A.—sf.

The first business of the Conference was the election of President. On the nomination of Mr. O'Grady (U.S.A.), supported by the spokesmen of the employers' and workers' groups, Mr. Lemass (Irish Free State) was unanimously elected to the position. Following the thanks of the Presidentelect, the Conference adjourned to enable the groups to elect committee members. Mr. Armstrong and I were elected to the Public Works Committee of the Conference, and on this committee I was able to assist by my knowledge of public works as carried out in New Zealand and the latest Public Works statement presented to Parliament by the Minister, the Hon. R. Semple, and its schedule of wages and working-conditions. I attended every meeting of the Committee to deal with the planning of public works in relation to employment. The point under discussion was how best to plan public-works programmes over long periods in such a way that when depression threatened and large numbers of workers were in danger of losing their jobs, the State might step in and speed up its public-works programme to provide them with employment and at the same time keep up the volume of purchasing-power. The present moment seemed to be a particularly appropriate time to consider the proposal. The plan involved knowing well in advance exactly what public works should be undertaken when the critical moment approached and having adequate funds in reserve to finance the work. The discussions in Committee had been keen and interesting, and it was clear that many of those who took part had given years of thought to the problem. The Conference recommended that the planning of public works by the various public authorities in each country be properly co-ordinated, so as to enable a rational long-range plan to be drawn up, and it recommended also that an International Committee be set up to study the problem and that the various States should send regularly to the International Labour Office full information concerning their public-works programmes and policy. Public-works Planning and International Co-operation. The International Labour Office had prepared a report on the question under review. This report contained a section dealing with a draft consultation of Governments, two draft Recommendations, and a Draft Resolution. The Committee consisted of 60 members, of whom 30 were Government members, 15 employers' members, and 15 workers' members. The Riddell system of voting was applied —that is to say, each Government member had one vote, and each employers' and workers' member two votes. The Draft Recommendation on International Co-operation concerning Public Works was submitted to Conference. The preamble text, which was as follows, was adopted without discussion : — " Whereas the advance planning of public works is a useful method of preventing unemployment and counteracting economic fluctuations ; and " Whereas action for this purpose can be effective only if it is based on adequate information and international co-operation." The Committee then dealt with the remainder of the text in various paragraphs outlined in a copy of the Official Bulletin, Vol. XXII, No. 3, dated 15th August, 1937, supplied herewith, and after certain amendments outlined in the Bulletin, the Draft Recommendation on International Cooperation was then put to the vote and adopted without opposition, the Indian Government member abstaining from voting. The Committee then went on to consider the Draft Resolution on International Co-operation concerning Public Works, and the Draft Resolution, after amendments, was adopted, the Norwegian and Indian Government members abstaining from voting. The Draft Recommendation concerning the National Planning of Public Works was next considered. At the outset the New Zealand Government member stated that the Draft Recommendation was framed on the same lines as the policy which the New Zealand Government pursued. The various headings covered the timing of public works, the financing of public works, the employment of certain classes of workers, and the conditions of recruitment and employment, and, after amendments, the recommendation concerning the national planning of public works as a whole was then adopted without opposition, the Government member for India abstaining. The Draft Recommendation concerning International Co-operation was then submitted to the Conference and carried, the voting being —For, 148 ; against, 0 ; abstain, 13. The Draft Resolution concerning National Planning, outlined in the Bulletin, page 86, was adopted, the voting being as follows —For, 147 ; against, 0 ; abstain, 16. Hours of Work in the Chemical and Printing Industries. A committee comprising 30 members, including 10 Government, 10 employers', and 10 workers' members, was set up to examine the question of the reduction of hours of work in the chemical industry. The Agenda also contained an item for consideration regarding the hours of work in the printing and kindred trades. A committee of the Conference was duly set up to prepare a report and submit a Draft Convention. Both the report and the Draft Convention were duly prepared, but when they were submitted to Conference they failed to secure the necessary two-thirds majority for success, the voting being as follows —For, 72 ; against, 43 ; abstain, 41. The report of the Committee dealing with hours in the chemical industry was no more successful than that of the printing and kindred trades, and the Draft Convention failed to secure the two-thirds majority, the voting being as follows —For, 76 ; against, 42 ; abstain, 47.

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