LABOUR NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 308, 29 December 1934, Page 11

LABOUR NOTES.

UNION ACTIVITIES. (By INDUSTRIAL TRAMP.) , RETROSPECTIVE. Before next week's Labour notes appear we shall have entered on another year; it is therefore fitting for ua to Lave a brief survey of the year 1034, ~„! {tow it. has affected us iu New Zealand Parliament has had a busy time, mi.-] could jiot finish its work before Christmas arrived, and therefore adjourned until February, 1035. Last , January, the Government by force ot circumstances', decided to adopt the sustenance pir.ii for the elderly unemployed ot' tli,: Dominion. In thus doing, ll, rf Govonimcit were sinpiy t first prhieij'les, for it must be rameiu-L-cr'ed tn.it wiieu the first measure for the relief of the unemployed was passed three or foiu , years ago, provision was made for susienance, and it was noi until the Prime Minister, Mr. Forbes, iirrived home from his visit to England, that he proclaimed that it was not intended to furnish sustenance without work. This was a staggering blow to the a"ed ail infirm, who were also indignant, with tie result that they had to fall back ii assistance from the charitable ~i,l i ids of the Dominion. The slogan "No sustenance without work" IrniT therefore been discarded and the original position reverted to. 1,, Julie, 11 appointments to the Legislative Council were announced, and to the surprise of Labour, two of them, tlie Hoiw. 1\ Olivine and 'J , . Bloodworth, were from the ranks of Labour, and union ollicials at that. Whether this is an estimate of tlie proportion of representation Labour is entitled to in the Upper House, or whether it is "a sop to Cerberus' 5 from the Coalition Government, lias never been fully determined. Parliament having by a majority vote extended its term for another year, New Zealand has now quadrennial instead of triennial Parliaments. Public feeling, ©specially in the North Island, was so°arouscd over this action of the Government, that on September 1, a petition bearing 54,000 names was presented, asking for the dissolution of Parliament "it the end of the term for which it was elected, but it availed nothing, ami the legislative machine rune now till the end of 1935. On August _:! the Minister of Finance in his Ihidget announced the restoration j of i> per cent of the cut* made ill the salaries of Civil servants and M.P.'s, and made such restorations to date as from April 1. 1034. .Subsequently the ~1,1 age pensioners shared in the restoration of but to date forward to October J. In this month, too, the wages tax was reduced from 1/ in the £1 to 10(1, tlie twopence reduction still "iving an estimated surplus of .€BOOO. Taken all through, the year has been a haul one to business firms and manual workers, and had it not been for the generosity of the well-disposed in contributing to the many schemes for administering assistance, to the needy, there would have been a etill harder row to hoe. There are not wanting signs of a gradual easing of the situation, and this is cheeiing. Tradesmen and artieans are leaving thr relief works, and resuming their respective callings as opportunity offers, and local bodies having work on hand are paying standard rates to those, engaged on them, by subsidising the grants from the Unemployment Fund from their own revenues or from loans. The number of building permits afeo shows an appreciable increase, and this fact partly accounts for tradesmen getting back to their trade*. Tlu> other factors are Christmas and New Year renovations and the impetus received from the Ko.val visit. It is fervently honed that this improvement is not transitory and will continue. Meanwhile." 1 take the opportunity of wishing all my readers a very happy New Year and a speedy return to a normal prosperity. COMPULSORY UNIONISM. Some political party heat lias been generated in Queensland by the dismissal under the Labour Government of an employee from the Government Printing Office. Dismissals from employment are every-day happenings in the business world (.-'ays the Queensland "Worker"). Deplorable always and tragic frequently as such things are, it is rare indeed that an individual ease is rated hs of such importance as to occupy the attention of legislators in Parliament. The dismissed individual, it appears (continues the Labour organ), had been a member of a union— an official, as a matter of fact. He was employed in a department iu which membership of ft union was obligatory—no uncommon thing. He allowed his membership to lapse, and, although the consequences of failure to renew were impressed upon him, he declined to take the necessary action and con form to the regulations. As a natural and inevitable consequence ho Buffered dismissal. . . SOCIAL. JUSTICE. Amounting to n telling indictment of the Xew South Wales Government for its treatment, of the unemployed and relief workers, the Archbishop of Sydney, Dr. Kelly, recently released a communication he had forwarded to the Premier, Mr. Stevens, in which it was declared that at least (10.000 unemployed received food or remuneration that could not be regarded as sufficient even to supply absolute wants. Voicing the opinion of a conference of Catholic priests in the arch-dioecse of Sydney, His Grace said that it was a great reflection on the wisdom of Parliaments that, in a land blessed with the sources of prosperity, so many should be in ( want of necessary food. "Unless Governments give practical attention to the necessity of so many thousands of deI serving workers," he added, "wo feel that jthe foundations of our social structure will be gravely threatened." Dr. Kelly insisted ' that' full award rates should apply' on all works undertaken as relief of unemployment, while food relief should be increased to ensure the provision of adequate food, clothing, and shelter for those for. whom no work could be provided. A NEW EXPERIENCE.' Fifteen hundred girls were wanted lately for rush work at Hayes, Middlesex, factories in connection with the radio exhibition—and they could not be found. "We want the girls,- trained or untrained, as soon as possible," stated an official of a company. "In addition, we want cabinet improvers, French polisher improvers, and highly skilled radio testers in as great a number as we can get them. The girls need not know anything about radio, but if they , are eufficiently nimble-fingered to do good needlework they would be all right ! for us. Salaries offered are at or above union rates, plus an efficiency bonus."