THE POPE AND THE LABOUR QUESTION.

Bush Advocate, Volume V, Issue 354, 16 August 1890, Page 8

THE POPE AND THE LABOUR QUESTION.

Iv his umal weekly letter to tho country papers Mr. Stead says : — Last week I met a member of tho Swiss Federal Assembly, the deputy to whoso initiative was due the summoning of the Borne Confei'cnco, which paved tho way for tho conference of Berlin. M. Docurtius is a ranarkablo man. a social reformer of the most pronounced type, who has founded a university at Fribourg, and induced tho Federal Assembly to pass tho law for tho protection of "the sick and injured "workmen which now prevails in Switzerland. Ho is a devoted Catholic, and camo here almost straight from tho Vatican. Ho said ho went to see tho Pope about hi« university, but his Holiness talked end on for nearly au hour about the racial quefition. The Popo is simply possessed by tho subject, to the exclusion of any other. I asked M. Dccurtius what was the Pope's programme? Ho replied thixt the Pope had a very clear and definite idea as to what was wanted Tho platform of the Vatican consists of the following 1 planks : — 1- One day's rest in bl'vcu for all workers. 2. No children to bo put to work before fourteen, S. I .imitation of the hours of lubour of women. •L Shortening of (lie hours of the working day. How much, I asked, does the Pope want to shorten tho working day ? That is a question, said M. Decurtius, on which it is impossible to give a general answer. In England you work nine hours and want eight. I)i Switzerland we work eleven and M r anfc ten. In Switzerland tin) Pope has declared himself for the ten hours. Tho truo principle is that of helping tho workman to get leisure in which to live and to attend to nis home, and must be applied according to circumstances, "and to that the Popo is enthusiastically committed."