STUDY OF LABOUR CONDITIONS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 59, 25 March 1937, Page 4

STUDY OF LABOUR CONDITIONS

Tour of Europe After Geneva INTENTIONS 0F MINISTER The Minister for Labdur, th© Hofi. FT T. Armstrong, who -will attelid the InteriiatidnUl LaboUf Ctffifereiid© at Geneva this yShf, ihieflds to spend what time he is able iii sttidying labotif eonditioiXs itt Eufopeaii cfrUXitries aftei the Confefertce is ovef . He niade thig aff nouncemertt at a farewell social givefi to him by the Hast Christchurch brahcb of the Laboilr Party. "I intend with the time and fiieufit t have left .after the eoilfeteiiCe is otef, to irivestigate the labour cohditldn4 of the wOrking classes hi the EtirOpeAU "ountries — the waV they live ahd hoW

they da things/' said the MiftiSter. "I want to be in posseesiofl of valUahle expCrience so that I cah Coine back Ahd fender greater sefvice than before/' Referring to th© Labotif CohfefefldS, the Mihister s&id that this was the onlj international movement where the represehtatives of the workiag class'wefi able to discuss the ways and ineafle OI Hfting the staiidard of litxhg for th* working man, This was ridt like S6ihe other internatiorial Conferences, as all countries were represented at it, There were vfery few LahdUr Govef limeuti } therefor© moat of the repreSentatiVCa would be "Tory-miaded/' It was most essential in the light of this that Ofi* of the few countries which did have 4 Labour Government should be repreSented. The Prime Minister would attend the Imperial Oonference said Mr Armstrong, This was most important to th* mterests of the Doffiinioii, but th© conj fetenc© at Gen©va would be even inofe important, It had been i-eported that many of th© measures being advoeated at Geneva had already been put ifitd praotie© in N"ew Zealand, but th© Hemlnion still had a good deal to learn. Although ther© Wer© som© who believed that this eountry led the world in reforms, in some ways New Zealand was very backward— mor© baGkward than some Jfcurqpean countries which Were thought to b© half-civilised. If, however, the Doxainion was In adranc© of other countries in certain reforms, it was New Zealand'a dnty to gs to th© conference and try to help theia*