LABOUR CONFERENCE

Grey River Argus, 6 August 1937, Page 12

LABOUR CONFERENCE

At Geneva HON. ARMSTRONG'S FINAL SPEECH. [Special to “Argus.”] LONDON, July 2. At the conclusion of the International Labour Conference at Geneva, the Hon. H. T. Armstrong was one of the foui’ speakers who took part in the closing meeting. Mr. Armstrong said his first impression of the Conference was that of a new member of Parliament—that the machine moved too slowly; full of enthusiasm and ambition one wanted to turn the world upside down in about five minutes. But he had soon arrived at the conclusion that an international organisation could not possibly move as rapidly as an organisation representing only one nation, and where everyone spoke the same language. He was sure the experience he and his colleagues had gained would be of benefit to their country. And he hoped that in their own small way they had contributed just a little to the knowledge that may have been acquired by representatives from other countries. He had been particularly interested in the textile convention; that committee had done his country the honour of making him its chairman. Naturally all were very pleased at the vote in favour of the 40-hour week in that industry. To his mind it was a wonderful achievement, and when they took into account the fact that there were representatives from all parts of the world, many of them in the past having had nothing in the form of Labour legislation, or' State control of industry, its adoption not only by a two-thirds majority, but by a fair margiL'over and above that, was all the more satisfactory. The other two conventions, dealing with the forty-hour week in the printing and chemical industries, each had obtained substantial majorities even if they did not get the necessary two-thirds. “Let me just say to my fellow workers at this Conference,” said the Minister, “that I have devoted my life to the working class movement in an endeavour to improve the conditions of life of the workers of my part of the world, and to make their outlook on life brighter. I, along with the workers’ representatives here, am somewhat disappointed that these two Conventions were not carried, but do not let us be downhearted about that. The vote in favour of those two Conventions is a remarkable achievement considering the nature of the Conference in which we are taking part. Putting the whole three Conventions together, we send out from this Conference an inspiration to the world and the voting will give a ray of hope to tens of millions of overworked people in the industries concerned from one end of the world to the other.”

Speaking on other matters before the conference, he said that in the matter of public works they had given practically an instruction to all countries of the world to plan ahead and to make provision for periods of depression that may or may not come

in the future. Yet they sincerely hoped that they had experienced the last depression. The safety regulations for building operations were also most important and would go a long way to protect the lives and limbs of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of workers in the world to-day. Then there was the Minimum Age Convention. Could they have imagined even ten or twelve years ago that in a few years time an international conference, composed of Government representatives, employers and workers of the world, would decide upon a minimum age of fifteen years for admission to employment? Mr. Armstrong paid a tribute to the highly efficient staff of the International Labour Office. He had -received the utmost courtesy and assistance ■ from evrybody with whom he had come in .contact. As for the interpreters. he had never thought for a moment that there were such remarkable men and women in the world. He could not conclude without remarking that he had not been used to the necessity for the rule of a twothirds majority. In New Zealand they had the majority rule, and they could carry any reform in Parliament on a majority of one. If they could not pass a convention at the Conference except with a two-thirds majority in favour of it, ,then he was inclined to think that the rest of the world would be moving ahead of them, and they should really be giving a lead to the world. He mentioned this because he thought it a point that might well claim the consideration of the Office. He would like to say, however, that if the organisation had weaknesses—and what organisations had not?—its advantages and its good points far out-weighed the weaknesses, and he could not too strongly stress the importance of the, organisation and its value to the civilised world. And when he made this remark he was speaking not only for the Government delegates from New Zealand, but he was sure; that it would be endorsed by the representatives of the employers and the workers also.