A—7a

Position of Fishing Industry (Provisional Records 17 and 26) As the fishing industry is excluded from most conventions and recommendations affecting maritime workers (the exception is recommendation No. 7, Hours of Work Fishing," 1920), it is appropriate that the International Labour Office has now been asked to commence studies with a view to the adoption of minimum standards of wages, working-conditions, &c. Joint Maritime Commission (Provisional Records 24 and 30) It has been the practice of the Governing Body of the Organization to establish advisory Committees to which it has referred matters from time to time. In the case of matters affecting seafarers, the Organization is advised and guided by the Joint Maritime Commission, a standing Committee of nine representatives of shipowners and nine representatives of seamen chosen from different maritime countries. Meetings of the Commission were, of course, interrupted by the war in 1939, but it met on 26th -to 30th June, 1942, and on Bth to 12th January, 1945. The constitution of the Commission was considered in Seattle, and as a result a resolution was adopted recommending the Governing Body to consider the desirability of reconstituting the Commission on a tripartite basis —i.e., by providing for representation of Governments in addition to employers and workers, the groups to be increased -to twelve members (at present, nine on a bipartite basis). It was nevertheless envisaged that bipartite discussions continue where suitable or desirable. Considerable opposition to this proposal came from the employers' group, who •claimed that the Commission had successfully dealt with many problems during its ■existence. As against this, the workers' group asserted that on many matters no progress •could be made because, with the employers and workers equal in numbers, decisions were never possible where contentious issues arose. They therefore felt the widened basis and the admission of Government representatives to be fully justified, as decisions •could then be reached. The Commission is, of course, an advisory not an executive body, and therefore its decisions operate only as recommendations to the Governing Body of the Organization. It was, in fact, consulted in connection with the preliminaries to the Copenhagen Conference, and therefore there is proof that the Commission is not so ineffective as the workers' group asserts. Nevertheless, as there appeared to be merit in the arguments advanced by the workers, the New Zealand Government delegates supported the idea of the admission of Government representatives. Recognition op Seafarers' Organizations (Provisional Records 17 and 26) A resolution on this subject was adopted unanimously. In New Zealand, of course, the law as contained in the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, 1925, provides for registration of organizations and confers on them equal rights with other workers to participate in the collective bargaining procedure. Continuous Employment for Seafarers (Provisional Records 17 and 26) While a separate report was submitted for consideration, the matter was actually dealt with by the Resolutions Committee. The resolution as adopted appears as an Appendix to this report, the idea contained in it appearing to be in line with New Zealand Government policy. There was unanimous acceptance of the principle. In fact, during the discussions in the Committee on vacation holidays the employers frequently stated that their support of this measure was because they wanted employment to be continuous

7