THE LABOR MOVEMENT

Evening Star, Issue 19272, 10 June 1926, Page 14

THE LABOR MOVEMENT

[By Veteran.] Biid cont.-ibutions on matlr.ru with reterenca to ibe Labor Movement are invited. UNEMPLOYED. This is the usual time of the year when we hear that there are a number of willing workers who cannot line! employment. It was generally thought that when tiie Exhibition closed there would be a large number of unemployed in Dunedin. There tire certainly a number of men out of work at present, and I believe a goodly number are registering their names with MacMamxs, organiser for the- Laborers’ Union, and .a fow are applying to the Labor Department, but it does not seem to be much worse than it has been for the last lew years, excepting last year, when wo were preparing lor the opening of the Exhibition, and there were a larger number of both tradesmen and laborers at work in Dunedin than there wore in normal years. Notwithstanding the prophesied slump when the Exhibition closed, Dunedin does not seem to be in as bad a plight as some of tho northern centres. Take Auckland, for instance. “ Industrial Tramp,” writing in last Friday’s Auckland ‘ Star,’ says:—

“Each winter we are faced with the problem of finding work for the, workless, but the situation has not been so acute for many years past ns it is this winter. Auckland, for many winters, has been especially fortunate in the matter of largo contracts being prosecuted, both in road work and large buildings, so that the many workers Hocking from the country to the city have been absorbed with very little difficulty. But this had to come to a halt, and to these workeis has to be added a large number of new arrivals to the dominion, whose necessities have to be catered for. The general public has bad an uneasy fooling for weeks past that the situation was more pronounced than it has been for many years, but had no very clear idea ns to the number out of work. The Labor Department every week has published the number c-f unemployed registering at the Auckland office, usually between 100 and 200, but Trades Hall officials have expressed their opinions that this number did not represent onequarter of tho workers actually unemployed in tho city. Tho Prime Minister in replying to such, an interjection at the reception to the deputation from the unemployed, confidently assorted- ‘ We have our own means of ascertaining the figures,’ which clearly meant the Labor Department’s figures. The inadequacy of these figures have, this week, been proved to a demonstration, for, as soon as the public saw that there was to be a genuine attempt made to provide work for the workloss, and a large central committee set up, they rushed to register their needs, and the list jumped to 700 in one or two days, or, as tho report had it, 20 _ per hour signed on, and the Labor officials report the position as ‘ serious.’ This is what the Trades Hali officials have hold to be tho case weeks ago. The public bodies have now taken the matter in hand, and all those who want work will now have an opportunity of getting unemployment ” A committee has been sot up in Auckland, with tho mayor at its head. When the committee set up to .deal with tho unemployed problem mot last week at the offices of the Labor Department, Auckland, the list of unemployed showed the position to have varied little since Wednesday. Counting the list kept by tho Returned Soldiers’ Association, and 150 fitters, engineers, and , turners, the total mentioned was 1,009. Several men had been found employment, but tho position was still acute.

The Rev. Jasper Calder said lie thought til© Government should take steps to have the King Country cleared of ragwort. The land was just being ruined through being allowed to become over-grown with weeds. They had landless men and menless land, and he thought if the Government would put on parties of men to clear the land, the unemployed position would be eased considerably. Again thoro was land that could ho utilised for the production of vegetables. The Mayor: If we can get the necessary authority to borrow money without having to take a poll, I think we will he able to meet (ho position. The City Council could do with £160,000 straight away, and could then put on 150 men. The local bodies, if authority is given to borrow money, will all put works under way and provide employment for several hundreds. Mr Donaldson: There is plenty of work to he done. It is all a matter of £ s. d. Mr M. J. Coyle, a member of the City Council, -wrote stating that having noticed many poor persons wore in need of clothing, a ladies’ committee had been formed at Point Chevalier, and it was intended to make a complete canvass of, the district for clothing. . , The Mayor: That is a very good move, and if a canvass could be made of the city and suburbs on similar lines, I feel sure a big quantity of useful clothing would be collected. The Rev. Colder: I think that there are numbers of young men who would ho willing to go into the country to work, and undertake to stop thoro at least three months. It was stated that in many cases the men had not the necessary fare to take them to a job in the country, but the mayor pointed out that ho understood the Prime Minister was willing that the Labor Department should pay a man’s fare provided he signed an order on his wages till tho amount advanced was repaid. # * * * • INDUSTRIAL UNITY. I have more than once stated in this column that what was wrong with the Labor Movement in Now Zealand was the want of unity. We have too many organisations whose members seem to think theirs is tho only body that is working on tho right lines. A few years ago the miners on tho West Coast broke away from the Trade Councils’ Federation because they thought they could get better conditions of employment without tho aid of the Trades Council. The miners seem to have changed their opinion on that question, as this week 1 received a circular too long to publish iu these notes, but the following is au extract: — “By common consent tho condition of the New Zealand Trade Union Movement leaves much to bo desired. Disunity is the main characteristic of this condition, although there has existed, and still exists, a body of opinion which is emphatically in favor of unity, there nas been no tangible achievement so far within the trades unions to unify them. “The United Aline Workers’ Union of New Zealand is keenly conscious of this fundamental weakness of trades unionism in New Zealand, and, perhaps, in the past has not doiie all that might have, been done to expedite the unity process, and so eliminate this weakness. However, the National Council of tho United Aline Workers, in conference on March 17, 1926, decided to endeavour to end the isolation in which the miners found themselves, by taking steps to circularise all the trade unions in New Zealand, with the objective in view towards a unifying effort for tho trade movement as a whole.

“The path towards unity is hoset with grave and serious difficulties that require tact and patience to overcome. But the task must be faced, no matter what the difficulties are. The position of the movement is far more important that any section thereof, and nothing should he allowed to prevent or deter any action towards a unifyimz an-

deavour. The National Council, therefore, sends an invitation to an open conference or New Zealand trade unions and industrial organisations.” The time and place where the proposed conference is to bo held is left vacant. Several matters to bo discussed are also set out as follows: “ (1) Conference to go on record as recognising the need for a central expression, together with' an organisation for all the New Zealand trade unions, and considers the emergencies qf all intelligent unionists should be directed towards the fulfilment of such an aim. (a) Immediate tasks for achieving this are:—The election of a general council, provisional, if necessary, until a later conference might review such election. The council to be as far as passible representative of the main opinions or tendencies within the conference. The of the General Council to bo;—-(b) The dissemination of all vital information, national and international, among the trade unions of New Zealand. (c) To act in a consultative capacity to unions engaged in industrial disputes, but if such disputes are of a national or semi-national character, then the council to have two delegates on tho Strike Disputes Committee, with executive vote, (d) Tho council as a whole to exorcise purely consultative and advisory powers, unless specially asked by unions concerned to take over control of dispute. (e) (1) Tho members composing the General Council and its officials to be determined by conference. (2) As the trade union movement of New Zealand is going to have a formative period, it is essential to have a form of.unity possessing elasticity and permitting ample scope for international development.’ The circular is signed on behalf of the United Mine Workers by E. Lock (president) and H. L. Evans (secretary). It seems that the subject of closer unity is also becoming a Jive question in Auckland, as is shown by the following extract from the Labor column in last Friday's Auckland ‘ Star ’:—

In order to discuss the question of industrial unity, a special meeting of the Auckland Trades and Labor Council was held, at which were also present the district council of the Alliance of Labor. The meeting was called in response to a suggestion from the lastnamed organisation to give delegates of both bodies an opportunity to consider the question. There was a good attendance, and quite an interesting debate took place by speakers on both sides. Tho following resolution was carried :

“ That it is the opinion of this joint meeting of the Trades and Labor Council and the district council of the Alliance of Labor that the most urgent economic need of tho workers to-day is complete unity, and urges the federation executives of both organisations to speed up their endeavors to arrange a basis upon which such complete industrial unity can be achieved. And further, that until a national basis of unity is arrived at, wo favor the formation of a district general council, composed of representatives of both bodies, whose duty it will be to further tho gospel of industrial unity amongst the rank and file of the unions.” The general tone of tho speakers indicated dissatisfaction at lengthy efforts that are being made by the federation executives of both organisations, in arriving at a national basis for industrial unity in organisation, as it is months ago since this duty was remitted to them for carrying out. The opinion was also expressed that if some settlement is not soon arrived at, tho rank and file of both organisations will take action on their own account, and independent of their respective executives.