LABOUR NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 49, 27 February 1937, Page 18

LABOUR NOTES.

UNION ACTIVITIES.

(By INDUSTRIAL TRAMP.) TNION MEETINGS FOR THK WEEK. Monday. M.irch 1. —Brick nn<l Til.' Work its Tuesday. March 2. Spjidh-ii (monthly sti»pwork meeting), Drivers. Timtierworkers. I'aretnkiTK and I liftmen Wednesday. M.irch ::. General Lalmurcrs. Ti'iimwu.rmi'U (11.111. ami p.m.i. Thur-ilay. March 4. Klect riral Workers. Tram way men (a.m. iiml pin), Tilers (committee;. "ALL IN THE LABOUR PARTY NOW." Most of the public bodies in Ihe Domiiiiiui art' busy just now in formulating some sclieme tliat can lie set. afoot in commemoration of the Coronation in May next. Tin- schemes run the whole gamut, from illumination of streets and public buildings, accompanied by gailycolouicd Hags and streamers or festoons. down to filling up some mud hole of public interest in the middle of the town that should have been tilled up long ago. There arc some who express themselves as not greatly interested in the actual function, but agree that to children it is an important event to be remembered in years to come. When tin* Mayor of Thames, M r . s. Knsor. had tinished reading out the list of bodies, societies and dubs that had been asked to send delegates to the meeting for arranging the Thames Coronation celebrations. Mr. J. Thorn. M.P., said in a humorous tone: "It appears you have let off the most important body of all —the Thames Labour party." The Mayor asked if there were any other political parties in Thames, and, receiving no reply, said: "We are all in the Thames Labour party now." And Thames is not singular in this repert, for members of local bodies, in scanning applications for positions in their departments. invariably come across such statements as. "Am a member of the Labour party." so the difficulty arises to rind an applicant who is not "a member of the Labour party." A local body member had this plea for preference put to him by a recent officeseeker, and on inquiry being made found that the office-seeker had worked on the committee of the defeated antiLabour candidate at the last Mayoral election, and also at the succeeding' Parliamentary i lection. As I have shown, such a reason carries no longer anv meaninir. "All are in the Labour party now," and it is safer to select each aspirant on his merits and not on Wis professions. THE PRIME MINISTER'S TOUR. The Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage, in view of his approaching departure for London to represent the Dominion at the Coronation in May, promised to make a tour of the Dominion prior to his leaving for England. He is now keeping that promise, and has already visited Dunedin. and received a right royal weloine from the citizens of that' canny Scottish centre. This week he has reached Invercargill. which is onlv •iccond to the parent Scottish settlement li its national characteristics, and is receiving "cheers and music" and '-demonstrations." according to the headlines in the news. From Invercargill he starts on his northern tour, and is expected to reach Auckland on the evening of March 8, after spending that day at the Maori centre of Xgaruawtahia, being,

received by the Maori Princess Te Puea and by King Koroki. I have been greatly intrigued at reconciling this actual account of spontaneous welcome from all centres (luring his tour while reading a prediction in an astrologer's annual under the heading, "What will happen at home and abroad in 1037."' In the Xew Zealand section, after stating what will happen at the opening of the year, "with Jupiter near the midheavcii." the render of the stars goes on to say: "Mr. Savage has a stormy period .til>1111(1 February-March. tout once ayain Jupiter conies to his assistance and -moothe~ out affairs." And then follow m ire I'ea isoine predictions. I liii~ tar we have reached the last week in I'ebriiaiy. Mr. Savage has reached the farthest south, and he is on his wav to his own home town of Auckland, where a hearty reception is assured when lie reaches here in March. I have been curious to know where this "stormy period" spoken of by the astrologer is located. A light breaks in upon me: Mr. Savage leaves by steamer for London in March: it might be that lie will have a stormv time at sea. 1 cannot say whether iie is a pood sailor or not. tint even with an attack of mal denier. lie can be assured of a. cordial reception long before he meets with a hearty welcome in the heart of the Empire.

THE MIGRATION QUESTION. The Permanent Migration Committee met recently at the International Labour Office in order to examine the problem of international migration with a view to settlement. 1 his question is of special interest to countries with a surplus agricultural population insufficiently employed at.d also to countries whose economic development is hampered by the fact that they do not possess enou"h workers to enable their natural resources to be developed properly and to ensure that their growing industries have flic firm basis of a suflieientlv large home market. The International Labour Office submitted two reports to the committee. I he first report contains a number of studies describing the most important practical achievements in the spher# of migration with a view to settlement. It surveys systematically the technical problems raised by an attempt to oiganise migration movements: the selection ami preparation of the land in which settlement takes place; the selection and training of future settlers; the departure of settlers from their homes and the disposal of their property; the covering of transport expenses; the reception of the settlers in the country of emigration; various types of settlement, such as "roup settlement and settlement bv tration; the question of the provision of markets and the organisation of technical and economic assistance for settlers; the protection and promotion of the interests of the national population and the organisation of credit to facilitate settlement. The second report submitted to the committee is the result of a special investigation undertaken on the spot by Mr. Maurette. assistant director of the office, in Argentina. Brazil, and 1 his report shows that, on account of the gravity of the unemployment situation, these three countries have adopted restrictive measures to prevent the immigration of industrial and commercial workers. There is every reason to believe that, at any rate in the near future, the immigration of these classes of workers will remain limited in num-

bers. On the other hand, there is no doubt that there are in each of these three countries more or less considerable possibilities for the immigration of persons wishing to set up as agriculturists. Even during the depression there has been no hindrance to immigration for the purpose of settlement. In order, however, that these opportunities may bp utilised fully in the interests both of immigration and of emigration countries, organisation is necessary: and at present such organisation is purely embryonic or docs not exist at all. Whether one considers the possibilities of iminiyrat ion of persons without ■ ilea lis or tbose of immi<rrat &>ll of persons owning some capital, it is clear that the only solution for the problem of immigration for land settlement in South America must lie in an organisation in which the official institutions of both emigration and immigration countries would take part. To such an organisation a disinterested and documented international institution like the International Labour Organisation could render valuable assistance.