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Minimum Wages It is interesting to note that almost simultaneously with the adoption of minimum-wage legislation by the Parliament of New Zealand the Conference adopted the following recommendation: — In .order to assist the progressive raising of the standard of living of all workers, the Conference recommends the establishment of appropriate minimum-wage standards adequate for satisfying reasonable human needs. Stress is again placed on the necessity of social security in every country in order to ensure prosperity and social security in any country by the following recommendation, which was also adopted: An increase in the standard of living in less-advanced countries (particularly those with large agricultural populations) is an urgent necessity for these countries and will be a powerful factor in promoting full employment throughout the world. Concluding its report and recommendations, the Committee put its recommendations to the nations in a concrete form as follows: In the implementation of the measures suggested in this Resolution, and the creation of governmental machinery competent to deal with questions of full employment, Governments should give consideration where necessary to (a) The desirability of creating new agencies or strengthening and adapting existing agencies to the special demands of a programme for the maintenance of full employment: (b) The devising and improvement of technical processes involved in the estimation of the current and future volume of employment, income, investment, savings, and of public and private expenditure: (c) The creation and consultation where appropriate of tripartite bodies and in suitable cases of other bodies for the purpose of aiding in the determination and application of policies concerning the maintenance of full employment: (d) The collection and interchange of uniform statistical and economic information relevant to the questions with which this Resolution is concerned. Nations as Neighbours In moving the adoption of the report Mr. Ness Edwards said Governments cannot pursue with confidence a full employment policy within their own frontiers unless) they can be sure that they will not be confronted by insuperable balance of payments difficulties caused, it may be, by the failure of other countries. In short, it amounts to this: we cannot have full employment in any one country whilst there is underemployment in other countries, and the standards we establish in the full-employment countries will be menaced and destroyed if other countries are unable to carry out- similar policies. We regard it as of great significance that there must be an attempt internationally to move in unison, to move along the lines of a common policy, because, 'as I said before, full employment in one country can be destroyed by underemployment in other countries. We have to recognize, that we have all become very near neighbours as the result of economic and scientific developments during this! war, and in order that we should have happiness in this world we) must behave as neighbours, we must try and see to it that what is done in one country is related to another; and I think we must recognize this as the basic consideration: that happiness and peace in this, world will depend upon adequate economic standards in every country in the world. A long time ago it was said that peace is one and indivisible.i I also would say, in asking you to accept this Resolution this morning, that we must recognize that prosperity is one and indivisible, and we hope you will accept this Resolution and draw the attention of your Governments to it; and I trust that in the other organizations to be set up under the United Nations Charter we shall have that close co-operation, that happy collaboration, which produced this Resolution from the Employment Committtee. The opinions expressed by Mr. Ness Edwards, which were supported by Government, employers', and workers' representatives from many nations, including the more important nations of the world, will indicate the emphasis given to the need for not only national good, will, but for international good will, and it is clear that an understanding has arisen and which is assuming larger proportions every day and flooding the world with a greater impetus

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