“HIGHER WAGES NOT SOLUTION; INCREASED OUTPUT OF GOODS”

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22622, 27 April 1948, Page 6

“HIGHER WAGES NOT SOLUTION; INCREASED OUTPUT OF GOODS”

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, April 26. The future policy of the Federation of Labour should not he confined to struggling continually to increase wages lo offset prices, says the annual report of the New Zealand Federation of Labour, which will be presented at the annual conference in Dunedin tomorrow. The policy of attempting to balance too few goods with more money is negative, says the report.

The unions' positive course, the report adds, must be to make the most of the available manpower, to avoid its dissipation in non-essential, unserviceable and unproductive channels, to promote its flow into the vital, serviceable, essential and productive industries, to foster a planned economy, to aim at making the full use. of raw materials, to strive to see that raw materials are at the right place at the right time, to advocate the reorganising, replacing, and co-ordinating of machinery and industry with the object of saving time and energy to produce the maximum amount of good quality goods easily, quickly, and at as low cost as possible. This policy, the report continues, calls for increased responsibility on the part of workers, owners, manufacturers, directors and managers. Invitation to Ministers The federation has invited the Prime Minister, Mr. P. Fraser, the Minister of Finance, Mr. W. Nash, the Minister of Labour,’ Mr. A. McLagan, and the Minister in charge of Stabilisation, Mr. A. H. Nordmeyer, to address the conference Principal business may be summarised as follows: 1. Election of Officers: All offices will be contested. 2 New Constitution: The proposed new constitution, if adopted, will provide for the election of the national council of the federation on an entirely new basis. Instead of representation for 19 trades councils, there would be a national council of 20 or more members, elected by the annual conference and representative of each of an industry group. The council would thus be elected on a functional instead of geographical basis. This would deprive the trades councils of most of their power within the movement and would almost certainly eliminate the majority vote recently won by the militant group of the council. Relations With Government 3. Industrial Relations: There will be frank discussion and argument with Ministers on industrial relations and in particular on relationships between the Government and the unions. 4. Wages and Price Index: Proposals for a new retail price index more accurately reflecting present-day cost of living and affording a new basis for assessing wage increases will be discussed. 5. World Federation of Trade Unions: The World Federation, embracing 75,000,000 trade unionists, already appears to be on the verge of collapse through division of the unions as between those of the American and British sphere of influence and those of the Soviet bloc. One section of t.ie New Zealand trade union movement proposes resistance to "moves to break up the World Federation." the other can be expected to win support ™ a move toward co-operation among Biitish Commonwealth trade unions on a future policy toward the World Federation. . 6. Discussion of Remits: There is the usual long list of remits from unions covering a wide range of political and industrial issues. the conference will also receive a report of union officials’ activities on the Aid for Britain National Council, and will discuss disputes in the Cook lsianas.