LINES ABOUT LABOUR.

Evening Post, Volume LXVIII, Issue 134, 3 December 1904, Page 12

LINES ABOUT LABOUR.

Philip Weinseimer, the successor to "Sam" Parks, the President of the Building Trades Alliance in New York, who died in the Sing Sing prison, is now on trial on charges similar to those which resulted in the conviction of Parks. According to the testimony of the contractors, Weinseimer was quite as extortionate as Parks in his demands. One contractor stated that Weinseimer had found that certain work would result in a profit of 10,000dol (£2000), and thereupon declared that if he did not receive a quarter of that amount he would call a strike. Another contractor gave evidence that Weinseimer demanded 3000dol f£6oo) for preventing a strike, remarking, "I am not in this labour business for love," The National Conservative Labour Party held a conference at, Manchester the other day, at which it was slated by Councillor Holden,. of Manchester, who presided, and by the Organising Secretary, that the object of the new organisation was to watch over the interests of labour in a Conservative spirit. Resolutions were carried in reference to the legal status of trade unions, the amendment of the registration laws, redistribution of seats, Fiscal policy, and other subjects. ■ Speaking in the New South Wales Arbitration Court the other day the President, Judge Cohen, said that he was of opinion that preference of employment should be given to unionists. One of the principles of the Arbitration Act was collective bargaining as far as industrial unions were concerned. Therefore he considered that when an industrial union fairly and practically represented an industry, as far as the employees were concerned, preference should be given to unionists. Another reason which actuated him was that industrial unions of employees incurred all the expense and trouble in preparing and submitting their case to the court, and, he assumed, obtained conditions more satisfactory to the employees than existed j before the submission of the dispute. Without this preference all encouragement would disappear. Within certain limits, unless preference were given to unionists, he feared that industrial unionism would become a thing of the past. In the minds of some people that might be considered a good thing, but he did not accept that as the declared will of the people of the country. Reference was made in Sydney the other day to a rumour voiced that the New South Wales Railway Commissioners were preparing a bylaw to prohibit their employees taking an active part in politics, and thei Chief Commissioner's denial of it was given. Speaking further on the subject, Mr. Oliver, the Chief Commissioner, said- that during the last elections several railway men were observed to be taking prominent parts, and they were warned by the Commissioners that such practices could not be permitted. That step was taken in accordance with the principle adopted in both the State and the Federal public service, and under '\yhich officers are expressly forbidden to publicly discuss or in any way prompts political move- ! ments. The State service regulation is as follows:— "In order that officers of all ranks may be,enabled to render loyal j and efficient service to the Government, I they are expressly forbidden to take any I active part in politics or political affairs, otherwise than by recording their votes." There is a general agreement (says St. James's Budget) that the coming winter will be a particularly hard one for the poor of London, as well as ip other great industrial centres. There are an exceptional number of people out of work, whose ranks are likely to be increased rather than decreased as the year draws 'to its close. The question of organised relief should therefore be dealt with, in its preliminaries at any rate, without delay. We have a habit in this country (continues our contemporary) of leaving such matters till the very last moment. Then, when genuine or bogus representatives of the unemployed are parading the streets with ragged banners, we hastily get up some makeshift and inexpensive plan of relief, which cannot even be guaranteed to fouch the right people. The suggestion of the member for Finsbury, that, each district should establish a central fund, seems an eminently practical one. This plan is being adopted in his own constituency, and it would be an excellent thing if it could be made general throughout London. But, whatever we do, kt us do it quickly, though without haste The report of the West Australian commission to enquire into the immigration of non-British labour and its employment on the mines has been published. It states that 92£ per cent, of the inhabitants ol the State, exclusive of aborigines, are British or Australian, with 3 per cent, of Europeans other than j British, 2.8 per cent. Asiatic, and 0.9 per cent. American and African. Tha tables show a considerable increase in the number of Asiatics, chiefly engaged in the pearling industry in the northwest. The commission has been quite unable to procure any proof of the assertion that Italian and Austrian workmen have been imported under agreement to work in the mines for lower wages than are paid to other workmen. The coni•mission considers it improbable that aliens have been imported under contract, but thinks it probable that many aliens may have been induced to come to Australia by letters from friends in Australia able to get them work. The premium bonus system of paying workmen which has been condemned by the British Engineering and Ship Building Trades Federation, was first adopted by agreement between the Amalgamated Society of Engineers and the Employers' Federation, This experiment having proved a success, at least in the opinion of the employers, steps were taken to extend it to other trades. Thereupon the Trades Federation became alarmed at what die majority of its members regarded as an attempt at a revolution in skilled occupations, and passed the following resolution: — "The question fcas had the earnest consideration of a Fubcommittee of the executive council and of the annual meeting of the federation, and they are unanimous in condemning •any system of payment of wages except by the hour, or in cases where it is recognised by mutual arrangement between the workmen and their representatives and the employer, by piece work ; and they strongly recommend the societies represented on the federation to do all in their power to prevent their members working under any premium bonus system, as they are convinced that the general adoption" of any such system will be disastrous, not only to the interests of the workmen concerned, but to the reputation of sound and honest workmanship, which, we trust, will be pre-eminently the characteristic of British manufacturers throughout the world. The system has absolutely nothing to commend it ; it is an adaptation of the most pernicious and degrading condition of employment in modern industrial history — the task work system ; it creates jealousy and ill-feeling in the workshop, and is the cause of endless bickering and misunderstanding, owing to the complicated and intricate character of the calculations involved in many systems ; it has been the cause of more men being discharged than any strike which has ever taken place in the history of the engineering or ship building trades ; and it will have the effect of -keeping men ? whose waning physical powers unfit them for the closest and hardest labour, from obtaining employment except when trade is at its busiest."