LABOUR NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 142, 18 June 1938, Page 12

LABOUR NOTES.

UNION ACTIVITIES.

(By INDUSTRIAL TRAMP.)

UNION MEETINGS FOR THE WEEK. Monday, June "o—Furniture Trades; Cutters and I'resscrs; Metal-workers. Tuesday, Juno i.' 1 — Fruit l'oeserverK. A BY-ELECTION. Hardly liad the city settled down after the municipal elections of last month than it is laccd with the prospect of a by-election to fill the vacancy caused by the sudden death of Sir George Richardson on Saturday last. The news of his death came as a shock to all sections of the community, for he was universally loved and rc.-pected by all, and io none more so than the Returned Soldiers' Association and Community Sunshine Association. But. however much we mourn our losses, the gaps in our ranks have to be tilled, and the good work must be carried on. Hence the by-election next month, which is already engaging some public attention.

Everyone deplores the unavoidable expense entailed, and various suggestions have been made to obviate it. One is to appoint the candidate who polled the highest number of votes among the unsuccessful ones at the election last month; but the law governing municipal elections will not allow that very simple expedient. Another suggestion is that the Citizens' Association and the Labour party come to a "gentlemen's agreement" and support a candidate mutually agreed upon to be elected unopposed. It lias been suggested that Labour would do well to leave the by-election alone and conserve its energies, and money, too. fur preparing for th» Parliamentary elections at the end of the year. The party has nothing to gain by the byelection. except by "asserting the principle," and another defeat will lie held against the prcst ige of the movement at the November elections and right throughout the campaign. During the Cleat War it frequently happened that when a reverse was sustained by either side the report never admitted a defeat, but "the army retired to a prepared position, according to plan." What the party has gut to do U to "organise, organise, organise.'' and it cannot do that by contesting tlii~ by-election as a "forlorn hope." The opinion of "the man in the street" is that Labour, in deciding to let the by-election go bv default, would gain the commendation of the citv ratepayers for conserving the public fund* in an unimportant content, funds that can be better spent in needed municipal maintenance and so strengthen the position for the elections at the end of the year, when all available funds and energies will lie needed.

LOW WAGE PKRTL TO WOMEN'S HEALTH. Women in industry have a higher sickness rate than men, although they represent younger, age groups, says a report circulated from the English Trades X'nion Congress headquarters. One reason for this, it is suggested, is that women are pa id less than men. and so have less to spend on nee?ssitie«. Another reason is that women verv often have home duties apart from their industrial work.

While that in itself, says the report, may not be harmful, it is serious if it involves lack of fresh air or sleep.

The report has been prepared by the National Women's Advisory Committee of the T.U.C., and will be considered at the annual conference of unions catering for women workers.

Tt is noted that shop "assistants have a higher sickness absenteeism than the other comparable occupational groups. "It is unlikely.*' says the report, "that there is any important physiological difference between them and their colleagues. but there may be temperamental differences."

Those differences may arise from the different sorts of strain and anxiety to which shop workers and factory workers respectively are subject: but the report suggests that they cancel each other out. A note by Dr. Helen Scott stresses the eviis resulting from standing for long -periods at work.

Spc.-i kincr from personal knowledge, slip declares that women and "ills who serve in sho|>s complain tliat they are ill many rases i;o( allowed t<f sit down oil tlie se;tts provided, oven when there is 110 customer near, "because it makes business look so slack."' Importance of ironrl and sufficient 1 food is ui'tred by Dr. Scott and bv three other women doctors who are not named. The latter urroup says it would he advisable if certain trades provided a meal at the ltojrinnmg of the day. mnking it compulsory for the workers to take advantage of it. " I his. ' it is declared, "would ensure better health of the workers and improved output of work. Such a scheme is known to he carried out with beneficial results." An analysis of 03.40.") days lost through sickness in l!W(i shows that 10} per cent • arose from colds, 15 per cent from influenza, and 14 per cent from ear. nose and throat complaints. while anaemia and debility accounted for NA per cent. Unsuitable food, faulty clothing and shoes, lack of fresh air, insufficient water drunk—these are among llic foundation causes given. BASIC WAGE INCREASE. By cable this week conies the news that est Australian Arbitration Court has increased the basic wage operating in that State as from .Tujj 1. It must be borne in mind that the basic wage a* declared by the Arbitration Court does not concern any wage figures provided for in an award or agreement with an organised union, but merely provid.v a minimum wage for workers that have not been organised into a union. In Australia the State i? divided into three sections, owing to the increased cost of living in the outer areas as compared with the large centres of population. The figures announced for the YV.A. State arc:—Metropolitan area: Miles. £4, a rise of 5/1; females, £2 :?/ii. a rise of 2/(1. Agricultural areas: Mai'.-s. £4 1/, a rise of 5/2; females. £2 ;!/!). a- rise of 2/10. (Joldtield areas: Males, £4 1 .'!/•'!, an increase of <!/.'{; fcnial'.'s. ■C 2 10/4. a rise of 3/4. This incre-ise will, no doubt, have an effect in the other States, and I mention the fact to show that other States besides New Zealand are experiencing an increase of the basic wage.

HOW THE SOVIET TRADES. Twenty years ago, on April 22. 101S, a decree was issued by the Soviet (Jovernm<'nt establishing a State foreign trade monopoly. The economic life of Russia was then at a very low ebb. Russia's export* to-day are at the of over £70.000,000 a year, and her imports are onfy slightly smaller. The policy of Russia's foreign trade monopoly is subordinated to the general economic plan. Paradoxically enough, however, the central principle of Russian foreign trade policy lias, in fact,

been that or the old liberal economies— to buy from abroad what cannot be produced at home except at great cost, and to sell abroad in payment whatever fetches the highest price in relation to internal costs of production. In fact. Russia's chief imports to-day are machinery and non-ferrous metals, such as copper and nickel. In payment the exports whatever fetches the best return in the lijrht of world prices and Russian eo*ts of production. As world prices of particular commodities chanpe, (he foreign trade monopoly varies its exports. But in selling those exports it normally charges the ordinary world price. In the case of oil. for instance, Russia, by her exports, has reduced the price to the world consumer much below what it would have been if the capitalist combines had maintained their monopoly. But Russia now sells at a price agreed on with the combines. Other chief export* are timber, fur* and flax. Lately Russia has maintained a slight export surplus. This has been used to

build up reserves of gold and foreign exchange, partly in London and New York, which are regarded a* & war reserve.

To a great extent the Soviet Union has now become technically and economically" independent of the outride world. Almost any kind of machinery required, as well as certain ;av\ materials, such as aluminium and syn thetic rubber, can now be produced at home instead of being ini|>orted, as thay had to be 20 years ago. —"Daily Herald."