LINES ABOUT LABOR.

Evening Star, Issue 14116, 20 July 1909, Page 2

LINES ABOUT LABOR.

£i- [Secretaries-of union? and other* are in|;swd to forward .notes on matters.of general 'v; interest. for; tins column. Correspondence, ", addressed op to Saturday, at noon, to Worker?” care of ‘Star’ Office, will ba ’•rcceired and given every consideration.] -TO CORRESPONDENTS. t - Srs Enuna M’Garthy.—Many thanks. I ' ■ have included your clipping in this week's '-'notes. ■ ’ ■ * » *r < ” DISSENSION. The of the -rbrker in this gbin concrete force and expresson throng!, the channels of the various Trades and Labor Councils, and there being' no distinct Labor party in Parliament, these Councils serve the purpose of . directing and safeguarding the interests of i the workers through those legieslators who are of the people and with the people. These organisations do not receive from unionists that appreciation which is their due. Indifference seems to he a characteristic of the general public in most things, gpd thereby the community suffers many grievances. Those that see the evils of : modern civilisation and have some conception of their solution, are hampered by lack of support. When dissension shows itself, ingratitude is in company. Labor circles in Christchurch are unsettled, and we learn that some unions are to withdraw their support from the Trades and Labor Council. Whatever be the differences that exist, the method of withdrawal is of poor spirit, and will have no good result, “Divisions in a State,’’ says Sir Arthur Helps, “ are a necessary consequent of freedom; and the practical question is not to dispense with party, but to make the most good of it. The contest . must- exist; but it may have something of generosity it it.” The unions in Christchurch would do much better by sending their delegates to give strong expression to their views, and to see that the Labor movement was properly directed from within. The Otago Trades and Labor Council may serve as an example. In this body the militant political aspect is relegated to a separate organisation, and members of the Council, although of divergent political views, can meet in harmony to advance the cause of humanity. The Council here exhibit an influence from thtiw composing it. To quote Helps again : “ A good man will show the earnestness of his attachment to his party by his endeavor to elevate its character.” It ■ the objects guiding the Trades-Councils we look to. Is it not the advancement of humanity in social well-being and me expansion, of the brotherhood of man? r®-o IS lile basic principle, and the spirit af ill-constructed reasoning only hinders the useful work. Out of evil cometh good, and the Obstructive tactics I have commented on mav be a blessing in disguise. ' ■ ******* INSURANCE AGAINST UNEMPLOYMENT. The British Royal Commission on the Pcor t»aws, as a result of their investiga.Gone, laid down these broad principles: . 1. That the establishment and promotion of unemployment insurance, especially amongst unskilled and unorganised labor, is of paramount importance in averting the distress arising .from tmemployxnent. 2. That the attainment of this object is of such national importance as to justify, under specified conditions, contributions from public funds towards its furtherance, 3. That this form of insurance can best be promoted by utilising the agency of existing trade organisations, or of organisations of a similar character which may be brought into existence. Mr Winston Churchill, in the House of Commons, recently outlined the poliev of the Government in regard to this importmt question, and his scheme is based upon she findings of the above Commission. Undoubtedly insurance against unemplovment. is a sane proposition, and has had practical application in Denmark, for in- . stance. V he Commissioners gave prominence in their report to the Ghent system. By this system the State adds a* fixed imount to the benefit actually paid to an unemployed workman. There are various schemes hi operation in Continental countries, which should receive attention here, and probably the Swiss system will commend itself to Labor leaders. Some attention may be given to this question at the forthcoming congress of Trades Councils, for it is certain that action will have to be taken on the lines outlined. ♦ -3C- .g. CURRENT TOPICS. The Hon-. Mr J. C. Watson, lately leader af the Australian Labor party, and now on a visit tc England, is a self-made man. Bom in \ alparaiso, educated in New Zealand, he began life as a compositor, to 1904 he was Premier of Australia. He only lorfy-two years of age. ******* Representatives of the Chamber of Manufacturers and the Trades Hall Coun- . hi. Melbourne, have been investigating the question of apprenticeship. The Commission submitted a report to the Government, but as no action has been taken in the matter the following notice of motion has been summitted to the Government:— ' That, in view of the unsatisfactory conditions of industrial education of child labor throughout the State, and the urgent necessity for a proper system of apprenticeship in the various industries, this House is of opinion that the unanimous recommendation of the Apprenticeship Conference necessitates action on the part of the Government during the present session of Parliament.” " ******* Mr W.. T. Young, who is secretary of the Wellington Tramways Union, and also secretary of federated body, has announced his J resignation, to take effect at end of this year. Mr loung will give undivided attention to the Seamen’s Union, with which he has been so long associated. ******* After a detention of forty- two days on the steamship Waipoii, James Connor, fireman, was permitted to land in New Zealand on July 3, but not before the Seamen's Union officials had interviewed the Minister of Customs, Minister of Health. Secretary of Customs, and other heads of departments, and as a result Connor is now at Lyttelton, where he will be able to procure necessary medical attention. This case has forcibly brought home to the Seamens Union the danger surrounding every man._ from the skipper to the .boy, on every New Zealand-owned intercolonial trader, seeing that under the provisions of the Immigration Restriction Act he is barred from landing in New Zealand if he incurs a contagious disease while in such ship. Yet it is within the bounds of possibility that such man might be married, with his family resident in the Dominion, and the ass of a law says to him; “Ton are a restricted personj and must get out of the country without deiav. You Bay take your family with you if you rhoose, but don’t yon dare to'shove vonr aoae over the gangway.” The union' has the matter in hand, and as soon as the parliamentary doormat is once again in position wQJ immediately ask foranamendment' to the Act, so as to safeguard the crew of each New Zealand-owned intercolonial vessel.—Exchange. ******* Self-help is the essence of the trade union movement in this country. The working dosses have relied hitherto not on wild revolutionary agitation, nor on the ;.t i

patemal help of the State, hut on sectoring that unity .and - solidarity ■ among themselves which- have enabledLthem to present then-demands to their employers with ir--1 resistible strength.’ They" have *of course, r made mistakes, and sometimes failed, but they have always approached their task in a more practical .spirit 'than, their brothers in Paris' have recently bpeh doing. Our unions have not", indeed, neglected the' political aspect of their movement, for it ; is from them that 'the. Labor pajty baa : sprung and i$ supported. ‘The strength and vitality of trade unionism is illustrated by the growth in its membership, which, according to the latest return of 1 the Board of Trade., increased by half a million in the three years from 1904 to 1907.—Exchange. - ■■ * * * * . * * 1 * THE PROTEST. Said the great machine of iron and weed: “ Lo, I am a creature meant for good ; But the criminal clutch of godless greed Has made me a monster that scatters need And want and hunger wherever I go. I would lift men’s burdens and lighten their woe. I would give them leisure to laugh in the sun. If owned ’ey the Many instead of the one. If owned by the people, .the whole wide earth Should learn my purpose and know my worth ; I would riose the chasm that yawns in our soil ’Twixt unearned riches and ill-paid toil; No man should hunger, and no man labor To fill the puise of an idle neighbor; And each man should know when his work was done ■ Were I shared by the Many, not owned by one. I am forced by the few, with their greed for gain. To forge tor the many new links of pain; Yet this is my purpose, and ever wilt be: To set the slaves of the workshop free. God hasten the day when, overjoyed. That desperate host of the unemployed Shall hear my message and understand, And hail me friend in an opulent land. Ella Wheeler Wilcox.