Until recently, the carpet slippers sported by Mr C. Carr (Government, Timaru) held pride of place among the sartorial idiosyncrasies of members of Parliament. Not to be outdone, Mi' J. Maher (Opposition, Otaki) wore a gaudy scarf for several weeks. A newcomer in the field is Mr E. R. Neale (Opposition, Nelson) who has been seen wearing a natty green eyeshade.