LABOUR NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 99, 29 April 1939, Page 15

LABOUR NOTES.

UNION ACTIVITIES. CBy INDUSTRIAL, TRAMP.) CHIOS .ITRF.TTNGS FOR THE WEEK. ;Momdaj, May'l—Shipwrights. •Tuesday, May2—Bngineers. Seamen. Metalworkers' Assisfcaatci. Wednesday,, May 3—Onehiunga Carpenters.^ THE EKCJKUITTNG MOVEMENT." At the present moment, "when internataoziadraifairs are very much, involved, when we read of several nations having a million men under arms, and big fleets of "warships "leaving for an unknown destination," of war shelters "being constructed for refuge purposes in Britain, it follows that the people of Xew Zealand have had to consider their own : safety in the event of affairs coming to their worst. The Labour party lias too often been described by their opponents as being without patriotism, because its members did not flaunt the national colours at their political meetings, and also did not believe in the maintenance of a big staff of professional soldiers, but if ever the emergency should arise it will be found that Labour, from the Prime Minister and his Cabinet to the rank and lile, will have done its utmost to protect our own shores from any possible aggressor. The Government does not publish to the world what steps it lia* taken in defence matters and then invite distinguished visitors of all nationalities from abroad to pay a visit of inspection and gain information. That plan has too often been followed in the past, sometimes to our own discomfiture and dismay. Cabinet Ministers are taking steps, each in his own Department, to formulate a co-ordinated plau for mobilisation in the case of a national emergency. Some days ago the Minister of Public Works declared his intention to formulate a scheme for the mobilisation of all the workers in his Department, over 20.(100 in number, for future use, and has called a conference at Wellington next month of the heads of departments to consider a plan for national emergencies.

When Sir Ernest Davis, as Mayor of Auckland, last week made his appeal for 1000 recruits, for the defence of Auckland it was not surprising to me that with the approval of the Auckland council of the !N"ew Zealand Federation of Labour, the defence committee of the council, with Mr. W. J. Lvori, M.P., as adviser, offered to mobilise from bona fide members of trade unions a company of 200 men between the ages of 19 and 35 as a complete unit, and. further, a special reserve company of 100 men l>etween the ages of 35 and 55. Both these companies are to be officered from trade union ranks. There is an abundance of experienced men now in civil occupations to provide complete union units, with commissioned and non-commissioned officers from the unions. It cannot be eaid with troth that modem unionists are deficient in the spirit of patriotism

•when the need vises. Bat this offer is for-home dofanco-Mid-not to-send abroad to other ©onntrica. LOOKING BACKWARD. While 'writing on defence my memories go back'to the past years when a. similar burst of patriotism swept Auckland "in tthe syear * ISS5,.?in what "was called the '"Russia®, scare." England in that, year was very much, exercised over the of Russia, towards the hinterlands of India, and' ■what was termed the "Penjdeh incident" occurred in the north of Afghanistan. It caused intense feeling in the British world at the time, and -to add to that feeling in the southern: hemisphere, there was & Russian man-o'-»ar. the Vestnik, on a visit to Melbourne. It was reported that her officers -were taking more-than.a casual interest in the soundings and defences of the. harbours that she visited. Tt was even rumoured that the Vestnik was off the Xpw Zealand coast, and'this gave rise to the Russian scare in Auckland. New companies of volunteers, were hastily formed and drilled. The' "writer in that year was one ofc the initial recruits to the Ponsonby Xavals, which, nlong with the Auckland Xavals, Waitemat-a Coastguard Xavals and the Onehunga Xavals, drilled on the ponderous C-ton gun 6at Xorth HeadOther companies of rifles were also formed for home defence, such as the Ponsonby, Gordon and College Rifles. These companies existed for many years, some until the Territorial system came into being. There was no Labour party, as we know it, in operation in those days of 54 years ago, but the workers did their share then, and they are prepared to do it again to-dav. Mr. Savage eavs he wants 50.000 men for home defence, and I think he will get them.

SYDNEY BRICK PROBE. Sydneysiders who wondered what sort of set-up was behind the rise, in price of bricks from 50/ to 68/ a thousand since 1936 (says an exchange) have been educated by the public inquiry into the matter, which has been iroing on for two months before Mr. Justice de Baun. _ It seems that & few years ago the city's Council of Brick Manufacturers started a little show called Brickworks Pty., Ltd., which bought up & number of brick yards. Brickworks Pty., Ltd., now holds shares in most of the yards it has not bought outright, and most of these yards hold shares in Bricksworkß Ptv., Ltd. - In the past two years a number of Sydney brick yards have entered into agreements with the Council of Brick Manufacturers, under which they are paid large sums from the council's funde on condition that they stop making bricks. To pay these brick companies that make no bricks, the council made a levy of its associated brick companies, totalling £529,000 by the end of 1938. In 1938 the brick companies that make no bricks showed a profit of 14.8 per cent. The companies that do make bricks showed a profit of 32 per cent.

YOUNG TSAIS T THE BEST EDUCA.TTOJL I Keir Hardie's mother mt unable to | pay for the schooling of her son. She [.herself taught him to read. "When lie Lcwas-only six years-ofaage he was-serving as a message sboy to a Glasgow-baker, but by the-' time he was 22-he -was ona of the best-educated men in the pits. He had acquired shorthand. & smatter. iingof Latin and'"French, picked up from i Cassell's '"Popular f Educator," was acting as a Press reporter and local secretary-to the Miners* Union. Will Thorne. too, "virtual foonder of .the powerful XationaF Union- of General and Municipal' 1 Workers, >was working 12 hours a day whcn;l» vas ar years old. He never iwentrtoischooU.mnd does not know how he leamed to read and^write. The Labour movement's history is studded with such-stories of men and women who had-little or no formal education, who picked up their learning by burning • midnight oil 'or dormer. a hurried meal'in the - factory or si,- the coal face, but l who - came j to; occupy fliA I most responsible offices in the political and industrial world. Sir "Walter Citrine lias siud: " When J reeriT'fh<»Timifa. tions of many ... of"the older generation of trade unior. officials, most of them having but the scantiest of educational training, I am stirred with admiration of the courage, tenacity, initia* | tive and personal qualities which enj abled them to achieve so much."* TTw pioneers had to master the three R 3 s before they could grapple with the problems of economics and finance, and so meet the .employers and political. opponents on something like terms. The phrase "we must educate ourselves" was constantly on the lips of these veterans, and the unions have'inherited this passion for education. In the early days of the Trade Union Congress. for instance, this urg» had an amusing outcome. The delegates to the 1874 Congress - were gathered together to hear the results of an essay competition on "The Value of "Trade Unions." for prizes awarded by some of the leaders. The essays were written under pen names, and for the winners of the first and third prizes the sealed envelopes containing the real names of the winners were not to be found. When the envelope containing the name of the winner of the second prize was opened, the chairman read the following letter: "The essay signed 'Fidelity* was written by me. I am a grinder by trade, and for many years I have refused to join the unions because I would not be an accessory to their unlawful deeds. John Wilson." It is not surprising that a shout of laughter greeted the announcement of this notorious name, that of one of the greatest opponents the trade union ever had. 'Ever since 1898 the English trades union movement has been striving for more and better State education. Then, the demand was for the raising of the school leaving age to 14. with the abolition of half-time education. Now. in the Youth Charter, the claim is made for full-time education until the age of 16, with money grants to enable the parents to provide for their children until they are able to begin to earn their own living.—'""lndustrial News."