INCREASED WAGES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 121, 22 April 1938, Page 7

INCREASED WAGES.

FEDERATION’S DESIRE. MINISTER’S OBSERVATIONS. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, April 21. The question was not for him to comment on and the Government had never considered it, said the Minister of Labour (Hon. H. T. Armstrong) when asked to-day whether he could outline his attitude to the decision made by the annual conference of the Federation of Labour to ask the Government to instruct the Courts of Arbitration to make a pronouncement in favour of an increase in wages just as the previous Government had instructed the Court to make a similar pronouncement reducing wages. Referring to dissatisfaction expressed by the federation with the delays occurring in the issuing of awards by the Courts, Mr Armstrong said there had previously been enormous arrears in work piled up for the Courts. This had to some extent been accentuated by the number of short-dated awards. Many parties were hardly out of the Court before they were wanting to get back again. 1 , . , , “A number of awards bad been made for less than a vear for sections of workers and employers with a view to national awards being obtained later. The more national agreements there are the easier it will be for the Courts,” the Minister said. “The federation decided to bring a complaint about the delav under the notice of the Government and to draw attention to section 87 of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, which provides that, except in special circumstances, awards are to be issued within a month of the hearing of claims.” Referring to-day to his relations with the federation, Mr Armstrong said he was not taking any exception to the representations of the federation. “It seems to be taking up quite a reasonable attitude as far as I am concerned,” be said.. ( Iheie seems to be complete harmony now. and an entire absence of faction fights. It is all to the good.”