THE LABOR MOVEMENT

Evening Star, Issue 19839, 12 April 1928, Page 14

THE LABOR MOVEMENT

[By Veteran.] Brief contributions on matters with reference to the, Labor Movement are invited. UNEMPLOYMENT. Tins is a, subject that is exercising the minds of leading men in most countries.. in New Soutn Wales the Cabinet decided to call a conference of parties interested in unemployment, with the object of ascertaining its, cause and seeking a solution of the problem. Invitations were issued to unions and representative bodies \o send delegates to the proposed conference'. Mr Bavin, the Premier of that State, thought that the conference might, as far as possible, try to find out th'e reasons for unemployment and consider methods for relieving it. Ho said that the present methods of. expending small sums of money in giving immediate relief, although necessary, would not offer any permanent solution of the problem. It was proposed to hold a conference for the purpose of dealing with the question in a more comprehensive and scientific way. Mr Garden, on behalf of the Labor Council, said tliat the unions would attend the conference provided their right to select their own representatives was not interfered with. Something should bo done, as there was more unemployment now than ever before. Much could be done to alleviate unemployment, and the sooner a start was made the better. But here, again, party politics came in, as Mr Lang, late Premier, now leader of the Labor Party, at the outset said this appeared to be merely a confession that the Ministry was unable to deal with the most vital and urgent problem confronting the Government. It seemed to be taking fright at the position it had created, and was attempting to shelter its incompetence behind a conference of cmplayers and employees. That showed how much benefit the unemployed could look for from Parliament when there was such a feeling displayed by the opposing parties. Unemployment is a question on winall parties should lay aside their petty jealousies, and endeavord to work together, not only to decrease unemployment, but to make things better for all classes ot the community; and until something of this kind is done we will still have unemployment, and the consequent suffering of all classes of the community. Things seem to be improving, and if everyone will do his best and remember that it is by helping each other to get on that wo may bring about better conditions for everybody, things will improve. From the Trades Hall, Auckland, went congratulations to Mr D. G. Coleman. on his election at a by-election to the Mayoralty of Gisborne. He has been prominent in Labor politics at Gisborne for years past, and is well known throughout the dominion. He is also very active in the work of the Salvation Army in the- F.nst Coast township. He stood for the mayoralty at the municipal elections of last year, tint was beaten by the late mayor, the votes being; Armstrong 2,-146, Coleman 1,672. It°was a triple'contest for the mayoralty this week, and Labor won. At the last parliamentary election in 1925, Mr Coleman also contested the Gisborne seat against Air Lysnar, the sitting member, securing 2,772 votes against 4,353 obtained’ by Air Lvsnnr. Speakinf with a Gisborne business man, he gave bis opinion that Mr Coleman will do a lot of good in bis ndininistratn c work as mavor, but will not have much chance ot doing much in the council, for, like Mr Rogers, Alayor- of .Wanfanui. he is the only-Labor man, in the council. His councillors arc all; cither lawyers or business men; still it is a step in the march of progress.-- industrial Tramp,” Auckland 1 Star. * * * » HOP PICKING CONDITIONS. The A.W.U. is making a gallant bid to improve matters for the workers employed in the hop producing industry Organisers are now at i\oin among them, and the growers arc cited in the Arbitration Court, it is doubtful if there is any other industry m the Commonwealth that is carried on under such deplorable conditions, especially during the harvest time. At the peep of dawn mothers, with little toddlers trudging beside them and with babies in arras and in go carts, can be seen wending their way to the. plantations to pick the hops. Ihey toil through the long weary hours of heat or cold according to the mood of this island State’s quickly-changing climatic conditions, and it is common to see them returning to the camps in the deepening shadows of the evening, and even when the stars arc twinkling. The huts which are provided for thenaccommodation are in many instances an outrage on our mneh-vaunted standard of civilisation. Alen and women and boys and girls arc housed in cubicles with a deplorable disregard in the matter of segregation. The piece rate for picking the hops is 7s per 1001 b, and it is certain that the average picker throughout the average crop cannot pick 1001 bof hops in eight hours. Alen with families who are employed on wages are paid as low as £2 per week, plus perquisites that are not worth mentioning. Growers complain that they are having a bad time owing to the depressed state of the industry. That may or may not be correct. However, it is certain that someone or other is mak--ing considerable profit from bops. Another aspect of the matter is that during the palipy days of the industry —and it lias had more than one palmy day—the conditions of the workers in the industry wore similar to what they are at present. Another deplorable incident connected with the harvest in this industry is the closing of the State and other primary schools for about loinweeks.

If the A.W.U. is successful in bringing about conditions for the workers in this industry that are compatible with Australian ideals and sentiments it will have made a “red letter” place in industrial history.—‘ Australian Journal.’

* * * * NO REDUCTION IN HOURS. TIMBER WORKERS’ REQUEST IS REFUSED. ‘Tlic application of the Timbers Workers’ Union for forty-four hours for all branches of the industry was refused by the Full Bench of the Federal Arbitration Court in Melbourne recently. The decision was a unanimous one. Giving judgment, Chief Judge Dethridge said that employers had stressed the 'depressed condition of tho industry as tho effects of overseas competition. There had been a recent increase in the tariff, and this should relieve the industry. It was desirable, however, that the effect of the new tariff should be seen. He had therefore decided not to alter the hours worked for the next twelve months, and adjourned the hearing until February 18, 1929. * * * * JUDGE WON’T ALLOW STOPWORK MEETING. • In the Federal Arbitration Court, sitting at Perth, Judge Bceby refused to agree to a suggestion from the president of the Sydney branch _ of the Waterside Workers’ Federation that the court should sanction a stop-work meeting. Shortly after the court mot Mr Morris (general secretary), who is appearing, for-the federation, said ho had received the following telegram from tho president of the Sydney branch: — “ Faction fight becoming more serious, with great possibilities.’ Suggest you make application to the court for a stop-work ■ meeting on Wednesday next.” Air Morns said ho did not know who was pushing the men, who

used to belong to tho Permanent and Casual Union, but it appeared they were trying to force the union to break its pledge to the court. He thought they were taking advantage of the illness of the secretary (Mr Seale) to start trouble. Judge Beeby said tlio court was not concerned with tlio internal fights of the union, and if the men wanted to break tho constitution they would have to bo punished or expelled. He would not allow the holding up of work at Sydney for half a day, and if the union could not control its internal machinery more intelligently it would have to take tho consequences. n * ♦ ♦ UNION CONTROL. A.R.U. MAKES CHANGE. 'The conference of the New South Wales State branch of the Australian Railways Union decided the other day to make a change in the constitution of the Management Committee of the union. Under the Oid system representation on the committee was given on a district basis. This will bo superseded by group representation. Representation will be according to the classification of tho trades. A State Council of eighteen members is provided for, composed of three members from each of the traffic, permanent 1 way, and engineering groups in the country, and on a similar basis in the metropolitan area. ♦ * DEMANDS BY LABOR. Representatives of the Canadian Trades and Labor Congress Lav© presented a list of remedial legislative proposals to the Provincial Cabinet. The list include old-age pensions for the province of Ottawa. Under an Act, passed by the dominion Parliament a province niay adopt the, old-age pension law and the dominion will pay one-half of the expense. The old-age pension law operates in British Columbia,. and Manitoba has signified its intention of passing such a law. The trade unionists also urged an Unemployment Insurance Act. The dominion Government has denied responsibility for this relief in the past. « * * • FOUR MILLION UNEMPLOYED. That there are no less than four million unemployed workeis in the United States to-day is .the estimate of the Labor Bureau, - Inc., based on unemployment statistics of the most important industries. This is only one million unemployed less than the country bnd’dnring the industrial depression of the post-war, deflation period, at which ;time the fact that there were five million unemployed startled the country.