NOT IN NEW ZEALAND

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 14, 9 October 1937, Page 3

NOT IN NEW ZEALAND

Mr. Armstrong Says Strikes Don't Happen Here t INTERVIEW IN VANCOUVER "Britain's Coronation bus strike could never have happened in our country,'^ said Mr H. T. Armstrong, New Zealand Minister of Labour, on his a-r-rival in Vancouver in the course of au mterview with a Vancouver exehange at the end of August. "(Jompulsory arbitration for eliminating strikes and ,stoppages," the Minister added, "is an accomplished fact in New Zealand. By this means we have given our workers aud employers a better method of settling their disputes. Furthermore, we have substantlally increased wages for all ciasses of labour, including farm workers; unemployment is back to normal and 80 per cent of our industrial -worlcers are employed on a forty-hour five-day week." Farm iabourers in New Zealand, Mr Armstrong explained, have a minimum wage of three pounds per week, with one month's holiday for every- year of service 011 full paj'. This ia by agreement with the Farmers' Union and by Act of Parliament. • There are no unemployed women and New Zealand can not satisfy the de-_ mand for young men in the skilled occupations. Speaking of the International Labour (Jongress in Geneva last June, when he was eiocted chairman of the textile committee on the forty-hour week, Mr Armstrong said that was the only torty-hour week convention to secure the necessary two-thirds majority.