LINES ABOUT LABOUR.

Evening Post, Volume LXXI, Issue 47, 24 February 1906, Page 12

LINES ABOUT LABOUR.

Tho boot and shoo manufacturing trado throughout New Zealand has been in a healthier state sinco the Christmas holidays than for years p*st during what is considered tho slack uoason. Next month factories should get busy with orders for winter stock. It is reported that Mr. Glassey, an exleader of the Labour Party in Quconsland, intends contesting tho Bundaberg seat against Mr. Barber (Secretary of tho Labour Party) at the coming elections. Notwithstanding tho jeremiads uttered somo two yonrs ago as to the possible slump in the building trade nnd property market of Auckland, says tho Herald, bhlngs seem to be going along as merrily as ever in tho city and district gonerally, and there is plenty of work in sight, to ndnpt a mining colloquinlit>m. General Booth, speaking on the unemployed problem, at Loods, said ho saw no difle-rence between sending a man for work from Edinburgh to Bristol and sending him from Leeds to Toronto. Ho hopes to make his army a million strong, The New South Wales Boot Mnnufacturers' Assooiatlon refused tho Boot Trade Union's request for a conference to disouss improvements in present working conditions. It was expected that tho union will refer the matter to the Stato Arbitration Court, The Paris undertakers' men—mutes, hearse-drivers, nnd coffln-makors— threatened to go on strike early/ in the year. Until recently the undertaking business was the monopoly of a company, but the municipality has taken over the company, ond refutes to be responsible for a men's pension fund. It was on this ground that the men threatened to strike. Professor Gosman lately suggested to tho Melbourne papers a useful idea— that they should obtain and publish a daily labour reports, on similar lines to their market reports. - The manufacturer or grower now gathers at a glance the state of tho market, the demand, etc., in different localities, and Hots accordingly. The labourer should have the same allvantage, said the Professor. The Whltwood Colliery strike at Ipswich (Queensland) was settled on tho 9th inst., Messrs. Stafford Bros, ngreolng to a compromise, which fixes the hewing rate at 2s 3d per ton, the men to do their own wheeling. Tho men resumed work next day. At a meeting of Whitwood men it was decided that tho colliers on strike should not work as mates with any men who had gone to work since tho strike was declared. Whilst the Wellington Conciliation Board was hearing the dispute in the, building trade in Napier, the Chairman (Mr. B, L, Thomas) could not attend the sittings of the Board. The other members appointed one of the Lnbour representatives (Mr. A. H. Cooper, Secretary of the Wellington Trades Council) to act as Chairman." All parties wero greatly pleased with Mr, Cooper's unbiassed conduct of business, and the Napier Builders' and Contractors' Association paid the Labourite the special compliment of send* ing him a letter expressing satisfaction with his chairmanship. Speaking et Ute Dunedin sitting of the Arbitration Court, Mr. Belcher, Secretary 6f the Dunedin Branch of the SeAmen's Union, said that from Information he had received from Australia he judged that before long there would bo a movement there among the seamen not only to get An increase in wages, but to secure an improvement in the conditions of work. «A passage in one of Mr. John Burns's speeches at an open-air meeting s— "l hope I shall set about my work uninfluenced by praise or blaiiw." A Voice. —"What about your salary ?" M*. Burns, —"Well, I have only got the tradd«union rate, and I was never n, blackleg. If you want to know how it is going to be spent, for details ask Mrs Bums." Mr. Bnrns's salary an a Cabinet Minister is £2000 per annum. He was previously in receipt of £4 per week, Th« Lambeth Borough Council (England) is convening a conference with n view to bringing into operation a uniform scale of trade union rates of wages and conditions for the employees in each department of tho different borough councils. Lamboth will bo joined, among others, by the Bntterwa Borough Council. The Bruce Herald received the following wire from Omaramai— "Tho Otago and Southland Musterers' Union of Workers has been registered under The Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Acts Compilation Act, 1905. Mr. Stove Boreherm (a well-known Labourite) was offered and accepted the position of general organiser for one year; Mr, George Gye was appointed Secretary, Mr. J. Col. lins Treasurer, and Mr, A, Paterson President." Speaking at Stockton, Mr, Asquith, % member of tho British Cabinet, said tho chief interest of Lnbour was tho infoguarding of the right of combination, which had been gradually whittled down | by judicial Interpretations of the law so that the position of trade unions was now mgfe Insecure- than it was flvo years ago, or than it ought to be. The Government was engaged In devising n legislative scheme to protoot trade unions. , The first trade school for girls has been opened in London, The school is free to tno| children of working parents, and twenty-one hours a weak are devoted to tho trade, and tho rest of the time to general education nnd physical exercises. Waistcoat-making was selected by tho woman superintendent of the school as a suitable trado, bdenuso it is a highly skilled one and well paid. This Is the first attempt in England to provide industrial training for girls. t "Tynesider" writes to T.P.s Weekly as follows)— "I work in a faotory on the banks of the Tyno, employing, I should soy, about, 2000 mon nnd boys. In my own department there are 200 working, Out of that 200 I only know two who havo the slightest love of books. Tho remainder can go on for hour* discussing football or horse-racing, but ns to literature, never a word." Mr. Holyoake, a l«ndor amongst tht Chartists, loaves a copious autobiography' and another work called "Bygones." A native of Birmingham, lie wrought in tho Eagle foundry there. The host of hiu anoodotes, says the Bullotin, is nbout Francis Place and tho Duke of Wellington, m Premier. Plnoo and other Labourites waited on Wellington to urge reform, The Duko nald i "You scorn to have Intelligent heads on your shoulders. Keen them thore," Place thon got out his 'famous placard, "To Stop tho Duko, go for Gold." This caused a run on tho Bank of England and tho Duke's retirement ns Premier, • The Labour 6onforenco recently sitting in Sydney appointed a committee to make ft report as to a l«nd and flnnnco policy for the party. Tho committee brought down a good resolution framing n. progressing policy for tho taxation' of unimproved land values. Tho resolution was triumphantly carried, and thon it was found that owing to the small attendance of delogftl»s no change In tho platform could be constitutionally mado, so tho mattor stands ovor to bo debated at the next conference. Tho conference had nn amplo attendance when hot debates on nothing were raging, but couldn't muster an effective quorum to consider land