NEW ZEALAND FOOTWEAR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24783, 6 December 1941, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND FOOTWEAR

MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY CO-OPERATION OF WORKERS "I am sure all. engaged in footwear manufacturing will be pleased that a complete agreement resulted from the recent Conciliation Council proceedings held to consider the workers' application for a new award in the industry," said Mr D. I. Macdonald, secretary of the New Zealand Footwear Manufacturers' Federation, to-day in a statement about the footwear ihdustry. " Final details of the agreement were completed over the last weekend by Mr A. Watts, of Auckland, secretary of the New Zealand Footwear Trade Employees' Industrial Association of Workers, and Mr W. E. Anderson, secretary of the Auckland Employers' Association. This agreement largely follows the old award, but includes some minor alterations particularly through a readjustment of„the rates of pay of females. .These have been brought more in line with the general standard of the Court of Arbitration. An Amicable Settlement

" The chief virtue of the agreement lies, however, in the fact that the workers and employers in the industry have again been able to settle their dispute without reference to the Court of Arbitration, a position Which has obtained over a period of nearly 20 years. This. industry since the war began has been steadily increasing its production of footwear to meet the requirements of the army, navy, and air force, and latterly in addition has accepted substantial orders for export to other Empire forces in the East and elsewhere. "Already the industry has produced close on 750,000 pairs of boots, sandals, etc., for defence requirements, and by the end of 1942 nearly a further 1,000.000 pairs will have been produced. This has been done by the combined work and organisation of the workers and employers, and surely is a splendid example of the spirit of co-operation which should exist in industry and which has been called for by the Minister of Labour and other Ministers over recent months. This tial production has, naturally called for increased quantities of" New Zealand leathers, and, as secretary of the New Zealand Tanners' Association, I know the extent to which the tannery industry has reorganised its production and to which it is preparing for expanded production over the next 12 months to meet the requirements of the footwear factories.

Armchair Critics "It is interesting to remember that for many years the footwear Industry Of New Zealand was classified by those armchair critics who Still appear.from time to time with vested interests in other directions as one of New Zealand's ' uneconomic' industries. These critics do not Include men who are trained in economic thought, as these latter realise that the term •uneconomic ' is purely a relative one, and that any conditions such as defence requirements, the need for decentralisation of industry, available raw materials, and many other factors enter Into the argument as to whether any one industry should be established In a country. "I can only say that had It.not been for New Zealand's footwear industry today the general public of New Zealand would have been without many lines of footwear, wholesalers and retailers wroula not have had their shelves stocked with goods as they are. and finally our own men and women overseas and men from many other parts of the Empire would not have been as satisfactorily equipped with footwear as they are because of the large part which the New Zealand footwear industry and those other Industries associated with It«are taking in meeting this essential war demand."