LABOUR CONTROL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 615, 18 September 1909, Page 10

LABOUR CONTROL.

WATERSIDE WORKERS' DEPUTATION. STATEMENTS BY HON. J. A. MILLAR. LEGISLATION FORESHADOWED. < : : A dopiitatiqu waited on tho ''Minister for Merino (the.Hon. J. A, llillur) Inst evening to placo before him tho resolutions jiasscd. at tho recent Now Zealand Waterside Workers' Conference, Tho deputation - comprised: Messrs. P. M'Larim, M.l';, secretary of tho Wellington Union, Mr, J. Brutbn, president of tbe union, Mr. C, Smith, assistant secretary, nDd Mr. T, King, treasurer. Mr. M'Laren introduced the deputation. ' ••.•-■■■ '' ■ •;. ■ • ■■ ; ■ ' Mr. Brnton, reviewing tho resolutions, said that tho inferior lighting of the holds of ships working coal" and timber was a grievance of ,tho wharf men. . Better lighting on ships' decks was also wanted, and legislation should ■ beto provido moro spaco for men engaged in shovelling coal. Inspectors of. ships' gear should be appointed, and all chain gear he tested and stamped pvery six months. Regulations were also asked for-to deter shipowners from working cargoes: with- beams of hatches oh, the safety: qf the , worker- being , here tho consideration. Another resolution requested that thp Government should takq over the -ferry 'service ■ between Lytteltqn:. and. AVcl-. lington. The conference had v also affirnied Jts conviction that the-rent of laiid, was a social toluo which belonged tb the epinmunity, and should thoreforobe taken , by taxation for tho common benefit by. an increase ; of the land tax. i Improvements: and 'developments made ■ by the Gpvornmonfc out of; tho Customs duties and other revenue Mr. Brutqn urged, caused an increase in tho value of land,' which ■ meant that those who rented premises ■ wero again mulcted' through the landlords.-' 'The abolition of. the- flour' duty was strongly urged the speaker as a measure which would help tho working nian without nnjurying tho graingrower. A Fair Kent Bill was advocated, and, reverting to tho-particular- needs', of the waterside workers,. Mr.Bruton : urged that the Gpyefument should placo ambnkneo , stretchers m all' wharf shelter-sheds, and makq it compulsory for employers' toprpcuro medical aid as soon as possible, fqr persons who were injured in their employ, under heavy penalties for non-compliance,:. y „ : '.■' ■:'■•■■■■ . . ! : . : ;y MR-'IU'LAREN'S: VIEWS..: ■ .! Mr,.M'Laren 'here-, took" n'p tho tale,' ard said that the: large number of: accidents to workers had been exercising the niinds'qf the unions. In. Wellington,-as soon .as the ibusy season 'commenced, , a' "regular slaughter" began,,' A, reversion waq:wahted :to the provision , of; tlie' original.'Arbitration Act.'which allowed fqr?.the:r«gist_raUon.-qf a union of seven-mom- , ", bers of; : inore:'-Inyniany. qf ; tho smaller-ports it -was , difficult to form unions under tho present law, whioh required that there'should be fifteen, members, y It :-was asked that' preference to unionist .clause existed the Government should' employ the men who depended solely;on , the wharf for a living before.giving empl«yavont to strangers or outsiders. . Legisltiti»n wns wanted to prevent ships' crews from doing tho shoremen's work whilst-, shoremen .wore;available. ■: To qbviate waste labour legislation ;ebbuld be. 'provided to limit tho nurn-bera;employ<d-.in the industry: to'those who: could, find '% living in it. The suggestion hod veoently been;made by Df. Fhidiay to make specie!, provision. ..by ' means of. settlements where tho men cbuld be better plaoed than they .wore, ia the \congested quarters of the city. J.That; might .assist some mon, '■: but it appeared to'him-, that if would probably'assist ■first-.the' men .who were, alreadyyin 'the,best position -to help ,, • The workers : con'siderpd. that the-fullest inquiries should be made by-.the Government intp v the present conditions It was a question whether there should not bo a special,commission eet'up to investigate the industry,';since it 'was'better.to ■ faoe' ,theyproblem;no,w..than whenrit ;had (jrown , to be,-thp evil which it;wfts in many,.- of theSblder ; pQuntnesc,-. The;Jabpur,-,DepartnieritT,<!ompilcd-statistics of industrial conditions,: andrif some: attention was gHen-;/toy.spccialisation in tho flojd ■ of this' branch: of 'transport work it : Eeemcd.to ■him.that.-muchi'could. bbedone. 'It was most dlffioult: tb/.give exact records'undor-; ..the; ; .presont. conditions ;-iegarding. ; this. number of• nien^'employed,Hon:.;rj3rtibular. ! 'days :oT'i.lb,'e : number, applying-'-for ,'worlc.i from: .day io .-day' throughout. the: year. information'should' be, : prooured,.and;also--partioulars"pf: , tho num- , ber.'of ■fließ.^actually.. , , ennagcd.iand tho duijiafKiwhicfcittheymWiOikean ilnvi urging the' cea3ahbri 6f>a'aeistw-immigr'atita";Mr , .' M'Lnteri saidb.that one 'result'qf.'that■ poli6y h'adibeen , to-.:flbbd.'the-,wharves:'with l ,inen--who.'coul I dinot:' get , 'work. ■'" r '-'::'fi-. : ;': ■'*&■ '■' '/iiv ."jX. : ,'.'■'■'"-'.''.■ . Messrs..: Smith .and;-King alsp.»6pokb; briefly.-. :;;S m : . jiyjaiAß^N,replV;'..' : ■ ;.- itation had d<fal6; with:u great 'Variety of sub-' jepts, i; and .50m0.,.0f. v them-were .ivory. ;compli-catefl;:-..Sodiie of thQ.'matters. also wore-questions: of;!nbhoy f '.and Ti li,o, , .wo(iJid-.sea ,sthat ..these .'were •referred to^Cabinet^as-a>;.whole.y With regardto, thq • testing: off eui ps',' gear, not be. wortK,while',to-appoint. Bpecialc.inspcotors.i for they: wpuld have-very,Jittle to do.;; The .Governmcnfeijvouldi haye-itto .powcr.v.tpjLtest.on-vbther; thari imi-NewioZoalond.if'andi testing fqi-:alhith'esei''thatiroamerto'(.Wellingtba;. oolildx,l)a.''done'.jwithin l .:a , .' ! week..;.' ; . , Mr. defehded.the:effloienoyVof thff'.'present'system,' If. specifi-C oases were' given -himof-bonts'that weraijot: iflspected>ho .would..have-inquiries made, , and see. what officers '.of the .*ore, neglecting, their, duty: i ;:With 'vegard- to working cargo .with hatches ,dn, -ho-, thought it would-'be bettor: if'tho: union,i tried to secure this : and, others, of;their objects ! :by - agreement with, the, shipping companies." ■-He thought that there , was no chance of thoGovernment taking' over the'.fbrrji sei-vico-af the present "tiino.'-v. I- 11 respect of: the''.lighting , of holds .when 'coal-and..timber.- wero being worked, he would make inquiries and see what was the ■Jnost. , -recent way. of dealing- with tho matter, andwhat could he': done.:' -.; ; •-... ;: ' , -■ . In I'jspect of-space allowed to men shovelling cpt\i; he did not quite fee how that could' bo regulated effectively. -He' did not know what ■space they would call sufficient. ; ■ .. .. ! , ■'■. New Duties for Harbour Boards.;, - '■.(, Shipping• and Seamen's ■ Bill, and nlso■ a Harbours Bill,'- would..be. brought down ■ next session. He would liaVo.a clause put:in tho Harbours -Act compelling''harbour* :bbards to provide stretchers,: .aid :a clause -would-'nlso' bo, friimodyto: ensure immediate medical assist-' ance in cases,pf.accidents'.': Ho.did : not feel,.inclined [to go back to tho-old.. provision, ;whidh recognised unions of 'soven' members.:] Under they old-provision- : little-'twopence-halfpenny mushroom unions-were encouraged which:were of lib use.to"anybodjv':-,Tho whole trend of unionism ,in tho folder lands was, instead of breaking pp. into small unions, to form largo unions'and: consolidate Under tho old provision thero were dozens of cases where largo unions were split "up into unions of seven members simply for the sakt of getting, votes for the -Arbitration Court. - . -.-: .•■-■•■ ■- :■■'■'•■■■.' :■'. ■■•■•.. i-;,: Argument for Small Unions.y - ■■■■■• :-Mr; M'Laron thoright that splitting 1 up could' be', prevented, aiid; yet"provision:, 'made .that where there'-less than, fifteen;workers in a particular' district they should ba'ablo'to form fi union. _. y, .. " ; - ;■ : :, , :' ' -Thq Minister saidy that .he was quito willing' tolook intbtholnatter. The "Government. af ready: in practice , : employed, regular " wharf workers for wharf :wbrk'in"; pijeferenia to'outslders/'bec'ause'they "were 1 better qualified,' ■ b*ut' they, could'not Jay.:down' ai'rule. of- pfjferencei'l because the'Gbvernment had. the same responsibility 'towards.ali;'faxpayefs r , dnd.'could not' rstusp work" to qne : man in;tie jnfe'rosts pfj anpther.v The; quesbon. .of. Bot..allbwin'g: sailprs tp'lfandle caTrgo'in p'ort, was ono:fqi• consideration' between , :, the Waterside'.'-W/tflterst Union and;'the Seamen's.TJriion.-; , Ee. .wds.certain'-that ■ the"-; first result would be to reduce seamen's ■ Wages,.owing\to 'the "increased, bpst of .working ships. Thoseamendid not wqrkdn.tho wharC but : , Only'in the ships' h01d5... ,'.. ~..,., '. '\'"..'.'■: Prpblcmof .Waste : Labpur, , \ : Tho- question-of iwastoilabour had perplexed the greatest minds.' Limitation : could'not : bepractised in: tho. case of tho waterside workers' without extending the practico to other ■trades,' and he did not know whaf that "would lead t0...'-Moreover, no Parliament would givb prefcr'pncq to.unionists where restriction or a union's membership was allowed. Hβ admitted that.tho waterside workers wore underaspecial disadvantage, in that members of any- other trade could join- their ranks as.soon as there was a slight;depression. As regards'harbour board elections, the Bill which tho Gbvernmont would bring forward this session would prt>vide for'a municipal franchise in the caso of bbroughs, and a county franchise in tho case of counties. ;'-.,-.. . \ -'-. Mr. ,Bruton referred ■ to Dr. Findlay's sug-. gestio'n for forming special settlements to relievo the problem of M-osto labour. .'.-. ~- :,.Morei Lands .for Settlement. .■■■ : : . Th-e Minister -teulied' -that the "Government was at work in that-..direction..' Ho thought that next month.4oo small sections would bo tliiwu upon the markot, At tho present time the Government had nboat 18, surveyors , at work, surveying 1,300,000 acres of Crown land. As soon as those lands could bo surveyed they would bo placed on the market. But this was only a polliativo of the trouble. Tho amount of load in Now Zealand woa limited, tad jilib, as, jimrfyuijTig jjogßlaiiflJi a joint must be

reached sqmb ("ay wben there .could be no further subdivision. Tho present available lands would see them-through their life-time, but that would not be the ultimate solution of the problem by a long way. "What will bo done with the wasto of labour ultimately is a question.Moo .big for me to "solve," said Mr. Millar, "and I think life's too short for mo at my time of lifo to begin to try to solve it." * It was a- general .nilo that casur.l labour should lib paid for at a higher rate than per- ■ manent employment, otherwise thero would ' quickly bo no permanent labour. The sug. gestion that parm»nent men should not be ' paid at lowtr rates thou wero provided in tiny -. agreement or award of the Arbitration Court . was a matter to bo brought before the Court, 1" and not a subject for legislation. Guestjons qf Taxation. 1 . The suggesteS increase of the land tax was a policy'matter; Tho Government had gouo ahead very considerably, he thought, in regard ; to land taxation. His oxperienco was that all forms of taxation wero. passed on. If they ; increased'. tho ' land tax they would increaso rents. It was not the mail oh whom the tax was levied who ultimately paid it. The question of a Fair Rent Bill was the most difficult and complex matter one could deal with. . Ho believed that thp best thing was to encourage a man to get his own home; givo him oheap money—mako it as cheap as possible—and lot him.struggle. to get a home for himself, though ho admitted that there were special difficulties in Wellington, owing to tho great demand for houses in a congested area. The entire Customs taxation on the things' a, man could "not do without was only, ho thought, .£2 <per-head of tho population. He did "not think'anyone could complain of- that, considering tho bene-fits-of-old ago-pensions, and freq -.education. y The Immigration Policy. As regarded the Government's immigration policy,- there "wa3 a' general misconception. , Because-250 or 300 immigrants arrived by a certain steamer if did nqt follow that thoy wero all "assisted," Tho Government had nover brought out more than 2500 persons in any year, and of: those, sixty per cent, were wonion and children.. Tho maximum amount ever placed on the Estimates for payments , for 'assisted immigrants was ,£IO,OOO, which, at the ratp of £\ per head, provided for 2500 immigrants. The rest of'the people fho had been coming here had come of their own account. .For: nino: months instructions were given that no one-should- be sent out b,y the High Commissioner, except domestic sorvants iOnd agricultural.labourers.' There were cases in which men came here who had never; seen a farm, but the Government was reducing that to a minimum. :\ In reply to further questions.' on'this subject,- .Mr. : Millar - stated that the .Unemployed Committee in LPndon had .boen paying £i a , head to the shipping companies for men to come-out here,: He did not know,.whether : they were not-doing it now, and the Govern-, meat had nq power to stop it.- As "regarded workers who ; wero inj urea when handling cargo for boats not registered.in New Zealand, he would introduce a clause, in the Shippinc and Seamen's Bill to'.be brought down next session to provide that notico of a claim for- com- v pensation against the company. could bo'served here, and the ship held- until 'eome arrangement was mado for dealing with the case. : He would have-to goL.to the Old Country for saiictton ol such a Bill, .but he , did not' , think that the JMiglish authorities could refuse consent. '