THE LABOUR MOVEMENT

Evening Star, Issue 21036, 25 February 1932, Page 14

THE LABOUR MOVEMENT

[By J.S.S.]

Brief contributions on matters with reference to the Labour Movement are invited. ELASTICITY OF AWARDS. Replying to the objection that awards are nob sufficiently elastic to accommodate the constantly changing needs of industry, the Otago Labour Council refuses to admit that tho court’s awards place undue restrictions upon industry. It points out that if the “ free agreements ” which have boon so enthusiastically recommended by opponents of compulsory arbitration are to be broken or extended at the will of the stronger party, they will only have tho force of a pious wish.

“If an agreement is entered into, it should bo kept, and unless the parties intend to keep it honourably they should not enter into it. Rut once they have agreed . _ . . they should be Weed to observe it.” The council points out that an agreement, covering a multitude of parties, cannot ho made elastic without being abused, any more than a law could be made elastic without being abused. “If awards are to be made clastic,” tho council asks, “ who is to determine ,by whom they may bo stretched, when'they may be stretched, and how far they may he stretched without being deemed to be broken?” In reference to the argument that the court’s awards are over-balanced in favour of tho workers the council replies with the following argument:— “ In dealing with workers wo must regard them, not only as producing machines, but also as social units with the rights and duties of citizens. As producing machines they work in the factory; as citizens and consumers they must pay community taxation and rear and educate for industry the workers of the future out of part of their product, which is allotted to them as wages.” * •* * * AGAINST RATIONING. “Rationing has been tried in one big works and has proved in practice, as far as the freezing works are concerned, an absolute failure, in so far as owing to the uncertain nature of supplies, the men on one week may have three or four days’ work, and the men taking the following turn may only get one or two clays,” states Mr Revell (secretary of the Canterbury Freezing Workers’ Union). “Consequently this has caused a great deal of dissatisfaction, and steps are being taken for the purpose of discovering some more equitable way of distributing the work.” It is the opinion of the workers m tho industry that tho season having opened and a largo number of men hying required to cope with the early rush, it is only reasonable that that number should be kept going as much as possible, and tho work evenly distributed, and that the method adopted by the companies in previous years should he adhered to—namely, keeping the men on and giving them what work there is until the reason definitely tapers off towards its close. * » # * A SHORTER WORKING WEEK. Tho unemployment problem will bo one of the chief questions to bo discussed at the Easter conference of tho New Zealand Labour Party. Numerous remits on tho subject have been forwarded to headquarters. Tho New Zealand Workers’ Federation will move—“ That this conference discuss tho question of the shorter working day or week as being the only effective remedy for unemployment, and that a committee be sot up by conference to draft proposals either to bo submitted to the Government or to bo embodied in a Bill with a view to legislation being enacted for this purpose,” A remit from the Auckland Transport Workers’ Union reads as follows:—“That no moneys bo granted to public bodies from tire unemployment fund for tire provision of work for unemployed men unless a guarantee is forthcoming that award rates of wages are paid and the men are worked under conditions prescribed in awards nr agreements covering the work to be done, and that the men so employed bo members of the union covering such work.” The Wellington Builders’ and General Labourers’ Union will move—(a) “ That the present Unemployment Board be abolished: (hi that a permanent administrative Minister of Unemployment constitute a definite portfolio in the Cabinet; (c) that the Minister of Unemployment be responsible for nnv Act or measure dealing with unemployment.” The same union will propose—“ That the present Unemployment Act bo repealed and one supported that throws the cost of maintenance or of providing work for, the unemployed mainlv on the State and on incomes derived from profit, rent, and interest, provided that wages nr salaries under CdOn per year shall not be subject to taxation.” The Gisborne branch will move—- “ That tho present flat rate unemployment levy bo abolished and be replaced by a cradnatod tax on all incomes over :C2OB per annum.” * * ♦ * THE LAND MONOPOLY. Mr Alfred Saunders, in his book on New Zealand, tells of the fights that were waged against laud monopoly by Ballance and Soddon and Reeves and M'Kenzic, Ballance is described as a “fearless opponent of land monopolisers.” William Pember Reeves, who was responsible for the establishment of tho Labour Department and Compulsory Arbitration, said “we must make the large land owners pay their fair share of taxation and bring down gradually the subdivision of the great freehold estates” Professor Gondliffo in his book, ‘New_ Zealand In the Making,’ says; “It is not without significance that the first important measure passed by the Liberal Labour Party upon its ac-' cession to power was the Land and Income Tax 1891.” This constituted the first equitably divided and graduated direct taxation. Sir Joseph Ward stiffened the Land Tax in 1907 .and again in 1929. In supporting the legislation of 1907, Mr George Laurenson said: “If we aim at taxing largo areas and preventing the aggregation of land in large areas then wo touch no one except the land monopolist and ho is the man wo want to touch.’’ Speaking in the same debate the Hon. Dr Findlay said “Tho expediency of what is known as the bursting up policy is scarcely now called in question. Both sides of politics are agreed that the history of tho past sixteen or seventeen years in New Zealand has proved that the subdivision of large estates and the placing on these estates of strenuous thrifty settlers has been one of the greatest blessings the country lias seen.” ♦ * * * UNEMPLOYMENT IN CANADA. For the past four wars practically every mail has brought us shoals of letters and newspaper cuttings calling attention to the desperate conditions

prevailing in Canada, says a writer in Glasgow ‘ Forward.’ They toll of an unemployment problem becoming daily more acute, of starvation in the midst cf plenty, and of a growing and universal despair. The situation is considerably worsened by the unconcern of the Bennett Government, which has repeatedly refused to inaugurate unemployment insurance and Jias shown a tragic lack of enterprise in regard to relief' work schemes.

The conditions have inspired the ‘ Labour Statesman,’ the official organ of the Vancouver Trades and Labour Council, to review the situation in a prominent article: “The situation in Canala has been getting worse dring the past few months, but because the Government lias been hoping—like most_ other people—that the situation wall _ improve, it has failed to take the situation seriously.

“ Simply because there are largo numbers of people working steadily does not alter the fact that there are also large numbers who are unemployed and destitute. The conditions in the city dumps of Vancouver speaks for itself. Hundreds of men, shelterless, foodloss, and ragged, can be seen gathered together on these dumps, and if this is not a disgrace to any socalled civilised and prosperous country, we should like to know what is! Similar conditions as in Vancouver exist in almost every city iu Canada, yet we boast of our 17,000,000 dollars’ worth of stocks and bonds Heating around in the hands of Canadians. That wealth apparently does not help the 24,000 unemployed _in British Columbia, neither does it help the 250,000 farmers, whom Premier Bennett admits arc in a desperr'e condition nor does it Help the many thousands of almost destitute workers in other eastern provinces. We might have lots of paper wealth and plenty of natural resources, hut we are failing to feed our hungry or provide a respectable living for many hundreds of thousands.

“Unemployment is daily becoming more serious in all the larger centres population, including Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver. “Suffering iii the west_ resulting from drought is duplicated in eastern provinces as a consequence of unemployment. “Many observers see unusual significance in orders issued last week for the mobilising in one place of the militia troops in each military district. “In some quarters it is believod that troops arc being mobilised in this fashion because of fear of _ disturbances among the jobless. Serious riots have already occurred in many places and unless work and relief are provided, other disturbances are expected,”