Hawke's Bay Herald MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1902. THE ENGLISH WORKER.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 12266, 13 October 1902, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Herald MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1902. THE ENGLISH WORKER.

Some time ago Mr Alfred Mosely, the South African diamond merchant, offered to send a representative body of English labour leaders to America to see for themselves the conditions of labour in the United States. Some years ago Mr Mosely, while in South Africa, was much impressed by the results obtained by American engineers in turning abandoned mining properties into paying concerns by the adoption of new methods. He subsequently visited America and saw with his own eyes the immense improvements which had been made

in bo many branches of industry. He at once realised that the En- J glish operative had much to learn' from his American cousin, and that unless he gave Up his obstructive tricliß would speedily drive a great deal of British trade across the Atlantic. He accordingly made up bis mind to pay the expenses of a Workers' Commission, and twenty-one invitations have now been issued. Amons those beine invited are

Mr J. Wilson, M.P.; Mr ft. N. Barneß, of the Society of Engineers ; Mr F. Maddison, the formei M.P., and secretary to the iron founders ; Mr D, C. Cummings, oi the boilermakers; Councillor Tay

lor, of the Midland Trades Federation; and Mr T. Anhton, J.P., of the Operative Cotton Spinners. It 13 proposed that.the commission should start from England so as to reach New Tork early in Novem* ber, for the meeting of the Chamber of Commerce there oil the 11th of that month, when there will be opportunity of conferring with a mass of men from all over the United States. Erom there the delegates will disperse, each going to the places where his own trade can be seen at its best. The commission, it is expected, will not remain in America much more than a month. On return, reports will be published, giving the impressions of each of the delegates on the conditions affecting his own particular industry. "The object of the commission is to glean all that is good and useful from American methods, and to reject all that is bad," says Mr Mosely. " We will try to see both sides of the shield, and avoid all weaknesses."

One would have thought that an offer of this kind would meet with a ready response. Whatever might be the results of the tour it seems reasonable to suppose that it would be full of instruction to the delegates. The opportunity of travelling in a country like the States, with the consequent widening of ideas and extension of knowledge, would, we must believe, prove of incalculable benefit. Strangely enough, however, the offer has not in all cases been kindly received. Some of the prominent workers scorn the suggestion that they have

anything to learn. The bricklaying trade has been the subject of much discussion lately. It was the facts supplied by this trade that furnished the test for the recent discussion on what is known as the " ca' canny " policy. It will be hard to convince ordinary people that the average English bricklayer knows all that is to be known about the conditions of that trade. let Mr Batehelor, secretary of the Operative Bricklayers' Society, on being interviewed said: —" If such an invitation were offered to me, I should not accept it for several reasons. If my society were asked to send a delegate it of course would decide for itself. But why should I go to America to study what they are doing there ? I have nothing to learn in my trade from America, and Americans have nothing to teach me. 1 hey must come to us to leam bricklaying, not we go to them. A ll the talk that has been made here about the Americans being faster and better workmen is gas!" In the same way Mr TUaddison, secretary of the Friendly Society of Ironfounders, declared that the American practice ia his trade did not commend itself to him. He was satisfied to draw his salary,

and was apparently unable to see that his salary was threatened unless some change or system was introduced. In particular Mr Maddison was indignant at the inducements offered by the American system to the quick worker. "Whatis the bonus system? It ia that a man who does his work in less than the regular time gets half-pay for the time that is saved. Eor instance, if the day is eight hours and the pay a shilling an hour, the man who does eight hours' work in seven hours gets seven shillings and sixpence. We do not believe in eight shillings' worth of work for seven-and-sk pence." This is the pitiable feature of Fn-

glish trade unionism—the inability to take the larger view of industrial questions. Happily all workers are not so short-sighted. "It seems to me," says Mr Coffey, of the Society of Journeymen Bookbinders, " that the idea of such a commission is an excellent one, American competition is making itself felt in our trade, and already there are fears lest American produced and bound books should be delivered in large quantities on our market. It cannot do anything but good to study the American methods and to find out where they have advantages over us." It is to be hoped that this spirit will extend among the workers, ' and that Mr Mosely's generous and patriotic attempt will meet with the success it deserves,