FOOTWEAR INDUSTRY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 139, 14 May 1941, Page 8

FOOTWEAR INDUSTRY

VOTING DETAILS. WELLINGTON, May 14

“The statement in the Press by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr S* G. Holland) on the footwear industry will certainly not tend to help the war effort.” said the Minister of Industries and Commerce (Hon. D. G. Sullivan) yesterday. “He attacks my statement announcing the formation of an industrial committee consisting of representatives of the St?*e and of the principals and the employees in the footwear industry, and challenges me to answer a series of questions, the implication being that the plan was not carried by a majority of those engaged in the industry. This in despite of the fact that Mr Holland is himself in possession of all figures relating to the voting, as at his own request 1 willingly gave them to him confidentially. “Actually there is no harm, however. in releasing the results of the voting.” said Mr Sullivan. "Of those who voted, 29 principals (or 55 per cent.) out of 55 favoured the plan, 1 and on the employee basis 22G9 (or I 53 per cent.) out of the 4471 workers I in the whole industry were employed bv principals voting in favour of the plan. There are 73 principals engaged in the industry. There were 20 nonvoters, whose employees totalled 197, from which it will be seen that practically all the non-voters were small establishments whose apparent interest in the welfare of the industry as a whole was not just sufficient to induce them to record their votes one way or the other. “When the results ol the voting became known it was ascertained that I W as legally entitled to recommend to the Government that the plan be implemented by regulations, even though the majority was slender and on the employee vasis. I iie position was difficult, and 1 was most anxious to take the course of action which would be in the best interests of the industry and the Dominion. "Obviously, whichever way I decided, a section of the industry would have been disappointed. Because a substantial section of the industry was very keen for an industrial committee to be set up, I desired to have further evidence of the mind of the industry, and for this purpose met the executive of the New Zealand Footwear Manufacturers’ Federation. There was a full and frank discussion at tlfi.s meeting, following which 1 decided to recommend that the plan he proceeded with.