TRADE AND LABOUR NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 126, 28 May 1914, Page 8

TRADE AND LABOUR NOTES.

C.MOX MEETINGS FOB THE WEEK, j This Evening. May 27— Knsriricdrivors. Moulders. Coopers, Tramways, >evv- I market Carpenters. | Friday. Mar 28—Bricklayers. Monday, .one 1 — Wastcrers. Timberworkers. Shipwrights. Driver-. Tailors. Tuesday. June 2—Central Carpenters. Slicct Metal Workers. Slaughtermen. Wednesday, June 3—Labourers. Tbe. Auckland Tramways . mou is going in for a ball of its own. A week or two back a site was secured in St. Martin's Lane,-near the Grafton llntlge. for the 6_m of £412, and it is intended to raise, funds, for erecting a hall tint will accommodate the union. Sick and Accident Society, and the Recreation Club. Speaking with a member of the union, he etated that it v. as probable that the -baUding would al.so be used for an East End City Mission flub on the nights on which the hall would n.it ',•■ required for uuion purposes. One. of the Auckland I'niuti sei reiuiics is very fond of boasting tnat one ot hie unions the other week received a. cordial invitation to attend at Covernment House, whilst his KxeeJleucy war in residence. Both officers ami members were, received very cordially, and before leaving the jrubernatorial residence were treated to light refreshment. It is just as well to mention that ih n union was the Auckland Fire Brigades-' Union, and the oucasion was the recent fire at Government House. A mass meeting "j unionists, under tbe auspices of the Auckland secretaries' Association, ie to be held this cvcnin__ in the Trades Hall, for the purpose ot considering proposals to be laid before the conference of Arbitration L'nions on July "th at Wellington. Opponents of the proposal to hold a conf.renoe are buey spreading the untruth that the conference i« put forward with the express object of rehabilitating the. United Federation of Labour, which, a.--cordiag to the Qhi»emuji IGners' Union Executive, i* "in artieulo mortis": and the meeting to-night is tor the purpose of confuting that statement, and also to consider the constitution of Ihe. Australian Labour Federation, and adopting something on einrilar lia«» for the confederation of the Jnly Conference. It is clear to everyone that unless Labour as mora tuntcd next November than, it is a. pgcfeeat, there « a, yoj poor

chance uf increasing the number ol j Labour members in the l!o__c. The I Secretaries' A—oriai.nn hold no brief for tii" KedcrnUon of Labour, but vv'nat ! t'.icv .'., want above .ill things _s unity and sdidarilv in the Utbour ranks. A -iib-committec has c.oinsidercd j the Ait.-t raihin ('on.-tiliition. and having reported lo the Secretaries' Association i on the main principles of the conatittitiou adapted to the requirements of the ! Dominion, their report a.-, adopted by j the association will be submitted to tonight"- mas.- meeting for discussion. It it ai.-o hoped to arouse the unions into a more enthusiastic interest in the .hxfy 1 ,inference. as some of the organisations are 1.-tting it go liy default. Amongst other thing-, n new iiajne for the Labour party. different to any- that has been yet assumed by the conflicting faction.-, will be submitted: also a mur-li-reiluccl capitation fee. m conformity with that oi the Ai_vtr.i_.__n Federation, will !,■ -invested, further, tiie Australian ('mii-litution provides for more power being vested in district councils, and this will al-i he considered. Tbe majority ...'' lo ai labourites arc not \icddcl lo t!c pcrpclnation of either the 1 'nile.l Federation of l__.bour or the Social Democratic party. _~ long as a party acceptable to the majority u f the workers ~! th,- Dominion is the onu-omc o: tiie conference, and it is hoped that a ,-,;.,1 lian-i ol Auckland delegate.- will go to the d.iN Conference wit.li that line* object in , "iitcmnlatiott. t notice '•-" '' !lr cables ~;' yesterday that the congress oi the recently-formed Au_tralian Federation, embodying ai|iiarter "t a million members, now in session in >ydney. has decided that it is inadvisable in send a delegate to the July <<,„- ilcrence. a- rei|iicsto,l by the Eoeter Con-|t.-ren,e held nt Wellington. This is to | be regretted from ~ New Zealand standp.uu;. a- the ~r,-,,„,. „; thp ~o n w> Hngjer. at ihe duly Congress at WellingInn would have creatly enhanced the importance oi the proceedings, as well as affording much help in moulding a Strong' Labour party tor the Dominion. However, the Australian unionists are justified in looking _t the matter from th. :r own standpoint, and perhaps they have been actuated in their decision bY a d_«ire. not unnaiiiral under the circi_m_tances. to -c« __s do something to-■-ards working out our own salvation. Mr. W. T. Young i- in Auckland this week on ,a *_iort vUit connected w-ith Seajncn's I rtion buaitKHS. Ho lixikE ■'src_laiicj* his tinea •mffnl r hg' v gadn__pa _B

the "cooling chamber. - ' as ;l is termed, on the charge of inciting to sedition. His appeal against a sentence on a second charge for the one offence Ls lixed lor August 10th. so he is making the best use of the respite afforded, fie leaves j for Wellington to-morrow. One immo- . ! diate benefit to the community of Mr. Young's incarceration is that the j Terra**: gaol isi to be closed ai- unfit lor ; accommodation even ol prisoners. t'ru jhis release, Mr. Young publish*', in the I"Maoriland. Worker'" a scathing eritici-tn 'of the prison accommodation, with 1-ic foregoing result. A hundred thousand men around I don have for some time past been dif- ' satis thai With their wages as workers j in conn net ion with the llower-growincr i industry, and are -.alking a'hr.ui coming ! out on strike. They a!.-o want a i weekly half-holiday. Growers in charge | ace in» receipt, of from ___ a week up- | ward*, while liieir ar&istams gc; from : 18' to __' a week. Ttic latter are , asking for a minimum wage of 25 a , weric. and the growers in charge 17.' a. week, bill they are also making a point ol the weekly half-holiday. The difficulty in connection with this is that in so many places the flowers an- under glass, and have to he a [tendril to lite same on Saturday as. on other days. The English labour jiarty '.ended *o -select a particular type of man- a ranch better type than The man tv'io represented the middle el a.--. —bu: one who might know nnrhing of politics. These nwu. ,»f whom it was impossible, ro spe-a.k in too high terms personally, when faced with a frovernraent of clever lawyers. are tdeclares George Bernard Shaw) not Teally able to h•>!<! their own. They could not fi{_ht really social questions in Parliament unless Ji.y had made a. study of scientific politics a-nd economics. The workers must keep up their industrial organisation. There mils;, be no going bark on trade unionism for one moment. Tne time is coming, they would find sooner or latie.r. when there -must be one Labour body to do the work of trades unionism and another Labour parry- to do political work. The "oars fa£t has been ','nronided rhat the Labour party had a victory ■ at the elections for -he Transvaal Pro- , vmciai Council. It was indeed a notable vicnory. Labour won 23 seats our --,f 25. Se-CTsral of the. contests were tirre--.-oniened. but only in one ease. wsss Labour returned on a minority poll. Tint* I___l__o_t ga«n«£ a sseoepnsg majority is shown (by the &_s, Qmx. **c -Cfiai vote I £C__e__ Jar- E_-_s__r .^aae-.rjj-.

proximately -__C.OIIO. while tbe opponents of Labour polled some Iti.OOO. If this result can -lie nai-en as any index to the political situation, a. Labour Government is certain for South Africa in the near future. i "Tho TumMToue picnic- days continually occurring throughout the year have become ra'her a serious question,'"' was the opinion expressed by Mr. dusticc fleydon in live IndiitfCrial Court at Sydney )______, week, when dealing: with a rec]ucTst, for double pay for ■working" on ; The Typographical .Association's picnic ' day. His Honor weia. on to say that j ',: rout?, lie rejraenribered t.har. 'the union i pk-irit: day was not. a. general holiday. •It was. therefore, far more inemrvcuient it., the employers, and to tt-he business | community, than the public holidays. j which were generally- known. It -took , nearly cvery-body by surprise. When ,he was in Melbourne in ,la_uiary n. v.e.ry hot day came, and it was found '..ha*. i.y Ait. of :Parl:iaajJesit. tiie Bale of fruit was on tlrat. day a.hso+meiy prohibited, for <_n»limption in tiro shops. Kven the street hawkers could not sell. It was lhe fruiterers' picnic, day. Greatinconvenience was caused to the public. and the papers next ilaw were full _rf bitter complaints. An awajri virverin-r tbe whole of the bltn-ksmitbs in New bouth Wales, but excluding Sydney. ia=> just bevu iseued. It- provides for a 48 houre,' working week. The minimum rates bav-e hee.n lixed as follow:—Firemen, 1/4$ per hour;" floormen. 1/3; adulr. striker, 11 Jd.: junior etrikn-, to do under 17 y<_J.rs of agre. 43 /9 -peT week; under IS years of age. 45,") per WJV.k. No striking must 'be done by jnnrore over 18 years -of age unless they are apprenticed. Overtime raies nwH=i be pa-id at tim-e and a CfuaTUir for the first hour, and time and a half afterwards. Apprentices mus,: be indentured for live • years. The usual public holidays are providod in the award, which wiH operate for xbree years, and applies only outside tie melropolTtan ar<»a. The Auckland General Labourer*' tinion, at their last, general mee_ing, nia,prmonisJy passed the following retohit.Lon: —-"That this union respond to the invitation of sem_? eighty • arbitration unions. assembled ir ■ a ronfp.renre at Wellington. on : Aprtl 14th, 1914- for a tfurther contfer- • ence of all tmionß in tS_w Zealand, regis- ; tered and for the purposei | . of adopting a. consfcrtmioo-indastrial taod • poitßcai.. euitsriiio cr> the •nmteis of tie!