LINES ABOUT LABOUR.

Evening Post, Volume LXVII, Issue LXVII, 30 January 1904, Page 12

LINES ABOUT LABOUR.

A ieturn from the New South Wales Labour Board bhuw# that during tho twelve months tho registrations totalled 11,798, and thos<e sent to work 6955. Of the latter number 6385 wont to Government works and 750 to private <'inployinenl. During tho laht lew months of lOio year there was a great falling olf in tho number of out-of-work registrations. During December the number was only 185. Tho Chineso strike which broke out some, months ago has only now been finally sottled. At tho tiinu of the htuke thero woie- about 400 men employed in Chinese furniture, shops. All ot them have gono buck. Forty-two men wero brought from New South Wales. With the exception of five who letumcd to Sydney, employment has boon found for them in tho shops. The Sydney men havo thrown in their lot with the Melbourne workmen and have joined the local union. Vigorous correspondence hns been proceeding in the Melbourne pie.s.s us to the remuneration of c.evks and the competition of femnlo typists and «horthandwliters. Somo of the writers (iodine that the competition of young wptnen has greatly reduced the pay. One of tho clerks states that the direct result has beon that girls have fewer chances of marrying, because clerks ;ire unable to \ afford matrimony. Mr. Murray, Minister for Labour, stales that no rcpresouta- I tions have been made to him to extend tho Factories Act to protect clerks. It was a matter for Parliament. If (he clerks organised nnd submitted representations to him, as had been suggested in some quarters, he would promise that tho matter should receive attention. Tho committee of the Melbourne Trades Hall which was appointed to draw up a report regarding ' the engagement of Tom Mann as organising agent presented a long document nt a recent meeting of the Council, stating that Mr. Mann had refused to continue tho work. It was also mentioned t that nil the money due to him had been paid in ndvance. During tho discussion it was suggested that Sir. Mann should be offered- the Secretaryship of the Political Labour C6uincil. This idea received considerable support, nope was expressed that Mr. Mann would bo given thno to consider tho situntion, and that his services would be retained. ■The suggestion as to the Secretaryship was ultimately adopted. Mr. Watson, Lender of the Federal Labour Party, addressed a meeting of his constituents at Wynlong recently.' He «aid that the party would concentrate its undivided attention in passing into ; law tho Arbitration Act, bringing undoi its operation the civil servants of the Str.tes. Ho strongly advocated the settlement of the capita! question ns a i moans of escaping from tho newspaper intluences both of Sydney and Melbourne. * Mr. Watson deplored the sectarianism that had been introduced into tho elections, and it was, he declared, a humiliating spectuclo to sec ministers of religion stirring up strife and discord. At a meeting of the political organising committee of the New South Wales Labour Party, which • for some months has boen conducting propaganda work, tho voting in the recent Federal elections was subjected lo an exhaustive debute. The speakers were unnnimously in favour of initiating measure? to overcomo the weakness of tho Labour vole in some ol tho electorates. As a preliminary, a committee was appointed to analyse the I voting in each Federal division and to prepare return-? giving the actual strength of tho Labour vote. This was decided on with a view to future organising and directing of special effort to localities where the vote requires consolidating. In order to infuse a greater interest among tho workers in polities, nnd partiaularly to afford the oigani&ed \oters uu opportunity of expressing opinions on everyday politics, tho meeting decided to recommend to tho annual conference of tho Labour Lengue that nn assembly of ■ all leagues and trades unions in the mctropo is be held periodically. Mr. J. 0. Watson, Leader of tho Federnl Labour Party, referred in a recent speech to the increased strength of the party in the now Parliament. Many people seemed afraid, he said, that the greater influence of tho Labour Party would result in the introduction of rash experimental legislation. Ho thought tho party was quite ns anxious as others to prove tho efficiency of each successive stop, nnd it would bo useless lo attempt I to go too far ahead of the peopio. Therefore, in tho interests of permanent reform, it was desirable' tp progress steadily. ' Regarding tho charge of socialism, he admitted a trend in that direction, but this wos only in regard to the great services, which were likely to result, injuriously i to'the community if left in private hands. 1 Referring to immigration, ho denied that tho Labour Paily desired to place any barrier on legitimate immigration, and it was useless to expect any considerable number of immigrants until more land was mado availablo for settlers. At prosent t'horo wero hundreds of applicants i locally for each block thrown open, oon- ( sequently there was no attraction to outsiders. Compulsory resumption of cs- ! tates for closer settlement in New South | Wales on a large scnlo would induce immigration, and that was a matter for the State Government. At a recent meeting of the Sydney Labour Council the executive submitted, a minute recommending thnt tho subject of Chinese competition bo discussed by the Council. The recommendation was unanimously adopted, and a somewhat lengthy discussion followed, in tho course of which it was made apparent that Mie competition which Europeans are. called upon to meet at the hands of Chineso, especially in the furniture, fruit, and vegetublo trades, has become a very serious question. The meeting recognised tho necessity for action in the matter, and appointed a committee to consider tho whole question. Mr. T. Thrower complained of the apathy of tho people in respect of the Chinese invader. While tho Arbitration Court gave a good deal of relief, it did not work tho remedy desired. There could bo no further shelving of tho question— the keen competition of the Chineso must be curtailed. Where at ouo time they only interfered with tho cabinetmakin/r industry, they had now got into tho fruit and produce trades to such an extent as to seriously prejudice the whito trader. Mr. K. Hudson observed that the Chinese grocer was now nln^st monopolising George-street West, nnd ho had been cute enough to take advantage of the protection offered by the churches, for he now advertised ill church papers. He denied, however, thnt. any of the support of tho members of tho unions wont to Chineso. Tho Springfield Republican, writing of tho great street-car strike in Chicago, says : — "It is stated on behalf of tho striking street-car employees in Chicago that they askod for nn arbitration of difficulties with tho company at tho outset, nnd were refused. This puts tho company initially in the wiong, and so far entitles the employees to public &yinpathy. But tho rutting which has attended tho strike from tho stnrt has largely destroyed thai support which all strikes niujt havo lo be successful. Tho strikers may not, indeed, bo responsible, but peopio will question •vhelhet' there would be so much lawlessness even in a city like Chicago "if the, strikers did H>t participate in or encourage it. As matt .-8 stand,, there is but one thing to do, and '^htvt is lo put dov-u the moh with a he»?y haxuL 11