THE LABOR MOVEMENT

Evening Star, Issue 16992, 14 March 1919, Page 2

THE LABOR MOVEMENT

[By Veteran.]

Brief contributions on matters with referince to the Labor Movement are invited.

IMPORTANT ARBITRATION COURT DECISION.

In the War Legislation Amendment Act, 1918, power is given to the Arbitration Court, on the'application of any party to an award or industrial agreement, to amend the award or agreement so far as hours and wages are concerned. In fact, section 16 of the Act directs that in any application coming before it under this section the Court is directed to take into consideration : #(a) Any alteration since the date of the award or agreement in the conditions affecting the industry or industries to which such award or agreement relates; and (b) any increase since the date of the award or agreement in the Cost of Living affecting the workers or any class of workers engaged in such industry or industries; and if, having regard to these and other relevant considerations, the Court are of opinion that it is just and equitable to amend the award or agreement, they are directed to amend the same accordingly. Recently the Iron and Brassmouldcrs’, Coachbuilders’. and Plumbers’ Unions made application tor increases in their respective rates of wages. Mr M. J. Reardon, who appeared for the two first-named unions, stated that the applications were made under section 16 of the War Legislation Amendment Act, 1918, and he submitted that the responsibility was thrust upon the .Court of granting such increases of wages ns would meet the increased Cost of Living since the last award was made. In some legislation dealing with the Court’s powers the word “may” was used, but in this case the section read the Court “shall” take into consideration the Cost of Living. So long as the other side could not show that an increase of wages would be detrimental to the community it was the duty of the Court to grant the increases as'~ed for, to cover the higher Cost of Living. Mr Malcolm Fraser, Government Statistician, said that certain questions had been submitted to him by Mr Reardon concerning the increased Cost of Living since the last award was made in regard to certain unions. He stated that the Cost of Living was arrived at by apportioning the housewife’s expenditure, and the percentage of this was as follows: —Food 34 per cent., housing 20 per cent., lighting 5 per cent., clothes 13 per cent., and miscellaneous 28 per cent. Ho analysed on this basis a prewar wage of £3 6s for ooachworkcrs, and stated what amounts were required _ to equal tho amounts to-day, the total being about £4 4s 3d. After reading tho text of the judgment, which v/as published in the columns of tho 1 Star,’ it is evident that the members of tho Arbitration Court, along with the rest of the community, realise that tho Government and the Board of Trade have failed to deal in a practical manner with the question of the Cost of Living. But the Board of Trade are powerless—they are not allowed to fix prices; they can only make recommendations to the Government, and tho Government decide whether their recommendations shall be adopted or not. Mostly they are not adopted. If the Board' of Trade had been given executive powers it is quite possible that the Cost of Living would not have risen nearly so much as it has done, especially in the case of those necessaries of life that are produced in tho Dominion. If the Government had made sure when prices were fixed that no one was allowed to charge higher prices, things might have been different. Mr Massey is fond of Boasting that the Government fixed the price of sugar so that it would not go above 3d per lb, yet most people are paying more for it. Then take_ wheat. The Government have from time to time fixed the price per bushel, up to, say, 6s lOd per bushel, yet the working man who keeps a few fowls has had to pay up to 8s 6d per bushel for very inferior wheat. There are many other instances of the same kind, yet no prosecutions for overcharging have taken place, simply because the Government are indifferent as to what the workers have to pay for the necessaries of life. ******* A LIVING WAGE FOR WOMEN. A fortnight ago I drew attention to the rates of wages awarded to certain women workers in Canada. This week I am able to give some particulars about Australia. The New South Wales Board of Trade have fixed a living wage for women workers, and raised a hornet’s nest about their ears (says an exchange). The wage fixed is 50s per week. In the words of Mr Justice Heydon (President of the board) : “ The first thing which wo had to do was to define clearly the subject of the inquiry. By section 79 (2) of tho Act the living wage which we declared is the lowest which can be thereafter awarded. It ia, therefore, the absolute minimum for all adult female workers who are not declared to be slow workers. It is not limited upwards ; the Court can give as much more (within a very wide limit) as it thinks proper, and can make all necessary inquiries for that purpose. But it cannot go below our declaration. It seems to us to follow indisputably from this that the class which we have to consider in the humblest of all—the class corresponding to that for which, amongst men, the, living wage has been declared.” The decision has been very strongly condemned. Indeed, the board have been declared to be useless as a means of placing industrial workers on a decent footing. One criticism of the board—a criticism with weight and reason behind it—was that it was composed wholly of men. There certainly is something incongruous, if not unseemly, in a body of men publicly discussing the cost of and necessity for women’s clothing—how many pence should be allowed for this and that. “ These men,” stated one woman worker, in criticism of the finding, “ distinctly stated that they knew nothing about women’s garments, and fancy the unfairness of their decision when they know nothing about what they have to base their judgment on! The members did not even know what a camisole was. And what do men know about the cost of women’s stockings? Yet all this counts in the board’s estimate of how much it takes an adult female worker to live upon. How far does 50s go? If a girl is living away from home she has to pay at least from 17s 6d to £1 for board and lodging. She often pays 2s to 3s a week to travel to business. Then something for laundry, lodge fees—some pay 13s 6d a quarter, winch gives them medical attendance' —• and on top of that she has to dress decently.” ******** LABOR AND BOLSHEVISM. Commenting on the British elections in December last, the Glasgow ‘ Weekly Herald’ says:—Of all the Labor members and associates of the Coalition Mr Barnes is the only one who has chosen to put patriotism before party and stick to the Government, and even ho admits that his severance from his old party was scarcely a matter of choice, but forced on him by Labor’s introduction of a Bolshevist candidate, in tho person of Mr John M‘Lean, to oppose him in the Gorbals Division of Glasgow. The fact is that Bolshevism seems to have got hold of the Labor party machine, and to bo running it solely in its own interests. Glasgow is no exception to the rule. Numerically, trade unionists are strong enough to control tho situation, but for some unexplained reason the Independent Labor party and the British Socialist party have secured the spoils. While the trade unionists contribute 1,858,178 members to the party against the Socialists’ 31,236, yet out of the 12 Labor candidates adopted in the Glasgow Divisions no fewer than seven are put forward by tho Independent Labor party, while two are no'jfnces of the British 'Socialist party, making nine Socialist candidates out of the 12 selected. Ag- | grieved trade unionists, of course, have the i remedy in their own hands. They cannot | secure the withdrawal of the objectionable candidates, but they can secure their rejection on polling day. ******* AMERICAN LABOR AND CONSCRIPTION. * Resolutions antagonistic to “ military training for preparedness” met opposition when offered for adoption by the annual •

convention of the Illinois States Federation of Labor. They were withdrawn, and others substituted which were unopposed, “ even by the Socialists,” says the * Chicago Tribune,’ “ for the temper of the convention was too plainly evident to make a fight on it profitable." After reciting that “ all forms of military training are objectionable to trades unionists in time of peace ”; that the entire world demands the uprooting of militarism, as matters Of abstract principle; and expressing the hope that the Peace Conference may bring about general disarmament, the resolution endorses the idea of the League of Nations, and favors the establishment of such military training as is necessary for the national welfare, “ under the direct supervision of State military boards upon which Labor will have adequate representation, with the end in view that such military machinery bo nc/ used as a strikebreaking agency in any manner detrimental to the interests of the democratic commonwealth.”