N.Z. 40-Hour Week Impresses Visitor

Northern Advocate, 7 March 1947, Page 6

N.Z. 40-Hour Week Impresses Visitor

SYDNEY, March 6. Spirited defence of the 40-hour week as in operation in New Zealand was made by the Attorney-General, Mr C. E. Martin, in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly during a debate on the 40-liour Week Amendment Bill. Mr Martin visited New Zealand for several weeks in January and February. "The wailings which took place when a 40-hour bill was introduced into the New Zealand Parliament in 1936 are being repeated in this Chamber almost word for word,” he said. “These wailings, dire forebodings, moanings and despairing cries about the actual position in New Zealand have been proved to be arrant nonsense. i “What is it that we find? A country that has developed production it never had before.” He challenged statements by Opposition headers that the 40-hour week had failed in New Zealand, saying that in spite of the presence of industries there that did not exist before, the people enjoyed leisure such as they had never known. “ACCOMMODATED THEMSELVES” “Wherever one goes in that glorious Dominion, one of the most beautiful places God ever created, one finds citizens able to travel and use their leisure,” he added. “But the people are not working hard merely in order to spend part of their time in play, but in order to live fully and well.” Although it was true that certain facilities were not available at weekends it was equally true that the people had accommodated themselves to the slight inconvenience. He did not find a single person who complained, although he did not move much in employers’ federation circles. He denied that the economic structure was suffering and said that although there had been some costs New Zealand had been able to pay them as well as bring about increased production. Mr Marlin defied the Opposition to produce the opinion of one competent economist that the 40-hour week had adversely affected the New Zealand economy.

A ROSY PICTURE He could not say that all the good he saw in New Zealand flowedTrom the 40-hour week, but members could not say there was unemployment in New Zealand or that New Zealand had not enough money to spend on reasonable leisure. They were clothed quite well and New Zealand was producing shoes, boots and hats as well as clothing. The New Zealand performance in housing was remarkable. In the Hutt Valley were 2000 homes of a character that would delight members. EveryI where there were groups of these houses built under the 40-hour week. The greatest boon, however, was enjoyment of the long week-end. This had been met by improvements and increase in play and recreational facilities. The fact ivas that people in New Zealand had shown their desire to use leisure reasonably and properly. Statistics did not prove everything. New Zealand was thriving and her people were happy and contented. “It is Important that these things should be known,” Mr Martin said, ‘so that all might realise that the wails and moanings that are to be heard are only those that we have always heard when any important social advance has been brought forward.”