WAGES POLICY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22287, 9 December 1935, Page 13

WAGES POLICY

GOVERNMENT'S INTENTIONS

THE ARBITRATION COURT

LEGISLATION INDICATED

[BY TELEGRAPH —FRESS ASSOCIATION'] CHRISTCHURCH, Sunday

An indication of the policy which the Labour Government intends to pursue ih fixing wages and defining the powers of the Arbitration Court was given by the new Minister of Employment, Hon. H. T. Armstrong, at a rally of Labour supporters to-day. One of the first pieces of legislation which the new Government would pass, he said, was an Arbitration Amendment Bill which would restore to working people rights which they had lost. But further than that the Government would not allow the Arbitration Court or any other tribunal to reduce the wages of the people below a reasonable limit. The Government would make it its business, he continued, to make a statutory minimum wage which would have application for every man and woman engaged in useful work to-day. Applications for anything above that wage would go to the Arbitration Court, but there could be no. wage paid below it. The only hope of restoring universal prosperity, Mr. Armstrong said, was to lift the wages of the poorest section of the community, and it was now proved, ho contended, that no one section of the community could prosper while another was in distress. The Minister further said that until such time as there was a session of Parliament the Labour Government could only do administrative work, and until it could provide new legislation it would do its best to administer as sympathetically as possible the laws which at present existed on the Statute Book.

MINISTERS' DUTIES

SETTLING DOWN TO WORK [BV TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] WELLINGTON, Saturday The majority of the new Ministers spent this morning interviewing the heads of the departments they will bo called upon to administer and dealing with an accumulation of routine matters. Most of them will spend the week-end in thqir electorates, returning to Wellington on Tuasday morning, when there will bo a further meeting of Cabinet. Departmental officers agree that the proposal of Ministers to co-opt members of Parliament to assist in the work of government is a sound one and should make for efficiency. TWO MAORI M.P.'S ALLEGIANCE TO LABOUR [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] WELLINGTON, Saturday The strength of the Government party in the House will shortly be increased to 55, the two Ratana Maori members, Mr. E. T. Tirikatene (Southern Maori) and Mr. Tokouru, Ratana (Western Maori), having applied for full membership of the Labour Party. The applications will be considered by the National Executive next week and are certain to be granted.

The two new Labour members will be associated with the Prime Minister. Mr. Savage, in the administration of native affairs. Already an important concession has been granted to the native race, which has now been put 011 an equality with Europeans in all unemployment benefits. This principle was strenuously fought for by Mr. Tirikatene in the last Parliament and is one of tho earliest decisions of the new Minister of Employment, Hon. H. T. Armstrong.