IRATE MINISTER

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 253, 25 October 1937, Page 9

IRATE MINISTER

COMMERCE CHAMBERS MR. ARMSTRONG'S ATTACK. ATTITUDE TO INDUSTRIES. “They should change their name from the chamber of commerce to the chamber of horrors,’’ said the Minister of Labour, the Hon. H. T. Armstrong in the course of an attack on the chambers of commerce of the Dominion which he made during the financial debate in the House of Representatives on Thursday night. “The chambers of commerce have taken up the cudgels on behalf of the secondary industries,” Mr. Armstrong said. “In the past they have been the arch-enemies of the secondary industries. Actually their attitude boils down to the one thing—that the only way the Government can assist the secondary industries is to abolish the 40-hour week and lengthen the hours of work. Return From Workers. “These chambers of commerce say that they do not mind high wages if they are worked for. The implication is that they believe that the workers are not earning their money. That may be the opinion of the chambers, but it is not the opinion of the manufacturers, who say they are getting a good return from the workers.”

The Minister said he did not know of one manufacturer who wanted to abolish the 40-hour week. Certainly the manufacturers wanted protection and the Government would help them, but the manufacturers would not get help from the chambers of commerce. The workers in secondary industries were working as well ana giving as good returns for their wages as they had ever done. The chambers of commerce knew that very well. "Propaganda For Overseas.” “This attitude on the part of the chambers of commerce is not new,” Mr. Armstrong continued. “It will not go down with the people of the Dominion, because the people know the calibre of the men who make up these chambers. However, this propaganda is not meant for the people of New ealand. It is intended to poison the minds of people in countries overseas.” Mr. Armstrong said that nearly all the overseas representatives who had attended the conference of chambers of commerce in New Zealand last year had gone away with their minds poisoned by “misrepresentation and lies” about New Zealand and were spreading false ideas of condiitons in the Dominion.

A god deal had been said by the chambers of commerce about the boot industry, the Minister added. He knew that some manufacturers in that industry were indifficulties. They had built up stocks only to see greatly increased importations coming into the country, but it was noticeable that many of “the humbugs on the chambers of commerce” were responsible for those importations, which were endangering the industry.