TRADES AND' LABOUR NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 141, 14 June 1917, Page 3

TRADES AND' LABOUR NOTES.

(BY INDUSTRIAL TRAMT.) UNION MEETINGS FOR THE WEEK. Saturday, June 16—Bakers' Special, Flourmillers. Monday, June 18— plasterers' Quarterly, Furniture Trades. Cutters and Pressors. Tuesday, June 10.—Carpenters, Engineers (No. 2i, Plumbers' Quarterly. Wednesday, June 20 — Trades Unions' Executives, Bootmakers (Committee). AX INDUSTRIAL PORTIA. This is a record-breaking age; it is also an age in which records are being established, and, as Tennyson tersely puts it:—"The old order changeth, yielding place to new." On Monday last Mrs. 11. h. Baume appeared 'before the Court of Arbitration, in the vrpholetresses' dispute, as advocate for the union, and put up a splendid case for the women-workers engaged in the industry. Hitherto, in the Arbitration Court, mere man has had the field to himself in advocating the claims to men and women alike, in their efforts to secure a fair share of the wealth they produce, but, as in other directions, notably as lawyers, preachers, and doctors, so in the Arbitration Court, the monopoly of man has been broken down, and for the first time in the history of the Court a dispute solely affecting the working conditions of women has been conducted by a woman. And this is as it should be, for who is better able to place the needs and aspirations of women-workers before tho industrial Court than a woman? When before the Conciliation Commissioner, in the early stages of the dispute, the upholstresses were represented by one of their sex, and it was a fitting conclusion that the sex should so ably place their claims before the Court, for, in addition to the fair advocate, all the evidence, handed in, as well as that given on oath, was secured by women. Mrs. Baume is already known tc the Auckland public by her strenuous efforts on behalf of education, and f>!:e richly deserved the graceful compliments paid her by his Honor Mr. Justice Stringer at the close of the bearing. She handled the technical portion of her brief with the ability of a trained lawyer, but she fairly excelled in her appeal to the Court to grant such a wage to the girls and womon in the industry that would enable them to live good useful lives and be entirely self-supporting. The upholstresses had asked for a minimum wage of £2 per week, while, the. employers offered at first £1 2/6, and finally £1 7/ per week. 'Mrs. Baume showed that the Education Board allowed a boy or girl teacher when away from home 17/6 for board and lodging. She also put into court signed documents of women who are actively engaged in the work of catering for the wants of women in our city, which showed that a woman or girl cannot get board and residence under £1 per week except a favoured few who were able to secure admission to the Y.W.C'.A. and similar institutions. 1 congratulate Mrs. Baume on her maiden effort 'before the Arbitration Court, r.nd express the hope, that her work will be crowded with success in the shape of big amelioration of the w"orking conditions of the upholstresses of the city.

millers Monday,

THE VALUE OF THE ARBITRATION ACT. In her address to tbe Court, in the upholstreescs' dispute on Monday. Mrs. Baume quoted an interesting statement made by the father of the Act. the Hon. W. P. Reeves, in a speech delivered in Wellington shortly after the passing of the Act in 1894. It was impressive then, it is still impressive, and T give it here: "The value of the Act did not lie so much in the means it afforded to prevent disastrous industrial struggles as in the new nnd vital principles* it introduced. Industry was no longer a thins; to he left at the mercy of private enterprise for profit-making. Every business must lie judged by its social service to the community; every employer has now two active partners -who must ho consulted— the labour he employed, and the community he served. The industry that did not. or could not, afford a living ■wage to its workers had no right to exist, however profitable it may he to its owners. The labourer was no longer in the position of the seller of a highly perishable commodity which he must market at once, on any terms, in order to live. He had the power to largely control the industry put into his hands, and a legal claim to a fair share of the i

products of his labour. - ' A TRADES HALL MOVE. A few weeks ago I announced in this column the fact that the Auckland Trades Hall Trust had decided to move in the direction of asking the local unions to send the members of their respective committees to a meeting to be held at the Trades Hall, to take into consideration the formation of a central body, something after the style of the old Trades and Labour Council, which did good and useful work in years. Circulars to every union in Auckland were issued a couple of weeks ago, and the meeting has been fixed to take place on Wednesday evening next, June 20. The circular reads as follows: —

"The day has surely dawned in this country when the urgent necessity of strengthening the Labour movement industrially and politically must be apparent to every working man and woman. There are things that should be done now, questions are daily arising which will demand the keenest attention of the classes; and the future affairs of New Zealand will compel the workers j cither to submit to the utmost demand of conservatism or to take control of | the political and industrial machinery on behalf of democracy. The Trades Hall trustees have therefore decided to invite every union of workers to send its executive officers and members of the Management Committee to a conference to be held on Wednesday, June 20, in the Trades Hall at S p.m. sharp. This conference will be open for the frank dia-cu-sion of all matters affecting Labour, and an honest endeavour we trust will ■be made to seek some common basis of understanding upon which trades unionists may agree to co-operate for the benefit of the working class. TVe estimate that aljout 400 delegates -will at- , tend the conference. We therefore urge your organisation to take into serious consideration the advisability, or, rather, the urgent necessity of being represented, and thus assist in this movement which is so badly in need of arriving at ' a common understanding. Only delegates from trades unions will be permitted to attend the opening meeting, .when the delegates shall decide what ' other organisations (if any) shall be invited to take part. Should your organisation decide to send delegates, kindly forward their names and addresses to the undersigned, so that admission cards may be posted to them. — (Signed) On behalf of the trustees, G. Davis, chairman."