LABOUR CONFERENCE

Southland Times, Issue 21219, 21 October 1930, Page 4

LABOUR CONFERENCE

WORKERS! REPRESENTATIVE RETURNS. IMPRESSIONS GAINED ABROAD.. (Per United Press Association.) Wellington, October 20. The value to New Zealand of being represented at the International Labour Conference at Geneva was stressed by Mr J. Roberts, - secretary of the New . Zealand Alliance of Labour, and the New’ Zealand workers’ representative at the conference who returned from abroad by the Makura. "Geneva is worth while to New Zealand,” he said. “This country should be represented there each year to keep in touch with world movements and economic developments in relation to labour matters. Geneva is the world’s centre and the tendency is for each country in Europe to establish the same hours of employment and working conditions in order to allow fair competition for home and foreign markets. Referring to the objects of the conference, he said that the main questions discussed were the hours of work of salaried employees, hours of work of coalminers and forced labour. Mr Roberts emphasized that New Zealand was interested in them all, especially the labour movement which was interested in anything affecting the labour question. The great question of Europe was unemployment which was prevalent in every country except France, Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Unemployment in Belgium and Holland was not serious, but unemployment in all other countries, including Great Britain, was serious and increasing every-week. The American Federation of Labour estimated that there were 6,000,000 unemployed in the United States. The cause of unemployment was, he considered, due to the introduction of labour-saving machinery and lack of foreign markets, the latter being in turn due to the fact that most countries of the world were, now becoming more or less industrial producers. There were some 3,000,000 to 3,500,000 unemployed in Germany and 2,000,000 to 2,500,000 in Great Britain. A serious amount of unemployment existed in Italy, but a great number of Italian workmen found employment in semi-mili-tary occupations to enforce the Fascist rule. England, the United States, Germany and Italy appeared to be depressed. France had a very good balance in the agriculture industry’ with production which did not obtain in other European countries. She had wiped out three-quarters of her internal debt by deflation of the value of"her currency. In connection with New Zealand goods he expressed the opinion that there was not half enough money spent in advertising the Dominion’s produce. While other countries advertised their goods in every conceivable way one did not see much advertising of New Zealand produce in Great. Britain, except in New Zealand House. On the other hand Australia advertised to a great extent. Australian apples were advertised in all buses. He expressed the opinion that Danish butter was marketed better than New Zealand butter. The co-operative producers of Denmark to a great extent controlled the sale of butter till it reached the retail shops. There was much better organization.