SPIRIT OF HELP

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 77, 28 September 1933, Page 12

SPIRIT OF HELP

PROBLEMS AHEAD

EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES

INDUSTRIAL AFFAIRS

Speaking at tho annual meeting of the Wellington Employers' Association today, Mr. T. 0. Bishop, secretary of tho New Zealand Employers' Federation, after thanking tho association for asking him to address them, and expressing his appreciation of tho way in which the secretary, Mr. Mountjoy, was co-operating with the federation's office, said the annual report of the association and the president's speech struck a noto of cheery optimism, which he thought was justified. Onq had to move somewhat, slowly iii the present times, and to adjust one's thoughts with due regard to possible happenings, said Mr.- Bishop. He had been associated with the organisation for about twelve years. In tho earlier .years, he found that they had a' very large measure of loyalty to any agreement entered into between members of the various' trade sections. He lad found, however, that as difficulties increased .it, was not so easy to secure that large measure of support. That was only natural. People who were driven by the exigencies of their own business, found it necessary to play more-or-less a lone hand. They were not so able to conform to the mutual understandings and arrangements in regard to trade agreements with others engaged in their trade. "INDICATIVE OF PANIC." Possibly it-was somewhat indicative "of ..panic that a large number of new organisations had sprung up during the-past year —organisations with 1111----tcied leadership and with policies which ■syere largely experimental. There was an old saying that "you should not swap horses when crossing a stream." Boesibly there was too much tendency tto swap horses, and try new and possjblyiisky .experiments, which in the ond might, prove failures, instead of a'dheritig'to old sound'business principles, which they had been accustomed to all tlieir .lives; ■ ' ' • "There are some very important matters' facing employers at the present moment,'' said .Mr.' Bishop. '<' There stjemj to be a very pronounced and strong trend of opinion throughout the world that we are passing out of an ago of uncontrolled economy into a state o£ controlled economy. In 1920 I was 5n the United States of America. That was the year of tho presidential election following the -war—the" year when the Republican Party defeated the Democrats, and Woodrow Wilson was defeated. A slogan, was coined during that election —I think some people think it was coined in New Zealand in 1928. Asa matter of fact, tho slogan ''Less " "government in business, and more business in government' was coined in,tho United States during the election I have referred to. I happen tj> know,"1 because I saw it everywhere, on trams and buildings in America. At t4e present ■moment America is indulging in the most .colossal and .extrava-' "apt. scheme of government interference in Irasiness that wo have over seen; That shows very clearly how far the Americans have, advanced1 in the direction- of radical thinking. How far ■the;, American experiment will succeed is a matter of the greatest interest to #ho.w.oria. 'It has been said that if it fails there- will, be repcrcussipns throughout the world, and if it succeeds it will-be of importance to the world because of .America's importance in international affairs. ■'-; ITEW ZEALAND'S PABT. . "la the light of those happenings, ■we are facing very important matters here iij New Zealand. We cannot take t'hetead/we are altogether too small a country, and are too dependent upon outside trade to take a lead in any such,, experiments..'. We have to be. propared to follow whenever we can see clearly that a definite lead is being given in the right direction. And with tbat knowledge in mind, wo may have to change bur policies, reform our laws, reconstitute our trading and commercial ,matlters. and conform to radical changes arising in other parts of the world. •■J'Sutfelj it' becomes apparent that th«re Ij«6 never been greater need for ffkaaimityi of opinion and close co•jwration between the employers of New Zealand .than there is at the present time. I rather deprecate the hasty formation of so many new organisations. I think if New Zealand were to show * little more of the spirit moving Atoerica today it would be a good thing:. One of the big employers said of tMe President's proposals that they were costing his firm 700,000 dollars a yew, that he did not know whether they were going to be a success—probably they would not—but thn country was backing tho President. I would, like to see more of that spirit ihown here." . .

' Mr. Bisltop concluded by stating that the Employers' Federation would meet towards the end of next month, and ho expressed' a hope that the Wellington '; Association would be well represented.-'"at" the'meeting, and that their delegates would attend the conference prepared' to do sonic constructive 'thinking, 'arid assist the deliberations on many important industrial, mat■ters that would arise.