TRADE AND LABOUR NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 185, 7 August 1925, Page 10

TRADE AND LABOUR NOTES.

(BY INDUSTRIAL TRAMP.)

UNION MEETINGS FOR THE WEEK. Monday. Auptist 10.—Gumworkers' Quarterly, Painters. Tuesday, August 11.—Storemen. Wednesday. August 12.—Auckland Carpenters, Gas Emi>lo3ees, Onehunga Carpenters. Friday, August 14.—Curriers. EMIGRATION. A conference of delegates to the British Commonwealth of Labour is being held this week in London: I do not know that New Zealand is represented there, but a cable in Monday's "Star" states that two Canadian delegates-are publicly warning emigrants against going to Canada, owing to the fact that hundreds of factories have closed, there are 10.000 unemployed, and acute industrial depression reigns. If the cable had stopped there, no one in New Zealand could have had a word to say; but it proceeds to state: "A written statement regarding conditions in New Zealand was received from Mr. W. Nash, secretary of the New Zaland Labour party. It alleged that the housing conditions in many of the large cities of the Dominion were disgraceful." The statement alluded to "acute periodical unemployment." and concluded: "The workers' general standard of living is higher in New Zealand than in Britain. The workers in New Zealand do not want to selfishly debar their fellow workers from overseas, but they will fight any attempt to flood New Zealand with such an amount of surplus labour as would menace their conditions." The publication of this cable has caused some of the Reform newspapers to break out into a storm of invective against the temerity of the New Zealand Labour party in endeavouring to enlighten the British public as to the state oi affairs. One paper had a headed. "Labour's Philanthropy." in I which the Labour party is taken to task i severely for decrying conditions in the I Dominion. It makes no attempt to controvert the statement that "the housing I conditions in many of the large cities of j the Dominion were disgraceful." In the face of the facts that there are tentdwellers near Auckland this winter, that the City Council has given three months' i notice to remove their canvas dwellings, owing to there being no sewerage and water laid on to the allotments; that these allotments were sold to the unfortunate buyers on a shadowy title; that no decent house can be rented under 30/ per week, and hard to obtain at that. That within the last few weeks attention has been drawn to the fact that in , Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch, single rooms are indecently crowded. All these instances go to show that the allegation cannot be refuted. I realise that there is plenty of room in the Dominion for an increased population of the right sort, but I am equally certain that we are not getting that sort. When the nominated system of immigration was instituted, it was generally understood that it was more of the agricultural class of workers that were needed in the Dominion, but that feature has been lost sight of and workers from the cities, following occupations that may be largely in evidence in the British cities, but have no existence in the industries of the I Dominion came to our land, only to find I that there was no employment here for I them. Artists in*painting dolls' eyes may be needed in« England;» butsthere "ds no) scope for that profession in New Zealand. Many of -the emigrants came here to find precarious and expensive housing for themselves and families on arrival, and the reminder of Mr. Nash on behalf of -the New Zealand Labour party is not out of place. ARRIVAL UNDER CONTRACT. In connection with the., nominated system of immigration the secretaries at the Trades Hall can speak with some authority on the provisions under which some of the immigrants arrive in the Dominion. Lately there have been instances where tradesmen have been brought to this country tinder promise of employment from some of the large contractors in this city. Arriving here they have' found that the work in the Dominion, in the building line, is totally different to the work they have served their time to in the Old Country, and a period follows during which the tradesmen have not been able to give results expected from them, and they have had to give place to men more accustomed to colonial conditions, and been thrown on the market of unemployment. THE SANCTITY OF WAGES. In an article in a British publication Mr. Henry Ford, the American motor king, under the above heading, writes: A trade depression usually means that someone has to take a loss, and I maintain that the loss should be borne by those who can afford it best. It is obvious that labour should not be. saddled with it. The true idea should not be to make money, but should be to express a modicum of service to the many thousands of people who need it. My ambition is to spread the benefits of an industrial system by the employment of men, and more men; not to build dividends, but lives and homes. If this is to be done it is imperative that the biggest share of the profits be put into the hands of the workers, who are the backbone of every productive enterprise. If it is necessary to choose between lowering wages or abolishing dividends—abolish dividends! Wages are sacred; they stand for bread and butter, babies' cradles, coal and light; they may mean happiness or misery, life or death. The only justification for great profits is the great joys they bring to those who produce and share them. The industrial machine, properly run and handled, will infuse new blood into this great working world. SHOPPING IN MOSCOW. "It is possible to buy almost anything you wish, for in Moscow, providing you have the money. In the Red Square, not far from the mausoleum where Lenin's body li.\s on view, there is a State shop locaisd in a series of once magnificent arcades." writes Mr. Lancelot Landon in - the June "London Magazine." under the heading "Home Life" in Soviet Russia." "Here you can procure the latest Paris farliions,. expensive scents, jewels, diamonds, precious stones, pearls, gold and silver plate. Where does all this treasure come from? No one dare say. Much of it is the 'booty' of the Revolution. I have known people pass these shop windows and see displayed there precious things which once were theirs in happier days. In the centre of the city one sees long queues of women outside State shops where cotton material for dresses is displayed. These women stand the.re "for hours and hours in the depth of '«. Moscow winter, waiting for their turn:to-buy. J ' >•• ;.-..■-. - *■'• • .'• -