FORTY-HOUR WORK WEEK

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19042, 16 June 1936, Page 12

FORTY-HOUR WORK WEEK

COMMENT AT GENEVA. REPLY 1 BY MR. SAVAGE LESS LABOUR NEEDED; . lPt»r Press Association.)_ . WELLINGTON, last nighl. "There arc .some .people , who refuse to -admit- that, machines- iirt doing the work of- men, 'said the Prime Minister, I Ins lit. Hon. >!....!. Suvage, wlieu the cabled report of the comments; hiadc Jit Ihe International Labour Oitice co;i.fer. cm'e.'al Geneva, by Mr; 'A.'C. Mitchell oil the 'worxing of ihe ; 49-hour -workweek were, referred to him illuV.evcnihg.r Mr.' Mitchell is an employers' representative on* the v New Zealand "delegation '6 the

VMr> Mitchell says tliat the' 40-hour week, will send God's own"country ■■*?■> top 'speed .-Lb the devil,",, Mr. -Savage sfid. "That js his opinion, but, ; for years mw, machines have\been.displacing;men. tiom industry. . Production is Hiereasjug and .ess human.labour is required. The only nay to meet the situation.is to "maintain tiie average mail's standard of jliving or improve it if possible and, at the.kmc time, see to it that - he works a shorter working day and a shorter .working V.fck arid; 1 , a shortei' working life. [ would like anyone in Geneva 6.- nnowhere else to prove that that is .wrong." Mr. Savage added: "Scnne. triple appear to object to reductions.in.'tht working hours because' they .hold, that the working man is riot fitted to r '\>i* tile additional leisure whicli wonktbe provided for him... There' ate I'len.y of leisured people. to : day who 5 secnti to "lie able to enjoy '. their leisure to I :' ( the full and at any Tate as the. working.hours are reduced, it will be the'duty, of.tlie Government to provide facilities. to efrmve that the. working maii willbe dole to make profitable, use ol,\his increased .cisu're."' -' .:■ , -■*'..'V.' <V,y-, * ■"' • ■