Licensing of Footwear Industry

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 114, 15 May 1941, Page 2

Licensing of Footwear Industry

DETAILS OF VOTING WELLINGTON, May 14. "The atatement In the Press of yesterday 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, Mr D. G. Sullivan. “He attacks my statement announcing the formation of an industrial committee consisting of representatives of the State 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. “In point of fact, all the figures relating to the voting were furnished to those directly concerned —that is to those engaged in the industry—and at all stages in the discussions on the matter I took the industry fully into my confidence. “Actually there is no harm, however, In releasing the results of the voting. Of those who voted, 29 principals (or 55 per cent.) out of 53 favoured the plan, and on the employee basis, 2269 (or 53 per cent.) out of the 4471 workers in the whole industry were employed by principals voting in favour of the plan. There are 73 principals engaged in the industry. There were 29 nonvoters whose employees totalled 197, from which it will be seen that prac • tically 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 of the voting became known it was ascertained that I was legally) entitled to recommend to the Government that the plan be implemented by regulations, even though the majority was slender and on the employee basis. “Obviously, whichever way I decided, a section of the industry would have been disappointed. I desired to have further evidence of the mind of the industry, and met the executive of the New Zealand Footwear Manufacturers’ Federation, following which 1 decided to recommend that the plan be proceeded with.”