AUSTRALIA TO-DAY

Evening Post, Volume LXXXV, Issue 19, 23 January 1913, Page 3

AUSTRALIA TO-DAY

NOTES AND NEWS [raou Otis own corrisponCbnt.] SYDNEY, 18th January. INDUSTRIAL COMBINATION. Something like a parallel to the preparations of European countries' for war, "in the interests of peace," is to be found in the organisation in Australia of the forces which may be. arrayed against each, other .in industrial warfare. On the one 'hand there is a steady consolidation and amalgamation of organisations of workers. This is proceeding with considerable publicity, which is approved of by sympathisers- as A form 01 helpful ■• advertisement, and is given in non-Labour newspapers largely' as c-vidence supporting urgings upon employers to prepare for a great fight. On the other hand, one learns, although tho publicity given to this part 16 comparatively small, that there ie a consistent movement 'for the organisation _oi employers throughout the Commonwealth for a big battle, which is declared to be inevitable in the face of what, is called the "arrogant aggressiveness" of labour. It is even' said that, holding' such an all-Australia industrial conflict to be unavoidable, employers,' further pressed from week to week, are rather desirous of bringing the groat fight to pass in the near future, before the labour bodies grow stronger in numbers and funds. This is a time of the union of unions. A .conference .which, hae just concluded its sittings, at Sydney, has drawn up the machinery details ,of an amalgamation of bgdies representing 'between, them eonio 160,000 workers'. Chief of these bodks is the Australian Workers' Union, embracing practically all men employed in the country in connection with tho pastoral industry. Other bodies which have , gone into the amalgamation are composed of men' engaged mostly in out of town work, such as carriers, farm hands, employees in • the dairies ■ and vineyards, and • rabbit trappers. There is being called together a conference ,of unions of workers in the building trade, throughout Australia for. the purpose of' establishing a big. Federal body, "so that proper defence 'may bo instituted against the Federated Master Builders."" This- conference will take place in Melbourne in" February, and it is regarded as certain, that the projected great organisation will soon be an accomplished fact. In number of other call* ings, too, steps in. the direction of the federation of unions are being made. There is on all sides a massing of men and , funds. When tHe predicted great class comes Australia will be the. scene of a contest, a sort of industrial Waterloo, ;that' will hold*the" attention of the ■world, and will furnkh. texts for writers and speakers on social economics 'for a long while afterwards. ■ AERIAL FLEET. , >We have no immediate neighbours on land, and do not have to provide for, or against, the movements of armies across bpuhdary lines. Yet it is felt to be prudent to have an aerial fleet which j can co-operate .with our warships and shore batteries. So the Defence Department is. building up a Flying Corps. This is "to consist of 'four officers, seven warrant officers ,and sergeants, and 32 mechanicians, or a total of 43 men. Two instructors, or pilots, have been secured from England. One of them, Lieutenant H. Petre, arrived this week. The other, Lieutehant' Eric Harrison, who, , by the way, is a native of Victoria, will bring, but with him four aeroplanes bought by the Commonwealth Government in England for £800 each. For the operations of the Flying Corps a. good deal is iiecessary in the way of mechanical transport* appliances, and the. Defence Department has already ordered two motor cars, three" motor Worries, two other lorries, and two motor cycles. , A huge aerodrome listo be built. Lieutenant Petre (pronounced Peter) and Lieutenant > Harrison will each receive £400 a year. Four machinists, each drawing £200 a year, will be appointed to ' assist them. . . During the current financial year about £6000 will be spent on the flying branch of. the Australian army. CLOSING HOTELS. • With r an absence of . commotion whicli seems to indicate an extraordinary' degree of satisfaction in connection with such' a potential storm-centre as the liquor trade, hotels are being shut up steadily in Victoria by methods designed to seoure- the survival of the fittest, and at the same time make the trade itself carry ,the burden' of compensation to owners and licensees of houses which 'have been wiped off the ' list of hotels. In May, 1&07, there was appointed a Licenses Reduction Board, consisting of a barrister and two business men, to which was given the. task of weeding out unnecessary and undesirable .hotels. All hotelkeepers ih Victoria aTe required to pay into the fund from which the compensation is jjaid amounts in fixed proportion to their, business. Last year 102 hotels were closed by the board, making a" total of 614- since the board began operations. Up *to 31st December, 1911, 512 hotels had been deprived of their licenses at an average cost of £474 per hotel. Fdr the hotels closed up in 1912 the average was £535. In the first place the board deals with houses in connection with which offences have .been recorded for Sunday trading and other offences. ( 'It has been found possible by the members o£ the board to carry out the work of deprivation and compensation in' a smooth, business-like "Way." In connection with the compensation ' part of its *ork the board has astonished some hotelkeepers by demonstrating that they have been working hard for the benefit of other people when they believed they were doing well for themselves simply bcause.it seemed very nice to be, able to go to the till when money was wanted for everyday expenditure. In quite a sympathetic way the board has pointed out to such persons that they were not getting interest on much money paid for goodwill'to brewers and were,^ with .members of their families, working for little more than food and clothing. STATE' FIRE INSURANCE. • One of the directions in which the Australian States have not yet all followed the example of New Zealand, although they are ' thinking that way, is that of State fire insurance. In' New Sotith - Wales attention is being insistently drawn to the fact that durihg'tho last ten years over £50,000 has beet, paid for fire 'insurance by the Government to ' private companies, * while the amount received from the companies lifts been so sntall that the odds are calculated to' be 400 to 1 m favour of the companies. Victoria, . although further distant, has in this, as in other respects, shown herself -to be more in line with the Dominion.' 'Legislators ..there show that they, watch the course ol events in New Zealand with .closer concern than do the people of New South Wales. Two years ago the Victorian Government initiated State fire insurance by converting to a fife fund £15,000 that was. not actually needed as part ol A titles insurance fund in which it lay. Payments into , the fire fund are made at the modest rate of £2000 a year So far no claims have.' been made on. this fund, which now stands at JU1&,000 in ciedit. The Victorian Treasury officials point out that this experience justifies their expectations ot ecoflpuiy under the new.

system, and they do not seem to be confounded over statements by . the representatives of the private companies to the effect that one pretty big fire lasting an hour or two may wipe the Government fire fund right out and leave a big hole in the consolidated levenue. t _____ CLERKS AND MILITARY. Much friction has marked the coming into operation in Victoria of a wages board for ■ clerks., 'Many wage-earners in clerical occupations are being' put out of employment. Employers say that the conditions of pay laid down by the board make it imperative for them to reduce their clerical staffs to a bare sufficiency I for normal requirements, and to rely ! upon temporary assistance from typei writing agencies in emergencies, and also to insist upon a maximum of efficiency in the employees to whom they have to pay the Wages Board rates. As a consequence the 1 Clerks' Union, whose activities have led to the establishment of the board,- is coming in for condemnatoiy criticism from discarded employees as well as employers. A letter addressed to the Minister for Defence, .Senator Pearce, by the secretary of the Clerks' Union ; Mr. E. Chambers, probably owed its origin to an over wrought state of mind induced by a wide area of difficulties. Mr. Chambers Wrote ' about many threats made .by employers, and asked "whether in the event of any hostile demonstration being made against the union by' the .Chambers of Manufactures and Commerce, the Government would place at, the disposal of (he 'union a detachment of the military forces for the protection of the union or of its members -and for the preservation of law and order." That the Minister for Defence is a courteous _ gentlefnah 'is shown by the fact that he sent an acknowledgement of the receipt of the perturbed secretary's letter, and stated that the letter would receive consideration. However, Mr. Chambers, having had a couple of nights of good sleep, has now written again to the Minister withdrawing his first • letter ort the ground that "it was considered advisable to await possibility of any such development." . ' ■