AGAINST 40-HOUR WEEK

Grey River Argus, 12 February 1936, Page 5

AGAINST 40-HOUR WEEK

N.Z. EMPLOYERS’ SECRETARY Prefers to Shorten Working Life (Per Press Association). WELLINGTON, February 11. In an address at' a Rotary Club luncheon, Mr T. O. Bishop, Secretary of the New Zealand Employers’ Federation, said that when the rest of the world, particularly the more ini port ant industrial countries, was pre pared to adopt measures of reform, which would mean increased leisure, New Zealand' would be prepared to play its part. He remarked that he would not like it to be thought that the attitude of the employers’ delegates at the last Geneva Conference (at which conference he was a delegate) was one of active hostility to the reduction of hours as a general principle. “It was because the employers’ delegates were greatly concerned at difficulties which would be imposed upon them, mainly in their export markets, by increased costs aiteudant upon a~reduction of hours, that .they have steadily opposed the adoption of a general convention at tlu> successive conferences. ’’ said Mr Bishop. “On the general question of the application of the 40-liou’ 1 week as the means of reducing unemployment, I personally am convinced that' the beneficial effect would be compava tively slight, and, at best, temporary; because an artificial stimulation of mechanisation would counteract it. The only effective method of usine shorter working time to relieve unemployment is to shorten the wording life.”