LABOUR IN 1918.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16407, 30 December 1918, Page 3

LABOUR IN 1918.

A RESUME. Tho opinion i.s held in Labour circles that tho past your has been a better one than those preceding it for fiomo time past. The high cost of living lias, of course, affected the workers, but on the other hand work has been so plentiful that the ordinary artisan lias not felt tho high prices so keenly as it is anticipated iie will do when the labour market becomes lc«» restricted. . The recognition of the wives and children in the pay allotted to men of tho Forces has been hailed as a blessing by the Labour Joadeis, and hopes are expressed that such recognition will bo extended to the industrial field. Tho revelations of the epidemic regarding slums, and a typo of workers wlio live within a week or so of starvation, are looked upon as favourable forces for the amelioration of the lot of the "bottom dog." -■-A question which considerably agitated trades., union eirclcs during the year was that of National Service, which, it will bo remembered, was provided for in Parliamentary legislation. The trades unions in several of the centres called upon tho United Federation of Labour to convene an industiinl congress in Wellington. This met on July oth, and sat for three days, issuing as tho result of its deliberations a manifesto which set out a programme of social reconstruction, and which was circulated among members of the Ministry and among trades unions. Owing to the war it was apparently largely necessary to mark time <so far as organisation of tho workers was concerned, but in «Tuly last tho United Federation of Labour made, at its annual meeting, provision for the restarting of activity in this direction in tho near future. " A policy which lias loomed large in Australia for Rome time past has found somo favour on tho industrial field in New Zealand. It is that of tho formation of. national unions, representing various industries, with a view to the. formation of one big union for the Dominion, i.e., one in which tho affairs of every union in. tho country will centre. 11 will be a sort of "grand federation," and it is towards this that Labour has been and is ncaring. Tho Transport Workers' Advisory Board, which recently eamo into existence, is au example of the tendency. To it all transport workers' unions (a large body) are affiliated, with the exception of tho New Zealand Locomotive. Engine Drivels', Firemen's, and Cleaners' Association. In tho purely political field the conferonco of the Labour Party was productive of a largo amount of interest, and this was emphasised by strong Labour votes at the Grey, Wellington North Central, and South, Taranaki, and Palmorston North by-elections At the conference it was determined that as many seat* as possible should be contested on behalf of Labour at tno next "eneral election. Thero has . been a steady growth of affiliations with the Party. „ , , Tho latter part of the past year has produced much activity among tramway tnen . In Jinv last an important Dominion Conference of tramwaymen was held in Dunedin, at which the conditions of work in tho industry throughout the Dominion were dealt with, jfc was decided that tramwaymen should demand a minimum of Is 4d per hour as a living wage for a -iS-liour week, and that decision has been productive of tho subsequent action of the Wellington tramway employees, who were successful in cetting the Is 4d per hour, and of the X'hristchurch, Ihmedin, and Invercargili unions, who are now moving in tho same direction. % far or- trade "movements" are i concerned, the plastering trade is conspicuous The drift of plasterers to the North Island has been very noticeable, and is attributed to the lack of extensive building in the South, where the Government restrictions appear to have exercised a more restraining effect than in -the North. Till towards tho end of the year professional musicians wero doing well, but the curtailment of pic-ture-theatre hours, and the epidemic, have resulted in a good deal of unemniovment among them. In the freezing" industry the outstanding feature of tho post year has been the welding of tho three unions which previously existed into one union; It is. of course, impossible to detail the activities of all the individual unions, but it seems probable that there will be a good deal of activity in the Arbitration Court in 1919. The question of what is to be done with regard to war bonuses is. of course, a matter of considerable interest.