WORK RESTRICTED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23919, 20 March 1941, Page 8

WORK RESTRICTED

40-HOUR WEEK FETISH CHECK ON WAR EFFORTCRITICISM OF GOVERNMENT (S.R.) "WELLINGTON, Wednesday "There were worked in New Zealand last year more than 4,500.000 hours' overtime in factories alone, for which ■*' we paid more than 7,000,000 hours' pay, which shows beyond doubt that the 40-hour week is insufficient to giro us the production we need in wartime," said the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. S. G. Holland, in the House of Representatives to-night. "Time and time again Mr. Churchill and Mr. Roosevelt have warned the world that the entire resources of the democratic countries will he required in full operation to defeat the enemv " Mr. Holland continued, "and, while we know that British and American workmen are working long hours to produce the maximum quantity of war material, we in New Zealand stick slavishly to the 40-hour week and trv to bluff ourselves that we are giving a 100 per cent war effort. The position is absurd beyond words. Workers Not to Blame "I am not blaming the workers, because I am aware that thousands of workers, probably nine-tenths of them, would gladly work overtime at ordinary rates of pay, but the Government says 'No.' " Mr. Holland said he knew of no ease where workers privately employed had been allowed to work overtime at ordinary rates, but it was a different story when workers were employed by the Government on similar work. Recently there had been a strike because the Government insisted on its employees doing something that private employees wore not allowed to do. "Restricted hours." he said, "constitute an offence against'the best interests of the Empire in time of war." A South Auckland Case Mr. Holland referred to the case of a South Auckland firm, where, he said, 24 workers had offered to work an extra hour a day at ordinary rates. The firm was making farmers' implements, but the Government would not permit the proposition, and a prosecution was actually brought for the working of overtime. "Thousands of patriotic workers in this country are denied the right to make their contribution to the war effort," Mr. Holland added. "The 40hour week fetish and stupid regulations stand in their way." INSULATION POLICY PROTECTING THE WORKER ECONOMIC CRISIS COMING (S.R.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday "There is an economic crisis approaching this country and its effects cannot be borne by one section of the community alone," said the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser, in the House of Representatives to-night, explaining the Government's views on its policy of insulation. "When the Leader of the Opposition sneers at insulation I hurl the sneers back in his face," Mr. Fraser said. "We can insulate this country from * hunger, rags, soup-kitchens and all the horrors of the late depression. We believe that at a time of crisis like, this we must bo socially minded and the subject will be looked on, dealt with and solved as a social problem. "I hope that the home of the worker will be insulated from the pangs of semi-stavation and the threats of losing his home and holding." Mr. Eraser said that- when anyone talked of insulation they could not imagine that the effect of booms and slumps could be prevented from touching the country, but the Government could insulate individual homes and families from the evil effects of adversity. °