PRICES AND WAGES

Hokitika Guardian, 1 August 1925, Page 1

PRICES AND WAGES

DA HOUR WANTS COMMISSION. PRIME MINISTRIES REPLY. ■WELLINGTON. July JO. Replying lo a depuialion from the Alliance of Labour, which requested the Ooveriinienl to set up a commission to inquire into questions of prices ami wages generally, and submitted a large volume of evidence collected in connecl ion with the subject:, the Prime Minister said that personally lie was of opinion (lull* if a commission were set op ir would nullify the effect ol The Arhilralion Court. Any suggestion of (he kind should come from the Court itself, and the Government contended that the Court was the proper authority to make recoiiuiieiidai ions in regard to tin* eosi of living and the basic wage, and lliiil any such recommendations should he i lii‘ii considered by the Govern lit. The figures submitted by Mr .1. Roberts and the representations generallv would be relerred to the Court. • anil the Government would give careful consideration to the whole question. H 'l' l ' Houri felt that a commission would he i<l, nitt ns then I lie matter would be gone Hilo by Hie (iovei limeli!.

*‘|)o \ oii I (link there should In* n com mission'? asked Mr -lordan (.Maim kau).

“Never mind ahold that. Mr Jordan’” replied ATr Conies. “I am telling viui wliiil I propose to do. I cannot help it if I do not please." Mr \Y. T. Young asked whether the Government would Invaluably oonsidci the evidence.

Mr Coates: Oh. exactly ! Von want It. net the whole lot. “If the Court will not make recommendations what is (he Ooverimient going in do'" asked Mr Roberts. “The Cmirf will not say its determinations are wrong," Mi- Coates: 1 think you must leave that, gentlemen. I "ill ask you to come alone; again alter what i h.»\e said has i.een carried out. I will he pleased lo dismiss il with you lurther. , Mr \V. 'l’, ii.iini! prmested on oi - half of organised labour against their nou-represeiittd ion aj, the Ceimva Conference, and urged that representation should he given in future. stir Francis Hell said ilud the Treaty of Versailles reiplireil each member and New Zealand was a member if il made anv appointment to nominate four delegates, two representing tlie employers and the Tniirth representing In hour. Now Zealand would. Iherelore, lie obliged lo send four delegates, one of whom would he a representative of labour. The Covernmeiit on each occasion had said il was not willing to incur the greal expense of -ending four

representatives from this distant emm(rv lo (leneva, involving long absence and considerable expenditure, and that was content to he represented by the nominee ol Ins Maicsls s (mi. i nun m „f Croat llrilain. On lh:it delegation there were imm who tool the entire confidence of labour. Sir f ramus added that he was speaking lor t ie >.overi.im.ml of the past, and dial he was mn referring to the altitude that might he adopted in lutiiie. Replying to a point raised by Mi Vonim! Sir Francis Hell said Inal lie interpreted the treaty as meaning that tl u . Covernmeiit: must send tmu; doieeaies as representing the Dominion it lt V?Trrn**r. AFP., asked wbeiber it. would not he possible lor the Government to be represented _by nflieors from the High Commissioner s ollice Sir Francis Hell replied that that had been considered, but they could not he sent to the Labour Couloronco, which sat at the same time as the General Assembly ol the League of