UNEMPLOYMENT.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 648, 27 October 1909, Page 8

UNEMPLOYMENT.

DISCUSSED BY LABOUR CONFERENCE. RIGHT TO WORK AFFIRMED. r 'royal commission wanted. The Trades and Labour C'onierenco yesterday , discussed the question of Unemployment. Eeauts on the sabjoct had been sent in by several iouncils, and, tn discussing these, the delegates ' lealt with a number of proposals for relieving w removing unemployment, * Mr. E. J, Carey said that the question was too big for the conference It should be a question for a Eoyal Commission. There would always be roJurrent cyclesiof unemployment as long as the present system of production for profit was retained. Some palliatives however, possible m the meaniuno, such as restriction of „ immigration, State registry offices, a stx-days' week, and elimination of overtime provisions from awards Equal pay for equal *ork would prewar women being employed in preference to men, and the limitation of tho number of. ap- :';; ■ prentices';'would also: diminish vimemployiient '..*'; vai skilled;trades. ! -Technical '■ instruction should '.;en'coureged.:.. ;; Perhaps;■■ the.' system-of comas practised;in : other. cbnnv';(: be one : of the-best 6ohemes, but his #,bwn favourite 'idea:was a;Eight-to-Work Bill,' % jixirilar',to'■:■that \ into the British ■^s : E^lamentV!w*^-v- : r-v' | tv;.: i iV',s , ■'':■'■■ ■': ■ : 'V.:- ■:.'■. ■: ■ %0?m fsMs* y^^'-y';■': ; ' V , , / v V: : /:.;ib';.;,T.; ../,;,i.' •^HvAMwtilw;;GoTernnient'ibß';iiiied-t(>''bTiiigo-L 8iU. ..-v' ; ;: V;■;, <-;;^V'' , :.'ar. ; oi«iße". : of.''the Bight-to-ViWori Bill; -introduced by the British 1 Labour. ■'I ;patty,';providing '.thatjWhen: a 'workman .had ■y i regjsteraT himself ;as unemployed, it should be ; ; Bthß.,duty o(, the local; .'fA'tty'jrotide'..work' : -fiir!him, or;maintenance -lot, ,;■■Kimedf ;»nd family,vbnt if;he;refnsed; toi takeL'f.emiaWelwork at, proper ; 'wages', the liability for ■ .jmaintenanfe: would notjhold. :! TSe Auckland :-s.'Council/approved Cjf this provision.'; V, If a man uVriefused to ,Tfork,' heshould b6 allowed 'to starve. ;f :''i>y."Vtti- isecohded tlie.mbtion.'.'p He'- : declared ■' tKat, ; ; the: ■ jGovernment ' had spent. if/laHlidnsi'i.stßrlingj'iii';putting; 1 Bettlert ; on' the■ •■l;yJ(a^.jl^V((^;; , 4^'-prt^ could. , , nave. '.given , eiitplbvrilint/ifo , , .v sis i;meni.i and'. , this ;^plp3Hiielri;''' : would *,';'Haye :.l ; ;beeri;- ! permiuient,''^'ae"> ! the';icapital^,*oeld ;have .!v. : -?>r : 's- : ■-'.':■'■■■■'• ■ : '.

' Town and Country Workers. i Me Vf. Nanghton (Wellington) said thai last ! ' ttsqber'f&e Eo-eallcd unskilkd, workers m Wellington not only by unemployment among themselves, bat by an influx of men' from the country Tho Government , t should find work for men m the r country, and assist'them to settle on the land and advan"e / capital to them State workshops m tho < towns would lead to an accumulation of stock that would result m a lessening of the demand I ,for the goods produced by manufacturers, and the demand for labour m that quarter would thd be reduced , i "The Cry of tho Dispossessed." t . Mr. D. MTUren," M.P., said tho cry of tho , unemployed was tho cry of tho dispossessed. For Uβ sake of those who wero down in the t mire, it was necessary sometimes to appear 1 extreme, and make strong demands The policy of both political parties in this country [ was , a pohoy of,individualism—to give an advantage to the individual as such. Tho dispossessed had a right to claim that those in power, who had taken the means of living out of their,hands, should enable them to live otherwise than as nonpars. This was the most important question the Labour movement had to deal with, and they should not hang it to any small measure such as the 9iz-day week They must place upon the Government the onus of solvmg the problem under the present lndmduahbho system, and if ( they failed to solve it thus, it would be for the people to demand the trial of a better system *' ' New Zealand and England Compared. ' Mr. D G Sullivan (Canterbury) said that ill proportion to population there was as uracil unemployment ana*distre=s m this country as in Britain. State industries, under present * ■ondifjons, would not help mnch to eofvo the problem The difficulty was to employ labour < without, displacing other labour. - Tho motion was earned. ' ' Limitation , of Working Hours. Mr. Weetroiod movod tho following Otago remit— I That this conference affirms the need for ,a statutory limitation of working hours to ' r 44 honrs per week as a maximum — eight honrs on five days of the week, and four hours on the day of the recognised 1 half-holiday. i Mr. J Brown (Otago), m seconding the'motion, said that etabetica showed that where the i. hours of labour wore shortest wages were highc est, and the shortening of hours did not increase tho cost of goods to the consumer. [ 1 Should Overtime be Allowed? , Mr. H. E. Eusbndge (Canterbury) suggested * an addition to the motion— ,! And that all time worked in excess be paid for at the rate of not less than fame r , and a half for tho first two houie and double time afterwards

The mover accepted the addition. Mr. Horning (Auckland), in supporting the i motion, sari the shortening .of hours was the , ' only certain gain, the workers could get under the present competitive system. The em- * ptoyers could pvo them Is. a day moTe and j jnake it cost them Is. 6d a day more to livo [ .. UM workers could always , find some uso for y extra 1 time of their own •> i C^? y (Wellington* disapproved of \ i the addifam Hβ would havo overtime elimm- ' fated altogether. 1 - Mr. D. Miaren, MJ., took the same new, S? d 5™° ved Man amendment the deletion of «r. Ejßbndge's addition As long as men conld be worked overtime it woufd be done and We extra cost of the wages would be passed on to the coßsnmer. If the proposal of Mr Buebndge were adopted it wonld be a knockout blow to the waterside workors, because they were already paid more than time and a half \. fcr overtime from the start. 1 The Hon., J. Barr, M L.C., seconded the amendment pro forma, bnt approved of Mr Kusbrjdges addition to the motion. Ovortimo work was sometimes nwessnry for the safetv of tho pnbhc They ahonld, therefore, make pro vision foT rt, but the provraon should be such as to mafre overtime otcoDtumal After further discussion Mr ifLaren's amendment was lost, and the motion was car nod 1 Reafforestation. The Hon. J Bafr, M L.C (Canterbury) moved .— That State farms ehonld be established, * anti a comprehensive system of State reafforOTtation instituted, where unemployed should have thenghtto claim 'employment at a living wage.

The mover said that a good deal'was already being done in, afforestation, but morewigoroua administration was required. There should be afforestation and State, farms to provide work for tho unemployed, and penal farms for hden. The motion was carried unanimously. I Insurance Agaiiut Unemployment. J Mr. J. Brown (Otago) mo\ed — ' That, in the opinion of this conference, tho time has arrived when the State ' should subsidise trades unions or other or- ' ganisations which insure their members [ against unemployment t The mover pointed out that in other connI tries insurance against unemployment had re- ' duced the demands upon the public funds for [ relief. Belgian municipalities subsidised such schemes to the extent, in some cases, of 50 j per cent, and" in Prance and Germany subI sidles of 20 and 25 per cent, wore given. A ! British Boyal Commission had reported in favour of unemployed insurance with a State sub--1 sidy, and the Zealand Minister for Labour had stated that he intended to bring in a Bill I. with that object Unemployment unsuiance by the unions would encourage organisation , Mr G ' Westwood (Otago) seconded the 'mo- , turn. '■ , Mr li Howard (Canterbury) said ho had been ' instructed to oppose tho moLion. , The Hon Mr harr said that the trades ' unions had been doing tho work of tho State r in providing for their members old ago pen- ' Bions, relief for the sick and for mdows and I orphans, and education for orphans of workers It Tvas time to ask whether the Government [ should not now help tho unions in such work Ultimately/the Stato should undertake all these ' responsibilities ,' ' Mr V Cooko (Canterbury), in opposing tho motion, said that if tho Government gave a l subsidy it would impose conditions, which TVOuld make tho unions less effective. They [ wore asking the Government to provide woik for all, and compel all to work—even the ' dukos, even Iho Governor—and why then should they ask the Government to subsidise J the unemployed? [ Mr ,E J. Carey (Wellington) said he was ' in favour of unemployment insurance, but it 1 DboTild not be coiihncd to organised labour. [ Mr. D K. Pntchard (Canterbury) said he r opposed the mobon, because the workers were i nnablo to bear further burdens. Mr. W Warren (Otngo) said those who odPo3od a State subsidy could not consistently ijdoni; to a fnendly toacty. The AmalgsmMod

bocioty at Carpenters dealt ivith the unemployed, the sick, the aged, and with its members when they wae dead. The Amalglunated Society of Engineers did likewise, and if the nation were organised on tho samo lines, nothing further would be ■ rotmired. "The position of the Auckland dolegates on this niotion is unfortunate," ■ said Mr. Horning "Wo'ro ordered.to voto; for.it, and wo don't lite it." He added that, many of the unions could not afford to subscribo to an unomploymont fund The carponters and engineers weie in a different position, because their organisations were world-wide. After further discussion, the motion was carried by 12 votes to H. Weekly Rest Day. A motion calling for legislation to establish a wooklj day of rest was earned unanimously, on the motion of Mr E J. Carey Royal Commission Desired. Mr. F. Howard (Canterbury) moved to ask tho Government to set up a Kojal Commission on-the unemployed question. This was seconded by Mr Hart (Canterbury), who declared that the workers of New Zealand were clamouring for such a commission. llie motion was carried unanimouslj