“NOTHING NEW IN AMENDMENTS,” SAYS MINISTER

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22877, 22 February 1949, Page 8

“NOTHING NEW IN AMENDMENTS,” SAYS MINISTER

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, Feb. 21. Both the Federation of Labour and the Employers’ Federation had been consulted and had agreed to amendments to the economic stabilisation emergency regulations which were to be gazetted this evening, said the Minister of Labour. Mr. A. McLagan, today. The proposed amendments had not been before the Labour Party caucus and there was no basis whatever for any suggestion that the party had split on the question. Neither Mr. McLagan nor the Minister of Industries and Commerce Mr. A. 11. Nordmeyer, who was : nterviewed by telephone in Oantaru this morning, was prepared to anticipate the Gazette notice by giving the text of the regulations but Mr. McLagan said that newspaper reports published hitherto had given the question prominence out of all proportion to its real importance. Actually, there was nothing new in the amendments at all, he added. The Arbitration Court was empowered ‘to take certain specified considerations into account on an application for a wage pronouncement or general wage order. The last of these was a blanket clause covering “all other considerations that the court deems relevant.” It was the Minister’s opinion that under this clause a case could be stated for wage earners to receive a greater shaie of the national dividend.” In fact, that matter had been before the court on previous occasions. “However, the Federation of Labour is anxious for an amendment as a result of which the court is expressly required to hear argument on this point,” said Mr McLagan, who added that the amendment was agreed upon before caucus met and in view of the considered necessary to bring it before unanimity of opinion it was not even caucus.