LABOUR NOTES.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 135, 4 December 1909, Page 12

LABOUR NOTES.

(By Unionist.)

FEDERAL BOOT TRADE AWARD. Mr. Justice tliggins, of the Commonwealth Arbitration Court, delivered his award in the boot trade dispute last week. The case proved a verjr extensive one, and evidence was taken, in each of the main centres of the Eastern States. As was the case in the timber workers' dispute, the question of the power of the Federal Arbitration- Court to override the State awards has again been raised in this dispute. At present wages boards' awards in the industry are in existence in most of the States, and before the new Federal awai'd ' is put into operation, the High Court will be asked to adjudicate on fche power of the Federal Court to set aside those awards. If the Federal award is upheld it will mean greatly improved conditions for the operatives in the trade throughout Australia. In delivering his judgment Mr. Justice Higgins said: — He found that there was a real and deep-seated dispute;, not sporadic, but pervading the body of boot employees in 'the four States — discontent such as would have broken out in strikes and suspension of work, but for the hope of relief from the Court. As he could not conceive of industrial peace unless and until an emplayee had secured to him wages sufficient to procure for him the essentials of human existence, he had adopted the system of finding, in the first place, what was the least sum sufficient to satisfy the normal needs of the a»verage employee, regarded as a human being, living in a civilised community. Referring to the questions of boy labour, apprenticeship, etc., his Honour said that at present all conditions of boy labour in this great Australian industry tended in the direction of inefficiency ; and as the men trained to make boots by handwork from- start to finish passed from the trade there was every prospect that the Commonwealth would have thousands of anaemic, illdeveloped, under-trained factory slaves ; youths unfitted for any work but the feeding of some insatiate machine ; youths prematurely put under the strain of bread-winning, and soon to be replaced by other youths ad infinitam. He was convinced that, so long as labour was unregulated, and so long a* some provision was not made for the adequate training of those who followed the trade, there could not be any stable industrial peace. The award, which is of considerable length, sets forth the increased weekly rates as follows: — New South Wales, present rate, £2 Bs, to receive first year £2 12s, then £2 14s. South Australia, present rate, £2 ss, awarded, first year £2 Bs, second year AJ2 12s, then £2 14s. Queensland, now receiving £2, to receive, first year £2 4s, second year £2 Bs, third year £2 12s, then £2 I4s. The couvfc failed to find that there was any real dispute as to the question of hours, and ordered that they should remain as hitherto — 48 per week. The award is made for a period of five years. Altogether, a total of nearly £100,000 was subscribed by Labour organisations in Germany towards the support of the Swedish strikers. The Metal Workers' Union was responsible for £20,000 of the total. When the Bill for the purchase of a State Coal Mine came up for second reading in the Legislative Council of South Australia, only four members could be found to support it. For the triennial elections for the Sydney City Council, which were held last Wednesday, 18 Labour candidates were run by the combined Labour leagues. Nine wards were contested — two candidates in oach. The result is not yet reported. According to the financial statement presented at the half-yearly meeting of the Auckland Hotel Employees' Union, held last week, that organisation has made rapid progress since its institution a year ago. For the half-year just ended 431 new members were admitted to the union. The contributions and entrance fees for the period totalled £2Htf 10s. Exceptionally heavy expenditure has been incurred lately, but at the close of the term the Union had a cash balance of £83 15s Id in hand.

A Bristol motor car, which some time ago ran into and injured a bicycle, bears a number which is> useless as a, means of identification. The one-timo owner of th© car who registered it had disposed of it laat y-ear to some person unknown. This is probably not an isolated case of tiiG kind. A special committee has been appointed to consider the report of DxMillson, medical officer of health for Southwark, upon one congested part of his district where the soum of London takes up its abode. The death-rate, especially in cases of phthisis, is very high, and the officer recommends a nightly inspection of the area. 'A letter of thanks and appeal has Ueen received by Sir Edward Grey, through the Belgian Colonial Minister, from the chiefs oi the neighbourhood of Thysville on the Congo. The chiefs are thankful for the visit qf Sir Edward Grey. Complaint is made of over-taxation, and of taxes being no longer received in kind by the (State. Payment must bo in francs. They ask that the State will open the trade routes, reduce the taxes, and remove the tax from women. A Council of Public Welfare has been formed in the Lambeth district of London to co-ordinate the agencies that deal with social and charitable matters. The Mayor declares that the council will do good work if only it can accomplish the desirable object of putting an end to the overlapping of tho different organisations. Lord Kitchener, on 6th October, officially inspected a full parade of the Shanghai Volunteers. Addressing the men, ho dwelt upon the esprit de corps displayed by many nationalities harmoniously combined ih, one battalion. In the evening Lord Kitchener attended a reception given in his honour by the Shanghai branch of tho China Association. With the removal of the Luoania from the Cunard fleet, it is not surprising there should be speculation as to the probability of another J'flyer" shortly being built for tho company's Atlantic service, says a London paper. Tho Cunard is having a new ship constructed at Walkend-on-Tyne, but slie is not a boat of exceptional dimensions, and it is said that she is to have a speed of about seventeen knots. Doubtless, therefore, she is intended to take the place of the Slavonia. The other vessel which is talked about is one that may, if necossary, relievo the Lusitania or the Mauretania, or co-operate with them. For this purpose it is clear that she must havo a higher speed than seventeen knots, and tho general idea is that she will be capable of doing about twentythree. It must bo remembered that any now express boat which the Cunard Company may build will not be constructed, as the Lusitania and Maurotania wore, with tho help of money loaned from the Government at a moderate rate of interest. She will represent a commercial entorprise, puro and simple.