WAGES AND HOURS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 57, Issue 246, 29 July 1937, Page 5

WAGES AND HOURS.

THE GOVERNMENT’S POLICY.

EFFECT ON PRODUCTION

(Per Press Association.)

WELLINGTON, July 28

The contention that lighter work and shorter hours in the town would be made possible only by- harder work and longer hours on the land was put forward by Mr H. D. Acland (president of the New Zealand Sheepowners and Fanners” Federation) at? the annual meeting to-day.. “During the depression years the primary industries, assisted by the common sense of Governments and courts and other organisations, managed to get costs down and down,” lie said. “This in turn greatly helped the primary industries to weather ' the financial and economic storm. If now, in the first fine rapture/ of a' breath of prosperity, we reverse the movement, prosperity, we reverse the movement, slow down the return of general prosperity. “It is easy: for certain-peqple to a affirm that a high basic wage paeans a bigger demand and ’better' prices for our primary producers, and to talk about the home market being the best market. The truth is, of course, that with our great primary products the local price is determined by the export price. If we had a population of 25,000,000, we could view these matters differently. Meantime, it is well to keep in mind that it is impossible for even the secondary industries to be prosperous unless and until the primary- industries are making reasonable profits. And so the warning is: ‘Go slow on increasing costs.’ “It would appear that the greatest care will be necessary in the carrying out of the Government’s policy of redistribution, to ensure that means are evolved to prevent detrimental effects to that class of the community in whose interests the redistribution is being made, that it taking the long view.

“Two Separate New Zealand’s.” “Under existing conditions there appears to be a danger that this may be the ultimate result, as the natural tendency will be toward the creation of two ‘ separate New Zealands—a town New Zealand and a country New Zealand; the first starving the second by virtue of the disequilibrium as between returns for services rendered in the one case, as against those in the other. This difference has undoubtedly been accentuated under recent legislation, and the reimposition of the land tax has added still 1 further to the difficulties of the farmer producing for export. I am afraid that the effect of recent legislation will be to place the producer for export, and the men who work with him on the land, on a definitely lower level of return for then services and labour than is the case with any other section of the community. ,

“In short, in a country such as ours, whose exports are almost exclusively primary products, it will be apparent that if carried past the balancing point of equity, the policy of lighter work and shorter hours ill towns can be made possible as a continuing policy only by harder work, and . longer hours on the land.

“Primary production cannot be successfully carried on under town factory rules, and the costs of production of produce from the farm cannot be passed 'on to the overseas consumer, fis can be done with goods sold on our domestic market. Primary 'producers lor export from New Zealand have a good case for special consideration _jn these circumstances.”