THE ECONOMY CAMPAIGN

Taranaki Daily News, 16 February 1931, Page 7

THE ECONOMY CAMPAIGN

CIVIL SERVANTS CONFER DISCUSSION OF MR. FORBES’ PLAN. OPINIONS VARY IN THE CITIES, By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. A combined conference of Public Service organisations was hurriedly called on Saturday morning to consider that portion of the Prime Minister’s statement relating to the Public Service, but at its conclusion no statement was available for publication, although a reply will probably be issued within. the next day or so. Seven organisations —the Post and • Telegraph Employees’ Association, the Public Service Association, the .Educational Institute, the Amalgamated Society of Railway. Servants, the Railway Officers’ Institute, the Engine Drivers’, Firemen’s and Cleaners’ Association, and the Railway Tradesmen’s Association—were represented at the conference. A sub-committee consisting of a representative from each of the organisations mentioned was set up to prepare a reply to the Government’s proposals. The sub-committee will report back to a further combined conference, after which the reply will probably be released, for publication. The Associated Chambers of Commerce executive and the central committee have written congratulating Mr. Forbes on his courageous, frank statement and saying that he may rely on the support of the chambers and the business community generally in his endeavour to meet and rectify the difficult financial position into which the country has drifted. A conference of the Associated Chambers of Commerce, the Farmers’ Union, the Sheep-owners’ Federation and representatives of the Alliance of Labour will open on Thursday. Until this has been held, no opinions will be. expressed by these bodies on the details of Mr. Forbes’ announcement. WAGES AND THE COST OF LIVING. Auckland, Feb. 14. Except in Labour circles, the Government's wage reduction proposals are re-garded-as a necessary preliminary to economic reconstruction. Labour s viewpoint is that any wage reduction proposal should be opposed unless there is an understanding that the cost of livin-x will be proportionately reduced. Dr? Belshaw, Professor of Economics, said that side by side with the general wage reduction, there should be reductions in interest, rente, fees, etc., and the banks should take the lead. The Civil Service view, so far as ascertainable, is that the reduction had to come, but it was pretty hard on the lower paid members. Mr. Phelan, secretary of .the Timber Workers’ Union, said that if the Arbit vtion Court was in effect to be instructed to' reduce wages, Labour would expect a tribunal to be set up to see that the cost of living was reduced proportionately.

POSTAL INCREASE CRITICISED.

Dunedin, Feb. 14.

Expressing the Manufacturers’ Association view of the financial proposals, the president, Mr. Kindley, congratulated the Prime Minister on relinquishing -tuo false position of maintaining wages above an economic .level, • He stated, however, that it was not a sound policy to increase postal charges, which seemed in contradiction to the. professed effort to reduce overhead charges. The spokesman for three trade unions said the bottom dog was being compellvl to make sacrifices, while, on the other hand, there was only an appeal to mortgagees and money interests, to reduce charges. The proposal to review awards was regarded as a breach of faith and a suspension of contract. It was a case of compulsion. ( for workers and a request to the monied. A shopkeeper stated that there would be Ices money circulated, and sma.ll stores would suffer. It was not likely that Mr. Forbes’ appeal to lenders to ease charges would be acceded to.