TRADES UNIONISM.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 87, 14 April 1899, Page 2

TRADES UNIONISM.

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—ln reply to E. N. Davles lam in! favour of trades unions for the purpose of looking after the interests of workers, but; Strongly object-to their tyranny and the! arbitrary labour laws of this colony, such as the Conciliation and Arbitration, Mas- i ters and Apprentices Acts, which reduce j tho wages of labour as a whole and raise j the wages of the grasping at the expense ; of tho modest. As trades unions act at' present I consider they are only in degree : a less scourge to society than a club of, anarchists, who can see our civil laws conflict with the economic, and instead of j trying to solve the problem by patiently, \ earnestly . and perseveringly studying, j they attempt to demolish our social and j political fabric, and trust to\chanee what may' be established in its stead. I am astonished at Mr Davies quoting ' Professor Javons' primer, for that writer . says: 'There is no reason whatever to , think that trades unions have had any i permanent effect in raising wages in the j majority of trades, and domestic servants! have raised their own wages quite as much as any union could have done it for them.' I fenl bound to give our trades unionists the same character as Adam Smith did the merchants and manufacturers of his time, they are selfish, unprincipled and unpatriotic. I can assure Mr Davies if all trades i united and demanded higher wages they could not get them. Demands do not increase produce, but scientific husbandry does. 1 believe Mr Davies has a vague idea that labour could get some of the share of the produce which capital gets now, or that. the. name of union can conjure produce. J am sorry to inform Mr Davies that no paper in the colony would find space for a detailed explanation of an economic, problem, unless the writer I occupied an high social ,or political position; but if Mr Davies will apply to me at North-street, 1 will do my best to explain to him how wages can be doubled in live years, and how the demand and supply of labour can be made to meet, and how either can be made to exceed the other.— 1 am, etc., • JOHN JOHNSON.