C—3a

I have placed the above conclusions and observations at the head of my report because they bulk more largely in my mind than the technical reports and demonstrations which I heard and witnessed. During the tour I was able to take advantage of opportunities of meeting and talking to people with special interests bearing on the timber industry. One of these was Mr. Kantola, secretary of the Forestry Section of the Finnish Work Efficiency Association. At his offices he demonstrated to me some of the scope and methods of his association, and I was able to obtain some of the pamphlets, brochures, and journals on this work, which is significantly in line with recommendations of the Congress. Exploring the field of labour relations in Finland, I met the secretary of the Finnish Timber Workers' Union, Mr. Antillo. He explained to me, through an interpreter, the difficulty which the industry was facing because of ideological warfare within the ranks of his organization. At the same time he detailed to me the improvement which had been effected in the working and living conditions of his members during recent years. I later met Mr. Antikainen, secretary of the Finnish Agricultural and Forestry Workers' Union. His members are engaged in logging, afforestation, and floating operations. From him also I got an interesting picture of what was being done to improve industrial relations in the forest workings. I accompanied Mr. Alwyn Carter on a visit to Mr. Peltonen, Minister for Works and Communications in the Finnish Government. The purpose of our visit was to inquire into the possibility of recruiting for the New Zealand timber industry from among Finnish forest workers. This inquiry was in line with the policies of our respective organizations. Mr. Peltonen's reply was that he thought his Government would be sympathetic to any approach made by New Zealand immigration authorities, as there was a surplus of labour in the forest areas of Finland. The New Zealand delegation, comprising Mr. T. T. C. Birch, Mr. A. Carter, and myself, arrived in Helsinki on Tuesday, sth July. On the evening of the following day we joined a party of excursionists going to Turku, a large town in south-west Finland. This was the real starting-point for a tour of study and inspection covering three days in time and much territory. In the course of the tour we visited many forest stands of different types, tree breeding stations, and plant nurseries. Also we visited several industrial concerns, including one small sawmill, one large mill and joinery-factory, and a large wooden-ship-building yard. I was impressed by the obvious efficiency of the plants, large or small. Another very striking thing was the high proportion of women and girls employed at tasks which in New Zealand are exclusively for men. It was explained that much of this was due to the heavy loss of men in the recent war. Upon inquiring whether the women were paid the same as men for the jobs they were doing, I was told that there was a lower wage scale for women, but that recent wage agreements had narrowed the gap. At the small sawmill visited, a noteworthy feature was the very fine dining-room included in the administration building. The houses occupied by the workers on this mill appeared to be of a high standard. At the O.T.K. mill and joinery-works near Hameenlinna, the manager took justifiable pride in showing us the dining-room, changeroom, and washing facilities provided for the workers. This was a very large plant by New Zealand standards, but not by Finnish standards. The Congress opened in Helsinki on 11th July and continued until the 19th July. The New Zealand delegation endeavoured to cover as much ground as possible by dividing the time of members between various sections dealing with the various groups of reports. The proceedings of the Congress were varied by social functions and receptions of various kinds which were of a nature to demonstrate the abounding hospitality of the Finnish people.

105