LABOUR NOTES

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 132, 5 June 1915, Page 13

LABOUR NOTES

(By " Optimist.") I.W.W. The city is being placarded with ciroulars asking workers to forward money to the Commonwealth to obtain literature in favour of "direct action" as propounded b> the I.W.W. of America. I.W.W -ism has failed wherever tried, a-nd is one of the most ghastly weapons ever forged for the use of the workers. It is a policy that appeals to the worst passions- of mankind rather than relying upon their mental powers. Workers would be wise to keep their money in their pockets, and fight their battles in the way that has led to victory in the Commonwealth— through the ballot-bax. ARBITRATION COURT There are several awards, which are at present under the consideration of tho Arbitration Court, that are awaited with interest in Wellington, and a question that is being vitally considered is whether awards should not be retrospective. The argument is that it is an anomaly that, the lapse of an award by pffluxion of time, the conditions still exist until a new award is made, thereby causing in most cases a considerable monetary loss to the worker. The work&r has. no control over Arbitration Court delays. The Government can appoint the Judge of the Arbitration Court to oth«>r duties, and the work of tho Court piles up, cases after cases, and months of delays occur It is a serious injustice to thousands of trades unionists, and would not be tolerated, as regards the ordinary civil or magisterial courts. GROCERS' UNION. Mr. E. J. Carey's resignation having been accepted, the Grocers' Union is inviting 1 applications for a secretary who will devote the whole of his time to the union's interests. RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION' WORKERS' FEDERATION. Mr..H. T. Armstrong has been elected organiser for the above union by an overwhelming majority. ALONG THE WATERFRONT.^ Work is beginning to slack up at the waterfront, and with regular traders being diverted to the Plate trade, things will not be made any better. Imports , are decidedly on tho wane, and exports, although more are offering than usually at winter time, are a mere drop in the bucket. The coal trade is none too brisk, practically all the hulks- being .full, with not much tonnage coming forward to take bunkers. Taken altogether, if the present week can be taken as a prelude to the coming winter months, the waterside -will be a good pjaco to keep out of. No concerted action has been taken to give married men the preference of work offering. Unless public opinion is brought to bear on the subject, tho same old haphazard methods that have made the waterfront a home for all and sundry unemployed will still be the order of the day. ' - v QUEENSLAND ELECTIONS 1 . The outstanding feature of the Labour news from tho Commonwealth this week is the brilliant victory of the Labour party in Queensland A victory was expected, but an utter rout of the Liberals was beyond the most sanguine hopes. Probably # never in the history of the Commonwealth was an election more keenly fought. Labour was organised from inside and out. Western Australia, South Australia, and New South Wales sent Labour representatives to help pave the way for victory. Undoubtedly the increased cost of living in Queensland as compared with New South Wales (under a Labour Government) was a big factor in the fight. The farmers were also prominent in their conversion to Labour. Both the Premier (Mr. T. J. Ryan) and Mr. Theodore (the deputyLeader) are_ Australians, the former having been born in Victoria and the latter in ' .South, Australia. Altogether Labour won 26 more seats than were held at the last election. TASMANIA. - ' A by-election is to. take place shortly* in Tasmania, which will be vvatcbed 'with .considerable interest owing to the small majority held by the' Labour Government in office. The election to be contested will be for the Bass constituency, rendered vacant owing to the death of Mr Anderson. TRADES UNIONISTS. Since Judge Stringer has given it out that his private opinion is against "preference to Unionists," it is refreshing for a Labourite to read what Dr. Long, Bishop of Bathurst, had to say recently speaking to a body of young men. "The theory of, Rioardo and tho Manchester school of political economy that tho law of supply and demand left no room for trades unionism has been absolutely disproved. If it had not been for unionism nothing could have saved the working man. The latter had only his labour to sell,, and the only way to protect himself was by uniting. There was nothing in the simple annals of the poor to compare with the daring sacrifices of the splendidly heroic leaders of British trades unionism. He had the ' most tremendous admiiation for trades - unionism. He believed in it with all his j heart, and all his boul. and he believed 1 .that the person who did not was the most I ignorant person in politics and social economics th«t he had ever seen. The early apostles of trades unionism had been scoffed at. They were told that the laws of political economy were against them. They replied that they would be against political .economy. • The logic was on the side of the man who was laughed at. After years of being illegal, as it was supposed to be in restraint of trade, and after suffering its leaders to be imprisoned, and enduring obloquy, trades unionism had asserted itself, and the present generation has come into the first fruits^ of victory." "THE FIRST DOCKERS'" UNION BATTALION. Mobilisation of the dockers, to ba known as the Ist Dock Battalion Liverpool •Recriment, has already become an accomplished fact, and the men now go iibput their work in military uniforms. They will work in companies loading and unloading , Government supplies, and when" there is not sufficient military work available, they will turn to unload ing merchant vessels. The men will receive Army pay. with the- addition of 35s a week as oivil pay. making in all £2 2s a week. The scheme has the support both of the Dockers' Union and the shipowners, and there is no question whatever of using the . men as strikebreakers, for the men will work under Trade Union rules, and every man will enlist of his own free will. Every man. moreover, must be a member of the Dockers' Union; already 1000 men have joined the first battalion. All overtime worked is to be paid for If a man ceases to belong to the Dockers' Union he will be discharged from the battalion. Er>ch company is to consist of a sergeant, three corporals, and 114 rank and file. The sergeants of the first three companies to bo formed are the president, vicepresident, and another official of the union, two 'of whom have had military experience. TRADES UNIONISTS AND MUNITIONS. English Labour papers to hand recently are very bitter concerning the statements made regarding the alleged slackness of trades unionists and the excessive drinking going on. In the latest Labour Leader to hand they report that they have appointed a Special Commissioner to go to all the important industrial centres and get first-hand information. The places to bo visited will be Liverpool, the Clyde, Tyne, Barrow in Furness, Sheffield, Birmingham, etc." The principal exponent of the workers' slackness is Tho Timos, and workers throughout the Dominion will watch closely the results of the investigation made by the representative of a workers' paper.