THE WAGES QUESTION.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIII, Issue 116, 17 May 1907, Page 6

THE WAGES QUESTION.

LECTURE TO TRADES UNIONISTS. MR. TREGEAR ON PROFITSHARING. Dr. M'Donald, lato of Australia, gave a lecture to trades unionists under the. auspices of ( the Trades Council -last niglik The subject of the lecture was "Ihe Meeting of the Waters and the Parting of ti.j Ways, or the Crisis of the Wage System." The lecturer, who advocated a co-operative commonwealth, declared that at tho present time in the national history of INew Zealand a critical moment had arrived. He proceeded to deal with sociological problems, as they affected the country as well as the city. Speaking of industrial matters, Dr. M'Donald criticised the arbitration laws. Ho thought, the Act might ,be left as it stood, it might be amended, or it might be abolished. But the momon'll was , critical industrially, and the time' was ripe for New Zealand to give the world a strong lead by tho adoption of principles consistent with -experience — a system of economic equality, for all men and women, for the unskilled as well as the skilled workers. The lecturer elaborated this point, and declared that the idea was already exercising the mind of the Labour movement. A scheme- of- wealth-sharing other than that of Wages and "salaries had to bo devised, and he looketl to the leaders of . the movement in Wellington to work out % system that" would solve, the' problem -of the day. T'Thero was' a lively debate on the lecture, and Mr. E. Tregear, Secretary of the Labour Department, who was amongst the audience, "was invited to join in the discussion. Mr. Tregear said ho would like to make a reference to the question raised concerning the Conciliation and Arbitration Act. The Act h»d not , made any great specific rise in the wages of the workers, but it had been the chief 'factor, .in- . prosperity, of the workers. That - prosperity • was remarked on by 1 every visitor to the cities of New ZeaI land, and it must be ftdticeable to even I the most casual observer who saw the happiness 'and appearance of 'the wives and children of the workers on holidays and such times. The beneficial _tende»cies of the Act were felt and evidenced more- in the direction of the continuance qf employment which it engendered, and in other incidental advantages, such .as payment for overtime and holidays, , which did not exist before its inception. It had certainly beon of. greater . benefit to. employers than- tlioy could 'have imagined. It had settled industry for them, and enabled them to guago • tasiv, outlays- and transactions with greater security. Some ton. years back ho had issued a pamphlet and had ask«d for replies to it. One of the questions asked of all the workers from Auckland to tho West Coast and the Bluff was : "How long continuously employed for?" and the answers at that time were invariably ap4 on the average eight -vi * nine monthif. . No\r workers were" cmploye'd ■aTmosC-jCcntinuonsly for thjo twelve .mopths, /and- thrs : despite the 'fact that during the fast few years there had been no loss than 45,000 Australian workers' landed in the country, and they had all shared in tho continuance of employment sppken of. With its reduction of working hours, its guarantee of constant employment, its ensuring of payment for overtime and holidays, the Act had proved itself a boon and blessing to the workers, although it had not, he admitted, been ihe means of a direct rise in the wages of the workers.. It h*d been said that the Act in its operation had lulled the restlessness of trades unions and kept from their eyes some of the o!.he'r great economic issues, but- he did not think so, and would be sorry to believe it. He- hoped that no man would advocate j going back to the barbarous methods of strikes. The history of strikes had I proved everywhere that workers had to j measure tb.6 sufferings of" their wivxi and childicn against fcho length of the employers' purses. Ho agreed that the ' workers were not getting their sliarc of tho wraith production of tho country, but let them amend tho Act even in that direction It could be done by introducing the principle of profit-shar-ing when making awards. Mr. Justice Cooper, in cho early days of tho Act, evidently believed that that principle was already incorporated in the Act. He had, in delivering the award in the Waihi miners' dispute, said' in effect that if he wero dealing with only the effect of the award on the Waifii mine ho would have no fear of awarding aa increase of wages, but that he must' take into consideration the profits of the other mines of thb district' sind their ability to pay increased wages. This v/as Jproof that Mr. Justice Cooper evidently had. conceived the fdea of profitsharing.' Lately, however, that principle had been altogether laid aside, and Mr. Justice Chapman had' rocorrtly said that profit-sharing wa3 not spoken o| in tho statute, and that he could , tako no consideration of it in regard to fixing the minimum wage. Mr. Tregear concluded : Let tho workers sook for an amendment of tho Act so that profitsharing should bo taken into account and form the basis of the minimum vtago principle. Dr. M'Donald received a hearty vote of thanks from tho meeting.

After tho sensational performance of the St. James's team in defeating tho Athletic team lnet Saturday, much intcreßb is being taken in tho meeting, of the St. James's and Poneko teams at tho Athletic Park to-morrow. The frameshould be fast and open, such as delights the football public. A good match is also to bo played at Petone to-morrow between Athletic and Petone teams. Mr. J. D. Avery, clerk of tho Eastbourno Borough Council and secretary of tho Wellington Rugby Union, has been appointed secretary of the Now Zealand Itugby Union. Mossrjs. K. Hannah and Co. call special attention to their lines of men's working boots made throughout of Now Zealand leathors at their own factory in Wellington. ' Two Lower Hutt properties are specially advertised for sule by Mr. H. 15. Loiyhton, IfeiLtuonton-streot, Wellington. Birthday cclohrationg of business firms are raro ovents, but Messrs. Caterer rind Carey, "Roady-Mouey Drapers," of Cubastre'ot, h»vo always frcado a ,'pornt "of b<fl\i'brating theinr, -nnd - to-morrow they will oommenco tho colobratiof. of thei* fourth birthday, when ;«pcci«i prices -will tie tho order of th'e'dtij

Mr. t Job. E. Lindberg, draper, Cubastreet,' announces new goods ox s.i. Ru»pehu, at sale prices, to-morrow.