POLITICAL SITUATION

Waipa Post, Volume 51, Issue 3694, 6 December 1935, Page 7

POLITICAL SITUATION

HOW EMPLOYERS’ FEDERATION , VIEWS IT.

CO-OPERATION WITH THE NEW GOVERNMENT.

WELLINGTON} sth December

The president of the New Zealand Employers’ Association (Mir A. C-. Mitchell) prefaced his address at the annual meeting to-day by making reference to the political change which has come about. He said that the New Zealand Employers’ Federation as an organisation had no party and no politics. Probably every shade of political opinion was represented amongst its members. “ At the outset I feel sure that all members will join with me sincerely in offering congratulations to Mr Savage and his colleagues upon the reward which the people of New Zealand as a whole have bestowed upon them after their many years of strenuous work in Opposition. I personally wish Mr Savage and his colleagues every success in the work which they now have to undertake. I feel sure that members of this organisation as a body will endorse that wish. Our organisation has always aimed at the preservation of industrial peace, the gradual improvement of the standard of living in so l'ar -as circumstances will allow and so far as our influence has extended

we have always endeavoured to use it 'to attain these ends. We have placed at teh disposal of every successive Minister of Labour any information that we possessed which might be of rise to him, and so far as has been practicable we have co-operated with successive Ministers in industrial matters. Such services will still. be at the disposal of every successive o J :' Labour. Our desire is to assist him in every possible way, and not to be obstructive. It mlay happen, of course, that some of the new Government’s proposals will call for our criticism, perhaps for our opposition, hut if the occasion does arise our criticism will be constructive and not destructive. “ We must assume that the Government will be actuated by an earnest desire to preserve the industries of the Dominion, and will avoid any measures that will adversely affect industrial expansion and development. We have frequently given public expression to what is a fact—that our organisation is not antagonistic to organised labour but exists for the= purpose of meeting organised labouron an equal footing, and our desire has always been to reconcile the views of employers and workers as far as possible, to arrive at industrial agreements by friendly discussion and negotiation, and to improve working conditions as far as practicable having due regard to the circumstances under which industries are carried on at any time. We hope that the new Government will appreciate that spirit which animates our organisation. We have acquired long and valuable experience of industrial matters. We will be prepared to discuss all things reasonably with representatives of the Government, and we trust that our relations with the incoming Government will always be friendly and mutually helpful We shall probably have differences of opinion upon industrial legislation, from time to time, but we shall endeavour to co-operate with the Government in all things-for the mutual benefit of our members and their employees.” Mr' Mitchell referred to the rise in

wool prices and the improved prices for dairy produce on the Home market as matters for sincere congratulation. It could not be assumed tha our trouv/ere entirely at an end, or that there could be an immediate restoration of pre-slump conditions. However, signs were not wanting of a general improvement in trading conditions. It was still necessary to exercise the greatest care, but the pendulum should not be allowed to swing too far in the direction of wage increases until industry was in a position to bear the increased cost without prejudice to the progress towards recovery which had been so long awaited. There had been much discussion on a suggestion to introduce a 40 hours week as a partial solution of the unemployment problem. It would probably be found that the introduction of a shorter working week would not appreciably affect the number of workers employed in any industry, and might even force certain industries to further mechanise their production processes, which could quite easily produce an effect the exact opposite of what was intended.