CONCENTRATE ON WORK

Chronicle (Levin), 27 April 1948, Page 7

CONCENTRATE ON WORK

Press Assoeiation )

Future Policy Of Labour Federation

t (Per

WELjLINGTujn, Aprii 26. The future policy of the- I'e.deration of Jbabour snouiu noc oe coxinneu co continually struggling' to increase wages to offset prices, says the anuuai report of the New Zealand' federation oi juahour, which wili be presented at the annual conference in Dunedin toaiorrow. The policy bf'attempting to oalance too few goods with inore money is negative, says the report. The unions' positive course, the report adds, must be to make the most use of the available manpower, to avoid its dissipation in .non-essential, unserviceable and unproductive. channels, .to prcmote its flow into the .vital, . service able, essential and productive industries, to foster a planned economy, to aim at making the full use of raw materials, to strive to see that raw materials are at the right place at the right time, to aavocate tne reorganising, replacing and coordinating oi machinery and industry with the object of saviug time and energy to produce the maximum amount of good quality goods easily, quickly and at as low cost as possible. This policy, the report continues, calis for increased responsibility on the parfc of workers, owners, manufacturers, directors and managers. The federation has invited the Prime Minister (hlr. jb'raser), the Minister oi Finance (Mr. Nash), the Minister ot Labour (Mr. McLagan) and the Minister in Uharge of Stabilisation (Mr. Xordmeyer) to address the conference. Principal business ■ may be summarised as foliows: — 1. Eleetion of otticers: All offices wili be contested. The president, Mr. A. VV. Croslcery, of "Wellington, wili again be opposed' by Mr. W. E. Iiichards, ot • Dunedin. Mr. Eichal'ds, who defeateu Mr. F. P. Walsh for the vice-persidenev, ' will again iind Mr. Walsh his chief op ponent, and "other nom'inees for this office are Messrs. P. M. Butler, J. 11. Collins, P. A. Hansen (Wellington), D. W. 'Stalkcr (Invercargill) and A. Drennan (Auckland). For the secretaryship the present secretary, Mr. K. McL. Baxter, will be opposed by Mr. H. Kay (Hawke*'s Bay). For. the executive oi four there are 1:2 nominees. 2. New conslitution: The proposeilN new constitution, if adopted, will provide for eleetion of the national councu of the federation on an entirely new basis. lnstead of representatiou fo; 19s trades councils, there would ioe a national eouncil of 20 ov more members, elected by the annuiil' conference and representative ek-eh -'of an ' industry group. ' The cOunciI would • thus' be elected on a f unctioual ihstead ot geographical' basis. This -would deprive the tl'ades -councils of most of 'their power within the movement and would almost certainly eliminate the majority vote recently vvon by, the militant group on the council. 3. Industrial xelatroiis; There will be frank diseussion: and. argupient witii 'Miiiistfers on indiistrial. relations and Tui particular 011 i-elationships between the viovernment and tha; unions. * j : 1 > . .4. Wages and. price ihdex: Proposaji? for a. new retaib' price index more ac : curately reflec'ting presehtrday cost of living and . hffording a hew . basis for ' .assessing wage'. ihci'case.s .wiil^ b^e!. dis-; CUSSed. " : , i ; 5. World Fedenatiem of .Trade Unions: The- World Fedei'ation, embracing 7-5,000,000 trade- uiiionists, 'aiready ap pears to be on the verge of "collapst throu^h division of the unions as between those of the Ameriean anu British sphere of influence and those oi the Sovfet bioc. Oue. section of the New Zealand trade union movement x>roposes resistance.to "moves to break up the World Federation' \ The other can bi expected to win suppbrt" amoUg British Commonweaith trade unions on a future policy towar d the World Federation. (j. Discussion of reinits: There is the usual long list of remits from unions covering a wide range of political an--i industrial -issue. The conference vvil) aisc receive a report of union ohicials acfivities on the Aid for Britain ■National Council, and will- discuss .lisputes in the Cook Islands.