The MANAWATU DAILY Times MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 1936. The Forty-hour Week

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 10, 13 January 1936, Page 6

The MANAWATU DAILY Times MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 1936. The Forty-hour Week

The Minister of Labour told a Christchurch deputation last week that the Government was definitely taking steps to introduce a 40-hour week. There are many who hold that productive power is, in this age, so great that all our wants can be well supplied in 40 hours of work per week, and that the people of a highly-civilised country need work no longer. The suggestion is no new one; it has been raised at the International Labour Conferences at Geneva upon several occasions during recent years. So far, lack of complete unanimity has prevented its general adoption.

Considering llic matter entirely from tiic point of view of the Dominion, several questions of importance arise. (Should working hours be reduced, "would not earnings per week be lessened? ’Would employees be happy to lose a day’s pay for an added day of leisure? If weekly incomes are not to be reduced, then wages per hour would have to be increased, and this would raise eosts on all work done and so would come a higher cost of living.

Doubtless the Minister of Labour sees in the 40-hour Avcck a means of giving greater employment. To perform in 40 hours what formerly took 48, 20 per cent, of extra hands would be required. Where 100 men are now required, 120 would be needed. Then, too, there must arise the question of the effect of such a change upon the primary industries. Many considerations must be faced. The matter is no simple one to be lightly decided upon. Increased Fertiliser Sales Local merchants report splendid bookings for autumn fertilisers and reports from Auckland and Taranaki indicate that fertilisers have there been booked in abnormal quantitiesThis is news of considerable importance, and it has a threefold implication. Firstly, it indicates the greatly increased purchasing power of the farmers. Secondly, it illustrates how this increased purchasing power benefits trade and consequently employment throughout the country. Thirdly, the increased use of fertilisers will assure the maintenance of production

During the lean years that have largely passed, there were times when fertilising could not be fully maintained on thousands of farms. Production was impoverishing the soil and eventually that must have lead to a reduction of carrying capacity. Such a result would have had a serious effect upon the Dominion’s future prosperity

It is good to hear that appreciation of the benefits of fertilis-

ing has not been lost, that farm time, and, too, that they find the: required. This indicates the exl

ers are now making up for lost tnselves able to afford the outlay ent of recovery achieved.

A model of Sir Malcolm Campbell’s racing car, Blue Bird, with which he raised the world’s land speed record

to more than 300 miles an hour at Utah last year, has been acquired by the Auckland Automobile Association. The model, which is finished in the same shade of blue as all Sir Mal-

colm’s cars, bears the famous driver’s autograph.

bags were taken, says an exchange.

Thousands of visitors from many parts of the North Island were at Taupo for the holiday season* The camping grounds were heavily taxed and launches available for hire were

kept running almost continuously to the various bays. Fishing generally was good and a number of excellent