WORK AND WAGES.

Evening Star, Issue 14784, 27 January 1912, Page 5

WORK AND WAGES.

A LABOR XEWSPAPER. THE RIGHT TO STRIKE. Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. LOXDOX, January 26. The Birmingham Labor Conference decided to vote £6,000 per annum, to which extent the payment of members of Parliament had relieved the Labor party, towards the cost of the projected Labor newspaper. Resolutions were carried in favor of the right to strike, and condemning the employment of the military in connection with strikes. All trade unions are advised to defy the law, and to continue paying from their funds towards the cost of the party's parliamentary candidates, until the Osborne judgment i.s reversed. BRITISH MINERS' TROUBLE. LOXDOX, January 26. (Received January 27, at 10.25 a.m.) The sub-committee of mine owners and of the miners sat for three days in London endeavoring to find a basis of settlement on the minimum wage problem. It is understood that a settlement was agreed upon, subject to confirmation by the principals. THE BIRMINGHAM CONFERENCE. LOXDOX, January 26. (Received January 27, at 10.25 a.m.) The Birmingham Conference demanded an amendment of tho Insurance Act on tho groimd that the contributions are unjustly heavy, and that the Bill will injure trade unions. The Conference also condemned the foreign policy of the Government, the increase of armaments, and militarism, while they favored an inquiry as to how far a general strike in the countries coi'.csrned would tend to avert war. The Cont'dence urged the establishment of the right-to-work principle, in order that any reduction of armaments should not involve unnecessary hardships on the workers. The miners' delegates opposed a suffrage resolution on the ground that they did not intend to refuse manhood sull'rage merely because women's suffrage was not included. The miners were defeated by 919,000 votes to 686,000. There were several dramatic scenes. WILLING TO RETURN. LONDON, January 26. (Received January 27, at 8 a.m.) The Great Northern Railway Company's carters are willing to resume work, provided that their comrade's case is submitted to arbitration. BRISBANE TRAMWAYS. BRISBANE, January 26. Many unions have appointed delegates to a conference to be held on Sunday to discuss the tram strike, with power to vote for a general strike if it is considered expedient. (Received January 27, at 8.50 a.m.) A serious extension of the strike is feared as a result of Sunday's conference. A LABOR CONFERENCE. NO PRESSMEN NEED APPLY. SYDNEY, January 26. The annual Political Labor League Conference was opened to day. Press representatives being excluded. In his opening speech the president said that the agenda paper was unlikely to give much trouble, as it dealt chiefly with sane subjects. HOW TO STOP STRIKES. LET THE WIVES .BE HEARD. HOBART, January 26. (Received January 27, at 9.40 a.m.) At the Liberal Women's Conference a delegate, referring to the injustice of giving preference to .unionists, said that she would like to see a secret- ballot taken of the wives of workers before, a strike was ordered. That, she asserted, would stop it on the spot. WESTRALIAN RAILWAY STRIKE. PERTH, January 27. (Received January 27, at 9.40 a.m.) As a result of the engineers' strike 200 casual hands at the railway workshops have been paid off. The navvies' strike has collapsed. WELLINGTON HARBOR STEAMERS. [Pur United Press Association.] WELLINGTON. January 27. It is expected that the terms of the agreement between the Harbor ferries Company and the employees will cost, the company an additional £BOO per annum. THE SEAMEN'S UNION AND ARBITRATION". Mr W. Belcher, in the course of an interview with a representative of the Wellington 'Post' yesterday, said: "In all probability we shall never again invoke the aid of the Arbitration Court. This conclusion has been b:ought about by stern experience. The seamen of Xew Zealand have been before the Arbitration Court since 1904, when the Act cune into

operation. . . . We have every deshe to observe the laws of the country, and we also desire to observe the rules of arbitration ; but again from experience we find, notwithstanding the weight of evidence in regaid to their conditions (both at se-i and in harbor), that they have received little or no recognition fr.im the Court. It is beyond doubt that a majority of the unions in New Zealand, while they have been, pethaps, nurtured info existence by the operation of the Act, are now beginning to feel their feet. They a:c beginning to realL-e the power that they have at their command, and they are not going to allow a Judge or any other individual to dominate their interests. We have it on record that the President of the Arbitration Court, who holds in the hollow of bis hand tho destinies ot the industrial worker, has said emphatically and categorically that he cannot ste his wav clear to improve industrial conditions or tihe wages of the worker. When the most important tribunal there is ;n the world, vosted with powers that no other tribunal can exercise, says that the limit has been reached with regard to indusUi.il matters, and when the workers find that they have not derived any advantages from this tribunal, then, in my opinion, it is about time that thLs expensive paraphernalia, should be 'turned down,' and that the workers should rely on their f tror.g right hand to compel the employers to g've fair and reasonable conditions to those who do their work. Wliat we have gained by what is known in the Old Countiy as collective bargaining is the fact that the seamen of New Zealand have secured the preference clause, which has always tern denied us by the Arbitration Court. We have also secured an eight-hour day for the seamen of New Zealand, who hitherto have had to work any hours out of the 24 imposed upon them by the employers."

WELLINGTON TRAMWAY HANDS. The counting of the secret ballot, whieh was ordered in consequence of the retention of Inspector Fuller by the Wellington Corporation, shows that 275 favored a strike and 66 were against, with 9 informal votes. About 70 members refrained fiorn voting.