THE LABOUR MOVEMENT

Evening Star, Issue 22084, 18 July 1935, Page 2

THE LABOUR MOVEMENT

(By Trade Unionist.) CITY COUNCIL AND RELIEF | WORKERS. . The writer lias yet to learn that the ! New Zealand Labour Party supports a “ fish for one and flesh for another , policy,” which is obviously the treatment being meted out to the unemployed in Dunedin at the present time by the Labour Council. It was a most remarkable coincidence that at just about the same time as the Dunedin , City Council announced that it was ‘ going to utilise £32,000 to place sonu i of the unemployed on standard wages the Mayor of Wellington (Mr Hislop brought down a report to his counci . ' advising that £15,000 should be diverted I (being the profits of the electricity de ! partinent) to the relief of unemployment in the capital city, and the Labour * councillors there denounced the proposal in the most vigorous language, ! contending that the welfare of the nn- ! employed was a State and not a muni--1 cipal responsibility. ; At a national industrial conference 1 of workers in the initial stages of the ! present unemployment problem it was agreed that the unemployed’s welfare was a national responsibility. There ’ have been several subsequent conferL ences, and to my certain _ knowledge * neither industrially ndr politically has L this policy been deviated from by the Labour movement. I understand that 1 the Dunedin Labour councillors and the ■' Wellington Labour councillors .belong to the same Labour Party. For the information of my friends I will quote a portion of a recent speech ; i delivered by Mr Herbert Morrison, ■ Labour chairman of the London ’ County Council (one of the largest ; municipalities in the world). He said: > “ Essentials which the Labour Party - must keep in mind if it is to establish s a Socialist Commonwealth in Britain 1 are that we must be idealistic and yet ’ constructive, and have the courage to 1 face business problems with business > heads. We must be confident of ourr selves, and not be led astray by philo- ‘ sophio doubters and creators of side ■ issues. On the ability, quality, and ■ idealism of onr party, including particu--5 larly its public representatives, will de- ! pend Enormously the success of Socialism. Above all, our schemes of socialil sation must be so framed that they will ! stand the test of practical operation. We must keep foremost in mind that the purpose of public ownership is to benefit the community as a whole, and ; not sections of the community.” r lam not so sure, therefore, that our j Labour council is not being sidetracked . from the main issues of it's programme, n What about the Labour plank for a municipal market, so as to increase the : buying power of the unemployed? ! Then they would all participate in the i benefits of Labour rule. Their present ■ policy is certainly one-sided. Then > can those unemployed who are doing exactly the same work, hut not t receiving the same rates as their fellow ; workers alongside of them, just because they have been employed for a shorter period at that work, he blamed for speaking in scathing terms of the Labour Council? “Trade Unionist” ! hopes that the anomaly existing will J he rectified as soon as possible, as the ’ present unsatisfactory position is do- [ mg a considerable amount of harm to the Labour movement. * « * * 1 . MR GLOVER IN AUSTRALIA. \ Mr L. Glover, president of the New i Zealand Alliance of Labour and the New Zealand Waterside Workers’ Fede- , ration, is at present on a visit to Australia, and in a letter to the writer , states that is having a wonderful experience at present in Sydney, coming ’ in contact with the different representatives of the Labour Movement there. He says that “ the same egoism exists among individuals in the movement as ■ in New Zealand—perhaps more so each person he meets has his own pet j scheme for leading the workers out of 3 the present economic blizzard, always ; different from that of the , last one he r has been speaking to. Mr Glover mentioned that he was combining business ’ with pleasure, and he was responding to 3 invitations to address workers’ rneet--3 ings on the necessity for industrial ori gauisation. Mr Glover is a forceful and i logical speaker, and should do much to - cement the relationships between the - Australian and New Zealand Labour movements. He mentions that he exl pects to bo a full three months visiting - the main cities of Australia, and that r we shall hear more from him anon. * * * * S DOCTORS BENEFIT BY JOINING ; TRADE UNION CONGRESS. ’ Already the affiliation of the Medical Practitioners’ Union to the Trade i Union Congress has proved most effecr tive.” said Dr Brook, a member of the C London County Council, when he was t speaking just recently to a branch of * the union in the.west of Scotland. “ Inj formation previously impossible to get ■ has been obtained from the Govern- ; ment departments through the T.U.C.” : The union, which consists mostly of ’ health insurance practitioners, has inaugurated a municipal medical officers’ section expressly for those employee] by local authorities. When the time i came for the formation of a federation 3 of public health employees, consisting

of members of all'grades of unions affiliated to the T.U.C., tho Medical Practitioners’ Union, Dr Brook added, would play an important part in the federation’s work. # * • • NOISES IN INDUSTRY. Industrial experts who set out to test the effect on Lancashire cotton operatives of the noises with which they are deafened when at work had to overcome one obstacle—the lip skill of the average weaver. How they managed it was disclosed in a report of the Industrial Health Research Board about the performance of weavers under varying' conditions of noise. The hearing of the weavers engaged in the experiment was roughly tested by determining whether a forced whisper could be heard at a distance of 20ft. But to prevent the possibility of lip reading, each weaver had to stand with his back to the investigator. . Over a period of 12 months the out•uit of 20 weavers was carefully tested Half the men, however wore ear defenders to shield them from “ the continuous roar and clatter ” of the weaving shed. With subdued noise the investigators were able to report an increase of about per cent, in personal efficiency. *• » * * ♦ [RISK FREE STATE INAUGURATES LABOUR LAWS. Irish Free State papers just to hand report that a 48-hour week and holidays with pay are among the reforms in the condition of certain classes of industrial workers which the Irish Free State Government has decided to make. The reforms, made in the Conditions of Employment Bill, recently introduced in the Bail, were explained in an official statement. .. Tho main purpose of the Bill is to confer on the Minister of Industry and

Commerce power to make regulations after consultation with representatives of employers and workers in any industry, prescribing maximum hours of work" for persons employed in that in* dustry. The Bill provides, however, that in respect of the classes of industrial workers it covers, the hours of work will be restricted for adults to the limits of tho eight-hour day and 48-hour week, Washington Convention, and for young persons to a normal maximum of 40 hours a week. Where the hours of work of any worker are reduced, either in consequence of the general provisions; of The Bill, or of special regulations affecting particular industries, the reduction will not entail reduction in weekly earnings. ... The Bill also provides that the Minister for Industry will have power to confirm and to make legally enforceable agreements, concerning rates ot wages between representative employers and workers. Power is also conferred on the Minister to make regulations prohibiting the employment of women, or fixing the proportion or women and juveniles to men m any specified form of industrial work. Other provisions in the Bill arc: —Six consecutive days with pay must be allowed as holidays annually to each industrial worker; in addition, six public holidays must be given. With certain exceptions no industrial work may be done on Sundays. Women may not be employed at night in industrial work, and men may be eniployed at night only on work that must he carried on without intermission, and only under regulations to be made by the Minister. The Minister may make regulations permitting overtime, which must be paid for at not less than time and a-quarter.

TRADE UNION ADVERTISING. Trade unions are more and more appreciating effective advertising. Some of the older members of the unions were more or less shocked some time ago when a local union issued an attractively got up leaflet which seemed at first glance to be concerned with beauty culture. In reality it was a very readable tip to women about the necessity of trade unionism, and it was in good' demand. In a different category, but also thoroughly effective, is a six-page booklet issued by a building trades union in Wellington. It is specially, written for the building trades labourer, and tells why he should bo a trade unionist, and, of course, which union he should join. Anyone who does not know what is a termite, and why some employers resemble termites, ought to read this pamphlet, • • * » WANTED. A BETTER FINANCIAL POLICY.. >. / • v The effective working of the' economic system, upon which the volume of employment ultimately depends, requires the maintenance of balance between production and consumption. The basic question is being raised whether a broader and more even distribution of national income is not one of the conditions of a more stable and capacious market, both for ind”-+ry and agriculture. Is not the real flaw in the economic system to be found in the failure to distribute income in » manner calculated to maintain industrial activity? . The question of the national distribution of income is closely connected with the controversy between the expansionists and the deflationists, and it may be noticed that in some coun--1 tries, such as Australia, Germany, and

Italy, better results were apparently obtained when deflationary measures were gradually supplanted by expan- ’ sionist measures. In any case, it it difficult to doubt that the steps taken 1 in Sweden, the United States, ana j other countries to develop purchasing 1 power through the expenditure of 1 public money gave an impetus to in--1 dustry at a moment when confidence 1 was at its lowest. The present crisis 1 has made it clearer .than ever before ' that the distribution and circulation | of purchasing power is the most vital ’ factor in determining the volume of 1 business and employment. A great > deal of deliberate planning and ! manipulation has been done in this r field. But here, as in other departments of economic activity, the de--1 mand is growing that the control mid ! direction should be exercised in the 1 interests of the community as a whole instead of being largely, guided- by motives of private profit which may be ordv partially reconcilable with the ' general welfare. —From an International Labour report.