Forty-hour Week

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 73, 27 March 1936, Page 7

Forty-hour Week

“MOST DISASTROUS,” SAYS MR T. O. BISHOP

‘T have no hesitation in saying that if the Government did introduce general legislation imposing a fortyhour week it would bo the most disastrous thing ever done by any Government in any country, and that, if the legislation were imposed, it -would not iast six months,” declared the secretary of the Now Zealand Employers’ Federation, Mr T. O. Bishop, when addressing the annual meeting of the Wanganui Employers’ Asssoeiation (states the Wanganui Chronicle). Mr Bishop added, however, that although many people thought that the Government would introduce such legislation, he personally did not think so. Mr Bishop said that Australia had attempted to introduce a forty-hour week, but found it necessary to exempt itself from the provisions of the legislation because of the increasingly high costs of public services. The matter had been discussed at the annual conference of the International Labour Organisation, and he ventured to say that it would be discussed at this year’s conference -without result. It was now generally recognised that the introduction of n forty-hour week would have a very temporary effect as a measure for the relief of unemployment. At Geneva it was generally regarded that the fortyhour week had little to commend it other than that it was a measure of social justice; it would give the workers an opportunity of sharing the progress of production by increased hours of leisure.

Mr Bishop said that if the ideal of a forty-hour week was approved then an attempt should be made to get down to that basis in those industries where a forty-hour week was possible,