LABOUR NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 99, 29 April 1933, Page 18

LABOUR NOTES.

UNION ACTIVITIES.

(By INDUSTRIAL TRAMP.)

UNION MEETINGS FOR THE WEEK. Monday. May I—Drivers. Tuesday. May 2—Seamen (Monthly Stopwork Meeting), Butchers.

TRADE AGREEMENTS. As I have frequently pointed out in this column, a large number of industrial disputes end up in no settlement being effected, the old award goes out of existence by effluxion of time, and the industry concerned is being carried on with no working conditions being laid down in black and white. This course of action '.s permitted, under the amended Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, which dc«:s not allow of mandatory arbitration in lieu of a settlement. It appears to be harder to get a settlement iu Auckland than it is in the south, for I notice this week that three agreements on all points Lave been reached before the Commissioner (Mr. S. Ritchie) at Dunedin. The first agreement was ■between the manufacturing chemists and the Dunedin Manufacturing Chemists' Union. In the hairdressers and tobacconists' dispute the journeymen's minimum wag© was fixed at £4 per week. A twelve months' agreement was also reached in the journalists' dispute, the hours per week being 48, while a 5 per cent reduction in the wages of seniors and generals was agreed to, and juniors' and cadets' wages are to be further reduced.

Kext Tuesday the Auckland rattan jvnd wickerworkers' dispute comes before the North Island Conciliation Commissioner (Mr. P. Hally) for consideration. It will be remembered that this industry some months ago came before the Commissioner on an application made by the employers, which had for its object the •wiping out of the old award, 110 settlement being arrived at. It 5s interesting to note that this industry has had seven awards in 27 years that the union has been in operation, all of these being by mutual agreement between the two parties. Under the amended Act there would seem to be a new development— inability to agree. The -union is determined to leave no stone unturned to obtain settled working conditions and has filed a dispute asking for practically the provisions ox the old -award. NEXT WEEK'S ELECTIONS. Next week the local body elections will be held throughout the Dominion, and 110 one can truthfully say that there is any lack of healthy competition. Even Inverhas a list of 24 candidates for a council of twelve. In Christchurch, where there is a Labour Mayor and a Labour majority on the council, there is no stagnation in municipal politicsThere is a list of 43 candidates to fill 10 seats, the same number of nominations as in Auckland, which has a council of 21 members. The Mayor (Mr. D. G. Sullivan, M.P.) has also to fight for his position. In Dunedin there are 26 candidates for 12 seats on the City Council and five nominations for the office of Mayor. These include a Methodist minister, late of Auckland, the Eev. E. T. Cox, who is standing as a protest, against an inadequate expenditure by the council for imemployment, and a Communist, who is dissatisfied with everything. In Wellington, while there is a long list of nominations for the council, the. sitting Mayor (Mr. T. C. A. Hislop) is returned unopposed. In Auckland Mr. H. G. R. Mason, M P., i 3 again opposing the sitting Mayor (Mr. G. W. Hutchison) in the Labour interest, while a strong Labour "ticket" of 17 is nominated for the Utv Council. " ~,77. T- •iiTI This vear the process Of voting will. be much more simple for the voter, lor, instead of eliminating all those names that he does not intend to vote for, lie simplv places a X opposite his particular selection. Having made up his mind bow many he intends to .cast his vote for, which must not be more than 21, he counts his crosses until he reaches the number required. The amended system also lends-itself for quicker counting after the poll closes. There seems to be. a diversity of opinion as to wW' betokens the healthier state of affairs, an unopposed return or the nomination of a candidate in opposition, involves an extra expense. At any rate, oppos iion shows there is 110 stagnation. THE LABOUR CONFERENCE. There is no doubt that the annual conference of the New Zealand Labour party, which finished at Aucklandjast week, has helped .to considerably strengthen the enthusiasm of the -rank and file in Auckland. . The outstanding feature of the con ference was the discussion of an immediate policy to deal with the present economic position as it affects tne Dominion. At the close of the conference, the decisions of the sub-com-imittee set' up to draft the policy were published. They contained definite suggestions as to what Labour would do if in power at the present time. First and foremost, the report suggests the immediate control by the State of the entire banking system and the provision of credit and currency to ensure production and distribution of the commodities which are required, and which can be economically produced in tne Dominion, with guaranteed prices, wages and salaries. The policy also sets out a method of dealing with mortgages bo that the holders' interests in land and homes will be adequately safeguarded. Overseas marketing has a place in the programme, which suggests guaranteed prices for primary products, together with negotiated agreements with Great Britain and other countries. With respect to internal marketing, it is suggested that the various control boards, distributors and consumers' organisations should go into the question of orderly marketing together with guaranteed prices. The question of the secondary industries of the Dominion was not lost sight of, for the report provides for financial assistance for the development of secondary industries to ensure proper production where goods can be economically turned out. The debate on the policy was of a very high standard, and showed a good all-round knowledge of economics. As a class, the workers took up the classes maintained by the W.E.A., and the points brought forward in the Labour conference showed that the seed sown in these classes on economics had "fallen on good ground and brought forth abundantly." Of its reception by critics outside the Labour party, the party is reasonably satisfied. It is only to be expected that the Reform journals would attack it vigorously, but these same critics are silent on the fact that the ruling parties in the Dominion have been painfully poverty-stricken in announcements of their own policy. They asked for a blank cheque—and got it —and where {ire we to-day? Deeper in the slough. But all the criticism has not been hostile; on the contrary, it has been helpful and stimulating.