THE LABOR MOVEMENT

Evening Star, Issue 18031, 27 July 1922, Page 7

THE LABOR MOVEMENT

(By Veter ax.]

Brief contributions on matters with reference Labor Movement are invited.

THE FARMERS’ UNIOX AND PREFERENCE.

I noticed in Wednesday’s paper that Mr W. J. Poison is having another dig at preference to unionists, and says it is one of the anomalies in the Labor laws that must be removed—“that it is responsible for tho major portion of the. high prices; that it is a system by which a combination of individuals in any trade or industry is enabled to keep out others.” Air Poison, as president of the Dominion Farmers’ Union, must bo a fairly well read man, and must bo supposed to have read something on the question of preference to unionists-. If so he must know that trade unions cannot keep out competent journeymen who are anxious to participate in tho advantages of that trade or industry. In fact, under the awards of tho Arbitration Court it is impossible for a union to become a close corporation. Tho preference clause provides that the’entrance fee shall not exceed 5s and the weekly contributions shall not exceed 6d per week, and competent tradesmen must be admitted without, ballot or other election. When the rules of tho union comply with these conditions “ then and thereafter employers shall employ members of the union in preference to non-members, provided that there arc members of tho union equally qualified with, non-members to perform tho particular work required to bo done, and ready and willing to undertake it. It would not bo difficult for Air Poison to show where those conditions are to the detriment of the rest of the community. I do not know anything about the conditions of membership in the Farmers’ Union, hut I fancy tho members’ contributions will not ho less than Gd per week. I take it that they aro banded together to look after their own interests and keep up the prices of what they produce. I take it that Air Poison' would condemn “compulsory unionism ” in even stronger terms than ho condemns preference to unionists. But when wo turn to his remarks on the “Alont Pool” we find that ho is strongly in favor of compulsion. In his address to tiio conference he says: “Gentlemen, everything depends upon compulsion ” ; and further on ho says; “1 am bound to say that nothing short of compulsion applied at tho earliest possible moment will satisfy tho producers of this country.” Surely if compulsion will ho beneficial to ' the farmers’ unions there cannot bo much harm in the workers having similar protection in connection with their conditions cf labor. .* * * * TRAMWAY OFFICERS’ ASSOCIATION. Auckland, like Dunedin, has an association called tho Tramway Officers’ Association, and recently that association applied under the provisions of the Labor Disputes Act for a new agreement; but, the dispute never reached a Labor Disputes Committee, as a complete agreement was arrived at at a preliminary conference. Tho agreement was signed last week, and will be filed with the clerk of awards. At tho outset the representatives of •the Auckland City Council laid their cards on tho table, and declared that, in view of the agreement recently arrived at by the council and the Tramway Employees’ Union, in which a reduction of 14d per hour based on a 48-hour week was decided by tho chairman of tho Labor Disputes Committee (Professor Segar), they wore unable to offer any other terms to the Officers’ Association, with regard to wages, than tho samp proportion of reduction—viz., 5s per week. The other clauses of the old agreement they were, prepared to agree "to, unless it could he shown that a variation was fair and reasonable. After argument, several clauses were altered, to tho benolit of the officers concerned.

In the overhead section the _ old agreement provided for a day of eight hours being worked on Saturdays, but this has now been altered to read; “Saturdays, 7 a.in. to 12 noon,” thus giving the afternoon off. Another advantage over tho old agreement is in the case of depot foremen, who will now have a Sunday off in every four weeks instead of in every seven weeks.

The new agreement was_ discussed very fully at a special meeting of the association, and, while tho members thought “ there was much to bo desired/’ the general feeling was that, in view of the reduction of tho bonus by the court and the men’s experience in having tho reduction carried against them by tho Segar decision, and the small reduction in the cost of living, it was the best result attainable.

« « e « ADVICE TO WORKERS

Last week I gave some extracts from an open letter in an English exchange. Here is another from the samo source:—

“Yon must have bread and butter while* you are waiting for the millennium. Few, if any of us, will ever see the earthly millennium; hut we have* our lives to live, and would make it the business of the unions to see that conditions during our lifetime are made as tolerable as possible, even if I thought an industrial revolution a desirable thing. Of one thing I. _am certain: if a change comes, if Capitalism is over abolished and Socialism established, it will he by the slow process of evolution; and if new State is to bo a success when it comes, it will be because the workers are educated, industrious, sober-minded, self-respecting, altruistic men and women. Until then we ought to pray to stay as wo are. Well, the tide is again on. the turn. What are you going to do ? Aio you going lo be practical and accept the corning boon, nr arc you going to kick over the traces and upset the cart once more? On your answer much depends as regards tbo arrival, the volume, and the duration of the expected revival. My advice to you, rny friends, is take your coats off, put your- backs into your jobs as you used to do, win back the confidence of your fellow-citizens, and thank God that Britain stands whore she does—free from war, famine and pestilence, and ready, if yon arc, to enter upon a new and perhaps marvellous era of prosperity and of expansion in all the arts and sciences of peace. I do not ask you to give up your political ideal, hut to make the host of the present, while at the same time, if you like, working for a bettor future.”

Hr $ Hr FREEZING WORKS STRIKE. It would scorn that tlio freezing workers are beginning to realise that they have made a mistake by downing tools without giving sufficient thought to the matten. Whether tho bonus reduction was -justifiable or not, they ought to have remembered that they wore only placed in the same position as all others who were working under awards of the Arbitration Court, and that if there was particular hardship in their case (or that of any other union) tho court had intimated its willingness to hear them on tho .matter. It must 1m admitted that sufficient consideration was not given to the matter before entering on what has proved to ho a disastrous strike. I notice that tho Freezing Works and Related Tracies Association is appealing to all unions to assist them financially, hut some of the unions, while they would like to alleviate distress, aro considering how far they would be justified in aiding and abetting an illegal strike. » * «■ * ARBITRATION IN AUSTRALIA. “Whatever faith wo had in the Arbitration Court prior to- tho engi-

neers’ and other awards has entirely gone by the board,” was tho comment made by Alr_ R. O’Halioran, president of the Victorian Iron Trades Council, in Melbourne recently, in renewing recent decisions of the court. “There seems.” ho said, “ to ho a growing fooling that tho court will in tho future he very unpopular. “Tho inability of the court to make a common rule and tho groat expens < incurred in obtaining an award, :■ getlior with the difficulty of retain it when it is obtained and the ve;

tious delays in getting before i court, have killed its usefulness, 3 unsatisfactory and inadequate in l’n tioa on'which tho cost-of-living T;;: aro calculated has also helped to d stroy in a great measure the ’foe ■ that tho workers onco entertained ; regard to the efficacy of indusm ; courts to improve tho relations between Capital and Labor. The whole .system requires to be put in the melting pot aud recast, and tho sooner that is done tho better.”