INDUSTRY AND LABOUR

Taranaki Daily News, 18 February 1931, Page 12

INDUSTRY AND LABOUR

CONFERENCE ABANDONED SEQUEL TO GOVERNMENT PLAN. ■ THE ADJUSTMENT OF WAGES. A conference between several organisations representing the primary producers, manufacturers and other employers, and members of the Alliance of Labour, which had been arranged to open in Wellington to-morrow, has been abandoned as a result of the definite announcement by the Prime Minister upon some of the more important matters which would have been considered by the conference. Commenting upon the decision, the secretary of the Employers’ Federation, Mr. T. O. Bishop, said that under tho circumstances the abandonment of the conference appeared to be inevitable. At tlie same time no effort would be spared by employers’ organisations to secure the co-operation of trade unions in bringing about the adjustments which are necessary to meet present economic conditions. The Prime Minister had made a pronouncement showing that he was inspired by a wholehearted desire to so arrange the Dominion’s financial affairs as to maintain our high reputation for sound finance and common-sense administration. With most of Mr. Forbes’ suggestions the business community of New Zealand would probably be found in agreement. “Since an adjustment of wages is absolutely inevitable,” said Mr. Bishop, “no doubt the fairest way to bring about an adjustment is to use the existing machinery of the Arbitration Court through the medium of a general order affecting all wages simultaneously. To bring this about an amendment of the Arbitration Act is necessary, and all employers will approye it as a temporary expedient. There is, however, a very widespread desire among all sections of employers to see the Arbitration Act still further amended in the direction of the recommendations made to the Government after the 1928 industrial conference.

“The Prime Minister’s expressed desire that the public should be given the full benefit of reduced wages in price reductions and his determination to enforce this as far as possible, will be approved. In 1922, when wage reductions were brought about by a general order of the Arbitration Court, the Employers’ Federation adopted the following resolution:—‘Each employer and each particular industry must endeavour to make reductions in prices equivalent not only to the reduction in wages paid by that employer or industry, hut also the consequent reduction in prices of charges for goods and services produced or rendered by others which are part of the cost of production of each employer or industry. If prices have already been reduced and no further reduction is possible, that position must be made clear to the general public by advertisement or otherwise, and reasons for nonreduction should be furnished to the secretary of the New Zealand Employers’ Federation.’ 1

“That will, no doubt, be the spirit which will actuate employers under the similar circumstances which now exist.”- , ,