PLANNING AHEAD

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 55, Issue 3939, 13 August 1937, Page 3

PLANNING AHEAD

LABOUR AT GENEVA. TEXTILE 40-HOUR WEEK. “A wonderful achievement” was how Mr. H. T. Armstrong, Minister of Labour, described the vote passed by the International Labour Conference at Geneva in favour of a 40-hour week in the textile industry. It was all the more satisfactory when it was remembered that representatives were present from all parts of the world, to know that the convention had been adopted by a two-thirds majority. Two other conventions, dealing with the 40-hour week in the printing and chemical industries, had each obtained substantial majorities even if they did not get the necessary two-thirds. “Let me just say to my fellowworkers,” said Mr. Armstrong, “that I have devoted my life to the work-ing-class movement in an endeavour to improve the conditions of life of the workers of my part of the world, and to make their outlook on life brighter. I, along with the workers’ representatives here, am somewhat disappointed that these two conventions were not carried, but do not let us be downhearted about that. The vote in favour of those two conventions is a remarkable achievement considering the nature of the conference in which we are taking part. Putting the whole three conventions together, we send out from this conference an inspiration to the world, and the voting will give a ray of hope to tens of millions of overworked people in the industries concerned from one end of the world to the other.” Planning For Depression. In reference to other matters before the conference, he said that in the matter of public works they had given practically an instruction to all countries of the world to plan ahead and to make ‘provision for periods of depression that may or may not come in the future. Yet they sincerely hoped that they had experienced the last depression. The safety regulations for building operations were also most important, and would go a long way to protect the lives and limbs of hundreds of thousands, if

not millions, of workers in the world to-day.

Then there was the Minimum Age Convention. Could they have imagined even ten or twelve years ago that in a few years’ time an international conference, composed of Government representatives, employers, and workers of the world, would decide upon a minimum age of fifteen years for admission to employment? Mr. Armstrong also remarked that he had not been used to the necessity for the rule of a two-thirds majority. In New Zealand they had majority rule, and they could carry any reform in Parliament on a majority of one. If they could not pass a convention at the conference except with a two-thirds majority in favour of it, he was inclined to think that the rest of the world would be moving ahead of the organisation, whereas it really should be giving a lead to the world. He mentioned this because he thought it a point that might well claim consideration.

However, if the organisation had weaknesses—and what organisations had not?—its advantages and its good points far out-weighed the weaknesses He could not too strongly emphasise the importance of the organisation and its value to the civilised world.