LABOUR NOTES

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 56, 7 March 1914, Page 12

LABOUR NOTES

(Ist "Unionist.") WAGES BOARDS AWARDS. INCREASES IN WAGES.

The Commonwealth Statistician (Mr. G. 11. Knibbs) has completed preliminary returns showing the result of all changes in rates of wages which occurred in Iho Commonwealth in 1913. This oompletoa tho first year for winch threo' statistics are available, the Minwtor for Homo Affairs having authorised tho organisation of a special branch of the Commonwealth Bureau lo collect and publish lobcur ond industrial statistics for tho whole Commonwealth as from Ist January, 1913. During that year a large number of awards and determinations of Industrial Courts and Wages Boards came -into operation, whilst numerous industrial agreements Were filed under Commonwealth and State Acts. Particulars concerning changes in the rates of wages .affected as a, result of industrial disputed havo also been collected, and in addition a. number of voluntary agreements betweon' employers and employees wore arranged. Mr. Knibbs states that it is intended to publish at an early date further particulars regarding tho methods by which the various changes were effected, and rcgcu'dhicc the result and extent of operations under the various Acts in forco governing the regulation of wages.

The total increases per week amounted to £36.875. Tho changes were as follow : New South Wales, 146; Victoria, 78; Queensland, 41; South Australia. 23; Weeterh Australia, 20; Tasmania, 11; in all. 319. Tho whole of the 319 changes were increases, no decrease in rates of wagee being recorded during the yppr, It will be seen that the total number of persons in all Slates of the Commonwealth who benefited by the increases was 163,132, ami the total amount of eitch increase per weok for all persons was £36,875, or an average weekly increase per head of 43 6d. It should ho clearly understood that tho figures given in the third column of the above table (amount of increase per week) do not necessarily relate to the increnso each week, but only to the increase in a. single week on the assumption that tho full number of persons ordinarily engaged in tho particular trade ■or occupation t affected by the change ir* employed during that week. It is obvious, thorcfore, that the aggregate effect per a.nnum cahhot bo obtaihed withodt making duo allowance for unemployment, and for occupations in which employment IB seasonable or intermittent. It is also obvious that since Unemployment and activity in , all branches of industry may vary from year to year, and in many branches from, season to season \also, no accurato estimate of tho actual effect of the changes in the total amount of wages received or paid per annum can be made, until the determining factors have boen investigated. BRITISH LABOUE AND POLITICS. British trade union? are how balloting in connection with the recent Act of Parliament defining the use of union funds for political purposes. _ London Clarion reviews the position in critical vein as follows : "In Britain, proofs of Labour scission and indecißioh accumulates pathetically. "Tho trade unions are at present taking the ballots exacted by last year's Act oa a preliminary condition of levies for practical purposes ; and results still show poor bewildered Billy Drudge looking seven ways for daylight and finding nothing clear but fog. ' _ - "Of tho aristocratic engineers, only 33 out, of 145,000 members were sufficiently excited to sit and take notice at all, and only 20,000 showed willing. Of the cotton 6pinhers, 35 in every 100 took tho trouble to Vote-but only 58 per cent, pronounced for the sevy. A much greater proportion — 81 per cent.— -of the Miners' Federation went to the ballot, but wgain the majority in favour was only 57 per cent. ; and of the Northern Counties' wekvors, while the realty largo proportion of 89 in the 100 were interested enough to vote, only 63 per cent.' of these professed faith i in political action. Indeed, Up to the time of writing, I havo seen only two results that could bo described a/s positively decisive 'mandates ;' these are the votes of tho Birmingham gasworkers, of whom 86 per cent, welcomed tho levy; and tho railway • clerks, of whom 74 in 100 voted, with a smashing majority of 91 per cent., for political action. "Yet, taken all in all, the results, though groggy, are more favourable to the poli- ! ticians than they had any right to ex- I pect. "The teat, of course, is stiff ; the voter* aro not merely asked whether they want Parliamentary representation, but— a much' harder question— whether they aro willing to pay for it. When one considers how strained tho average_ workman's budget is, and how many claims of trade unionism and insurance and politics are pulling at it, _ the readiness of a majority of trado unionists to whittle it down still further for Parliamentary representation proves «in eafnesthess of conviction which is, uhder all the circumstances, surprising «uul impressive." AMERICAN LABOUR LAWS. Twenty-six States of America have now enacted legislation limiting the working hours to eight per day on all public works. In the States of New York and Massachusetts laws have been paused guaranteeing to all workers in industrial occupation's one full day's re&t in every seven. The experimental Massachusetts minimum wage law ot 1912, applying to women and children, was followed in 1913 by similar action in eight !^.ore States. In Colorado, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Washington tho minimum wage commission _niay fix al.'o^ standard of working conditions, while in California, Oregon, and Wisconsin they have additional authority over hours. Utah established minimum wage rates in the law itsoif. Arizona and Colorado established an eight-hour day for women, Montana and Idaho a nine-hour day, and Delaware and Texas a ten-houv day, while night wfcrk was prohibited or limited ih several j States, including New York, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania. The Queensland Industrial Appeal Court has amended the rates fixed for carpenters in the Cairns district by a previous wages board award. Tho new rate is as follows ; -—(a) g For first-class journeyman carpenters or joiners, not less than Is lOgd per hour, (b) For secondclass journeyman carpenters or joiners, not kidS than Is 8d per hour, (c) For third-class journeyman carpenters or joiners, not less than Is 6d per hour. SYDNEY PAINTERS AND PAY. Painters in Sydney who now receive Is Id per hour as a minimum wage aro anxious to have it raised lo Is 6d. Their award does not expire until the end of Iho year. They aro therefore asking the chairman of tho building trades group, Mr. F. A. A. Itu&soll, barrister, to grant this increase by way of a variation. At the last sitting of tho_ board tho Federated Houso and Ship Painters applied for representation, but tho application was refused on tho ground that tho applicant union, tho Amalgamated House Paintors and Decoratow, was tho one which had State registration.

State. tt.S.W , ... 3ueons)artd South Australia ... IVost. Australia ... rasmania ... No. of Persons Affected. 37,228 48,810 16,645 4,494 2.980 2,975 Increase per Head per Week. 8. d. 4 10 4 0 4 5 5 7 2 10 4 3