LABOUR WORLD

Grey River Argus, 25 February 1927, Page 5

LABOUR WORLD

N.S.W COMMUNISTS. . STORY OF A PLOT. SYDNEY, Feb. 24. Tu the Legislative Assembly, Mr Ball moved that the allegations contained in the Australian La I*artv manifesto of a Communisti plot, wherein Mr Wills,* vice president < the Legislative Council, is now alleged to be implicated, warranted in v. -i ig :i t i<»n bv a royal commission. The motion was dct< : <1 l»v three votes, six members of the Nationalist party being absent. Mr Lang in a statement. .- -he kie \ the allegations were untrue, and as f- ; r as Mr Willis was concerned, th latter was not engaged in any Communist i-i plot.

44 Hours Week.

VINDICATED IN AUSTRALIA. LATEST FEDERAL AWARD. MEI BOURNE, Feb 23. It was a majority judgment of the Federal Arbitration Court which awarded a forty-four hours’ week in the engineering industry. The judgment is highly important, as it to some extent determines the standard of liouis of labour in Australian industry. Chief Justice Dethridge, delivering the judgment, said that State laws had purported to make a short ?r week general amongst most workers, in New South Wales and Queensland, and the State Arbitration awards had a similar effect in Western Australia. It existed very largely in New Zealand, and received support by m n not themselves members of the w:ige-en rning class. Tin conclusion could not be evaded that the continuance of the forty-eight hours’ week was likely to l e accompanied by increased slackening and reduction of output among-certain classes of workers which would largely offset the output derived from the extra four hours of work per The Court was not going to be influenced by political considerations. but could not ignore the economic conditions merely because they were created partly or wholly by political or Governmental action, even though that ac f ion might considered by some people to have been ill-ad-vised or too far-reaching. In any cast* the Court could not prevent any prison or body; of any Stale Government or Legislature from continuing to grant forty-four hours per week ot its own employees, therefore it ordered a fortyfour hours week be granted the engincriiig industry. He added it must be taken as a guiding line that the judg meat indicates the pro 1 , aide course of the Court in future applications. 40 HOURS WEEK STRIKE. BRISBANE, Feb. 24. The Master Builders’ Association has >replied to a letter from the building trade unions group, that the masters are anxious to terminate the strike, and all work will be available foi strikers after the unions, as a body, nave declared the strike off. The Association would also require an undertaking that there would be no victimis ation of employers, and that no illegal strike would again be prosecuted. The Association refused to meet the union s representatives in conference. DISPUTE ON SS. KAIAPOI. BAD ACCOMMODATION FOR CREW. WELLINGTON, Feb 24. The Union Company’s cargo steamer Kaiapoi was due to sail from Wellington last evening, for Newcastle, but nembers of the crew refused to put to sea. alleging that their quarters were unfit for occupation owing to fumes from the fumigation the vessel underwent on her periodical fumigation at Wellington yesterday. The Kaiapoi was still delayed at au early hour this morning.