LABOUR NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 270, 13 November 1937, Page 16

LABOUR NOTES.

UNION ACTIVITIES.

(By INDUSTRIAL, TRAMP.) TOfPON MIEBTISG&; IFOR THE WEEK. Mondav, November 15. —Hairdressers. Cutters and Pressers, Jewellers, Furniture Trades. Wednesday. 'November . 17.—Auckland Carpenters, Onehunga Carpenters. Thursday. November 18. —Trades and Labour Council. JURYMEN'S PAY. As long as I can remember there has been an outcry by workers, who are paid by the hour, against the low payment they receive for their services as jurymen, when they have been unfortunate enough to be summoned to serve in that To a man who is on a regular salary it is not a serious matter, neither does it affect a business man so greatly, as his business goes on during his temporary absence, but a man who is paid by the hour or by the day has no earning power wheji he is away from his work, other than the pittance he receives for serving his country as a juryman. I understand that the pay is 10/0 per day, plus a certain allowance for travelling. During the depression years, when thousands were unemployed, the small pay for serving on a jury was welcome to many. But in these days, when tradesmen are in great demand, and the award rate is half a crown an hour or over, it is a great hardship to lose 10/ a day in carrying out one's duty, to say nothing of finding, after serving a week on a jury, that one's employer has put another man in one's place.

This week the grievance has again received prominence by two juries requesting his Honor Mr. Justice Callan to forward their protest against the inadequate allowance to the Minister of Justice. His Honor has promised to do this, and it is hoped that the Government will see its way to bring the allowance to jurymen into line with the present-day cost of living. While it is

quite fair that every adult citizen shall do his* share in the administration of law and order, the financial loss does not bear evenly on rich and poor alike.

ANOTHER UNIQUE STRIKE. There have been some very curious strikes in the history of the world's work. Even in our own Dominion we have had some experience in this respect. One of the most discussed of these industrial disturbances, threatened or actual, was the Auckland jockeys' strike that took plajce eight or ten years ago. The jockeys had no union or award, and therefore had no standard for their working conditions. Their pay was a matter for private arrangement with the respective horse-owners. It might be a specified wage, or a specified amount for each win, or both. Hours of work varied, and at the time mentioned discontent was rampant amongst the riders. It came to bursting point just prior to the holding of an Auckland race meeting, and the local riders announced their intention of not riding their mounts.

Short notice was given and they sought the assistance of some of the local unions. Members of the Tramway Union expressed sympathy with the jockeys and declared in favour of assisting them by refusing to run tramcars to the racecourse. Oil the morning, without consulting the tramwaymen, the jockeys decided to fill fill their engagements. When the tramwaymen found that the races were l>eing held while they were, idle there was a rush to take the trams out. That \vai> the finish of the strike, although there were recriminations afterwards.

In America there have been strikes of undertakers and a hold-up of burials for a short period. From Australia comes another curious strike. Twentyeight cricket umpires at Queen's Park, Sydney, staged a sit-down strike and. demanded more pay on a recent Saturday. When the Eastern Suburbs Cricket Association refused their demands, and. the umpires tired, of "sitting down," they left the park. Fourteen matches were affected, the games being continued with players or bystanders who volunteered to umpire. The umpires have been discontented for come time.

SWEDEN'S PLAN TO PREVENT A SLUMP. The policy of preparing a public works programme beforehand in order to stop a possible slump is being actually put into practice by Sweden's Labour Government, whose success in overcoming the 'last slump is now well known. No slump yet threatens Sweden. Production is 40 per cent above the 1929 record, unemployment has vanished, and prospects are good.

Nevertheless, after prolonged consultations with the various municipalities: and State economic ager.cies, the Government has drawn up a detailed works programme which could at once be put into effect if a slump threatened at any time in the next 10 years.

The total of possible expenditure provided for bv the plan is £143,000,000. This includes £36,000,000 to be spent directly by the State on building, and £28.000,000 to be spent by municipalitits on public works, partly with the aid of State subsidies.

It also planned to spend £48,000,000 ;i road improvements, £23,000,000 on uj-riculture, and £7,500,000 on forests. In this way it is calculated that 200,000,000 "man-days" of work would be provided. The expenditure planned is clearly very large—considering that Sweden is a small country, and that the great depression of 1032 was cured there by an expenditure of only £29,000,000 on public works and industrial subsidies. £143,000,000. however, is the maximum figure for a 10 year plan. Preparations to finance the plan are at present being made by the repayment of public debt out of Budget surpluses; £3,000,000 was so used last year.