TRADES AND LABOUR NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 166, 13 July 1916, Page 8

TRADES AND LABOUR NOTES.

\tiy INDUSTRIAL TRAMP.) UNION MEETINGS FOR THE WEEK. -Friday, July 14—Curriers. v - ; Monday. July. 17.—Butchers, Plasterers, 1- urniture Trades.-Cutters, and Pressors. ; Tuesday, July IS—Auckland Carpenters. Thursday, July 20—Moulders, Tramways « Labour Day Committee. Owing to a family bereavement by the secretary, the monthly meeting of the Auckland Dairy Employees' Union will not be held this evening. T. Queensland's Labour Government recently passed a Workers' Compensation: for Accident Act, effecting drastic alterations ill the present law. One of its main provisions was for the establishment of a State Insurance Office, with which all employers were to insure their workers. The insurance companies fought the Government on the law, and the Full Court has now given its dcciJ; sion. It has granted an injunction reg straining the Government from repress senting that it' has a monopoly of acci- *■ dent insurance business, but has at the --, same time decided that it is obligatory for employers to insure with the State ■ Commissioner. ;;. V'~" MARRIED AND SINGLE. " I.V" An unusual offer was made recently, i by Kaigoorlie Chamber of Mines (Westr. >*em Australia) to the Miners' Union — | ithat an increase of 6d per day should toe « jgiven to married workers and single s .-workers with dependents. The objection I to such a differentiation—except for '•■' .purposes of a -war bonus under specially •: .'trying conditions—are easily apparent. J -It iwould tend to an increase of unem- : ►.ployment amongst unmarried men in j ?hard times. The offer provoked much —J in Australian union circles. ■STha Miners' Union declined to agree to j .the proposal. ' v fe NOSPUNIOXIST OBLIGATIONS. . v ~.Ra3way constructional workers In i -.2J.S.W. recently strnck to compel : .gangers on the North Coast railway to ■ i join their Tanks. In delivering judgment ' ( .upon a consequent application to cancel the registration of the union concerned, - • Mr. Justice Heydon said: "I agree that it is a fair thing that a man who gets i better conditions through the efforts of j his fellows should bear his share of the expense. lam absolutely with that con- : tentioH. If I were a non-unionist worki ing man find the unionists in my trade . I got mc higher wages I should think my- ■'. i .self an extremely shabby person if I did j, not send them a contribution fully equal to my share. But to be compelled to join n, particular union when I preferred another is quite a different matter. My preferences are my own, and in a free T country need be satisfactory only to myself. I am no more to be taken to task for joining a particular union than :- for marrying a particular wife, I am, free to please myself, and it is a gross' impertinence and tyranny to interfere with my freedom.'' In the new factory law of Japan 12 hours a day is the maximum number of working hours provided for labourers, and although petitions have been filed by some factory owners for the privi- _ lege of extending the working day to 14 hours, the question will have to undergo further such privi- ..-*. -lego is granted.

A district flaxmiller informed the "Foxton Herald" that he had a straight talk to a certain agitator who is a prominent in stirring up opposition to the Hilitary Service Bill among flaxmill employees. He informed the individual that he had no objection to his visiting the mill and conferring with the employees provided his visit concerned legitimate union business, but he objected to the visit on any other ground, and if it occurred again he would take steps, forcible if necessary, to remove him. ■ : ' " PASSING IT ON." It will be interesting to watch if the shipowners will follow the -usual sharp busiricfi practice by seizing upon the increase in screw lately granted by the Federal Arbitration Court to the Merchant Service Guild as an excuse to raise fares and freights (remarks the " Australian Worker"). If they do, the public ought to be down on them like a kiln of hot bricks, because, as Justice Higgins remarked, in giving judgment: "No attempt has been made to prove to the Court that increase in the expenses of shipowners would render it necessary t,o "raise fares or freights. If, therefore. ~.statements should, be madp to such "effect, it should be borne in mind that they had not been made in Court, where they would be subject to judicial inquiry." BENEFITS FOR UNIONISTS. Newmarket branch of tiie Amalgamated Society of Railway. Servants recently submitted to other branches a resolution to debar non-members from participation in benefits gained by the society. The current number of the " Railway Review " shows that members generally are in accord with this principle, though one branch points out that it is rouivalent to preference to unionists, which the Department has consistently refused to grant. WATERFRONT ACCIDENTS."''""'*'' It is reported in the " Watcrsider" jtwat, in the period May 20 to June 25. "fSvmcn were injured on the Wellington waterfront. On the date of publication, . .11. members of the union were in the " (hospital. " The Watersidcr " appeals to workers to be as careful of themselves and their mates " as it is possible to be under the present speeding-up system." In the month subscriptions to the amount of £03 11/1 were collected for three distressed members, who were not receiving lodge benefits or half-pay. Such subscription totals are by no means unusual, for watersiders contribute generously to fellow workers in need. i ABOUT A COMMISSION. Two or three years ago a commission from the National Association of Manufacturers (America) visited Australia and New Zealand to inquire into and re-1 port upon social and labour legislation ( and conditions. The report issued by the commission was a strong commendation of both the Dominion and the Commonwealth as good countries gone wrong; where capital was harassed, and Labour was grasping and idle. Some months ago Sydney daly papers " discovered" the report, and published voluminous extracts therefrom. This prompted Labour men to ask what was the report, and who were the members of this commission? The Commonwealth Government, through the Registrar or the Arbitration Court) who knew nothing of the Commission), made inquiries from Professor Feilx Frankfurter, of the Law School, Harvard University'; a reply was received discrediting-thß commis-

sion. "They were not an official committee, and their findings are entitled to no respect whatever as a scientific inquiry," he wrote. "They are ultra-par-tisan and thoroughly discredited here in every disinterested quarter." "Tine report of these gentlemen does not surprise mc. but it saddens mc that they should extend their poisonous activity into a foreign land where their activity and their point of "view and their bias are not thoroughly well known." RAILWAY UNIONS. The question of amalgamation v. federation was discussed by representatives of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants and the Locomotive ivsoeiation recently without any finality being reached. Meanwhile Masterton branches of both bodies had settled the question for themselves by forming a combined executive. This committee considered the matter and method of uniting the two Dominion railway bodies, and expressed its opinion in the following resolution:—''That we. as a combined body of Masterton Railway Unions, are desirous that amalgamation should take place between the E.F.C.A. and the A.S.R.S.; that each branch of the railway service should be equally represented in the amalgamated body, viz, Workshops, Locomotives, Maintenance and Traffic; that this amalgamated body will represent all grievances of railway workers and deliberate thereon." This resolution, which is clcscljy akin to the proposals submitted by the A.S.A.S., was carried unanimously. ■ N.Z. LABOUR PARTY. RESULT OF LAST WEEK'S CONFERENCES. The joint conference .of the United Federation of Labour, Social Democratic Party, and Labour Representation Committees resumed at Wellington on Saturday morning, Mr. J. Dowgray presiding. Consideration of the constitution and platform for consolidating the interests of the workers, as submitted by the committee set up for that purpose, was proceeded with. The following decisions were arrived at: — NAME. The New Zealand Labour Party. ' CONSTITUTION. The New Zealand Labour Party shall consist of Labour Representation Committees; the Labour Representation. Committees shall consist of industrial federation of unions, trades and labour councils, district councils, Social Democratic Party branches, and other pro-perly-constituted progressive organisations which subscribe to the constitution and platform of the party. REPRESENTATION. Representation on the Labour Representation Committee shall be based on the numerical strength of each of the affiliated bodies, on such basis as is deemed advisable by the local organisations. Affiliated organisations shall make a contribution of not less than 3d. per year per member to the Labour Representation Committee, lid. per member per year to be transmitted by the Labour Representation Committees to the National Executive.

The executive shall consist of a president, vice-president, secretary-treasurer, and a committee of twelve, with power to add: the first executive shall be elected by the joint conference of representatives of the U.F.L.. S.D.P., and L.R.C. The executive shall convene a conference of the- New Zealand Labour party in Wellington during the month of July, 1917.

It shall be the duty of the National Executive to take sunch action as is deemed necessary to organise the workers into Labour Representation Committees for political action. Each committee shall have full power to formulate its own municipal platform, subject to the approval of the National Executive: also such machinery as is necessary for the selection and running of political and municipal candidates.' No person shall be eligible for endorsement as a candidate of the New Zealand Labour Party who has not been a bonafide member of an affiliated body for six months prior to the date of nomination. OBJECTIVE. The socialisation of the means of production, distribution and exchange. PLATFORM. ' Electoral—Proportional representation the initiative, the referendum, the recall, the abolition of the country quota, full civil rights to all public employees; the removal of the political disabilities of women. Land—All existing Crown lands to be added to the national endowment. Tenants' absolute right to improvements. vSTATE CONTROL. State bank, with the sole right of note issue. State-owned shipping service. State control of .-ill branches of industry. Development of our present State coal mines, factories, farms and industrial services. EDUCATION. Free, secular and compulsory education from the kindergarten to the university. TAXATION. Increased taxation on unearned incomes and monopoly for the purpose of removing the present burdens and family incomes. Increased taxation of unimproved land values, increased graduated income tax with a corresponding reduction of indirect taxation. social; Extension of the pension system to cover all incapacitated citizens, and increased rates of pensions. INDUSTRIAL. The right to work. The full recognition of unionism as the basis of arbitration in industrial law, and the consequent membership of all workers engaged in the various industries. DEFENCE. A citizen army on a volunteer basis, with standard wages, while on duty, together with practical measures for the promotion of peace and the repeal of the present Military Service Bill. OFFICERS ELECTED. The following officers of tGe New Zealand Labour Party were elected: —President, Mir. J. McCombs, M.P..; vice-pre-sident, Mr. J. Mclvenzie; secretarytreasurer, Mr. J. Glover: committee, Hon. J. T. Paul, Messrs. R. Semple, P. Fraser, D. W. Coleman. R. Ross, C. W. Webber, A. McCarthy, B. Martin, H. E. Holland, W. Parry, Mesdames J. McCombs and Snow. The joint conference then terminated. The United Federation of Labour conference was resumed, and ratified the constitution, and platform adopted ay the joint conference with the Social Democratic Party and Labour Representation Committees. The conference closed with a nearby vote of thanks to the chairman.