48-HOUR WEEK.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 164, 11 June 1940, Page 6

48-HOUR WEEK.

NO INCREASES IN WAGES! KAIRANGA' COUNCIL’S SUPPORT. Support for longer working hours without increases in pay was expressed at a meeting of the Kairanga County Council to-day, Ovlien the Wallace County Council vVote asking for support in the. following resolution:— “That, owing to world conditions this council asks for a reinstatement of the 48-hour week without; any increase m the existing weekly wage; also for a 50 per cent, reduction in holidays,, and overtime at ordinary rates of pay.”

“I think that the Government’s ‘all in’ policy will cover this,’ 5 said the chairman (Cr W. It. Hopcroft). Cr D. Collis moved that the council support the resolution. Under present conditions, he said, it was quite reasonable to expect everyone in the country to assist in matters such as ■Cr N. P. Nielsen seconded the motion. It seemed to him, be said, from the way in which work was being done in Britain, that the least that the council could do was to support this resolution. He thought that we took things far too lightly on the whole. Cr P. V. -Koehler said lie did not think that a 48-hour week was nearly enough. The trouble was that the resolution set a limit on the amount of endeavour. No move had yet been made by labour organisations, as far as he knew, to expedite the war effort. - Members of labour organisations should come forward and show that there was some definite intention on their part to ;assist the 'war effort, rather than to wait for a lead from the Government. The Government should model the action it ‘was to take bn what was being done in Britain at present. The resolution was “just poking at the matter.” ■ C i Cr W. G. Shannon said that be thought the labour unions would be only too willing to assist. They realised that conditions were more serious. The working man was quite willing to do his bit. The motion was carried.