THE LABOUR WORLD.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXX, Issue 14977, 24 April 1909, Page 13

THE LABOUR WORLD.

NOTES AND COMMENTS. (By JOHN BARR.) TRADES AND LABOUR COUNCIL HALL.

Meetings for the week ending Friday, April 80;

Saturday, April 24.—Trades' Council, soecial meeting; Typographical Union Committee; Freezers' Union. Bunday, April 25—Tiamway Employees' Union. Monday, April 26—Painters' Union; Tailoring Trade Union; Metal "Workers' Union; Sadd.ers' Union; Labour Day Committee. .Wednesday, April 28.—Bootmakers' Union ; Canterbury Carpenters' Union; Piast«Tera' Union. Thursday, April 29.—Trades' Councils' Executive Committes Friday, April 30.—Brewers and Maltsters' Union; Cycle Workers' Union; Livery Stable Workers' Union; Confectionery Workers' Union; Tailoring Trade Coiurnittoe.

A few days ago the business men of New Zealand had a conference in Wellington, where subjects of great importance to the country were dealt with in a practical manner. Very little time seems to have been wasted in dealing with subjects foreign to the business of a Chamber of Commerce, and it is just there that the work of the conference of Chambers of Commerce differed from the work of the last conference of Trades and Labour Councils. No attempt was made to deal with evcryihing under the sun, neither was it decided to inform the Government how the country should be run. Attention wae given strictly to matters pertaining to the commerce and industries' of the dominion. It is true that once /or twice the conference allowed its business to be "side-tracked" by the "professional agitator," but it only required the suggestion "that the disoussion was of too academic a character" to bring them back to the straight line. There are some who will object to the statement that " subjects of great importance to the country were dealt with," holding the opinion that members were there in their own interests and the interest.of the "capitalistic claes." (I think that is the " popular " ter;m.) As the majority of people will look at it in the broader and the truer light we may leave tho " popular " term to the few with whom it is, for the time, the fashion.

We may also leave the proper work of the conference and glance at what the " professional agitator " brought forward, particularly as he hailed from Canterbury, arid may be considered'to speak more or less < according to his Christchurch experience. He dealt with the matter carefully and calmly, Bpending days, probably weeks, in preparation, finally transferring his ideas to papor so that nothing should slip tan. "Does the Arbitration Act Hinder Industrial Progress?" is the title . ho gives his paper, looking for all tho woTld as if it had been pirated from the syllabus of a debating club. What is the outcome of all this care and thought? Some fresh idea? Not one, only what the Scotch would term "cauld kale het again." All the old twaddle about tho unions riding the Act to death, by having employers keep within measurable distance of their bond., Mr Broadhead accuses the unions in his well thought out paper of refusing to grant permits, never, of course, mentioning the fact that the party wanting the permit has power to apply* to'the Inspector of lactones. 'Just, note the way he puts it:—"Workers who were physically unable to earn the minimum wage were frequently unable to secure from the unions an un-der-rate permit, and employers who from motives of philanthropy gave them a chance to,earn a living were fined." Supposing the union refuses to grant a permit (a thing they seldom, if ever, do if the applicant ie physically unfit), the individual can apply to the Inspector of Factories. Then how v . many employers run their business on philanthropic lines? There are, I know, a few who may do good by stealth at an odd time, but what employer can say in his heart that he em- ' ploys a man or woman out of pure philanthropy and gives a wage week in and week out far out of proportion to what the employee earns, and that it is a living wage? The employer who does that-has no need to worry about • a permit, as no minimum wage is fixed beyond a living wage standard, the majority being fixed at an existence standard. Next Mr Broadhead brings forward the tale of the employer harassed by many awards, ' never - f stopping to congratulate the employer whoso business is extensive enough to cover many industries, nor to note the fact that the employer is as much entitled to attend to the various awards as he is to attend to the details of the various departments, the taking up of which necessitates different industries with different awards.

But nowhere does Mr Broadhead play the part of the thoughtless agitator more than where he says " Everywhere there seems to be nothing but industrial warfare. What is the cause of it? Undoubtedly one cause is the convenient machinery provided by the Act for the creating of disputes." I will credit the amiable Mr Broadhead with misstating the position unintentionally. Yet it is surprising that a gentleman in his position is ignorant of the fact that nine out of every l ten Unions which prepare what even he must admit they are entitled to prepare, conditions of labour, have no flesire to go to the Arbitration Court, jn other words, have no desire for war. Rather are they desirous of having • peaceful settlement, and with that object seek a private conference. When I state nine out of every ten seek that tourse, I know I am well within the mark. The reason why those conferences are not more successful is the 'attitude adopted by employers, who in many cases go to the conference with no intention of seriously considering the various claims. In other cases employers, by entirely ignoring the invitation, promote war. If there is industrial war the fault lies not entirely with the worker, more often it is with the employer. ' As for the contention that the machinery is convenient —with the exception of the provisions for dealing with law-breakers, it is far from convenient or inexpensive. Those we points Mr Broadhead is not conversant with, although every Union secretary and almost every unionist is well acquainted with them. It falls upon those who by circumstance arc forced to take the initiative to prepare everything for Mr Broadhead and the other gentlemen who occupy the position of agitators on the employers' side.

I might not have taken any notice »f this essay of Mr Broadhead's were it not for the facts that such statements as he made in Wellington, like all misstatements, tend to bring about the disquiet that is undesirable, and that although his opinions were not shared by the Wellington employers, yet he has the ear of the Canterbury employers amongst whom he lives, and one Canterbury employer, at the conference geems to share his opinions. Mr Broadhead forced to adroit that the industries' bad progressed, gave it as his opinion "that they would have progressed by leaps and bounds if the employers had had a free hand, instead of being fettered on nearly every hand." The same sentiment was expressed by Mr Marriner, in different words, to the effect that wages should, in his opinion, only bo those which the nianufacturors could afford to pay. That is, that employers should have a free, unfettered hand, and pay what they considered they could afford. T «aeed hardly point out to those two

gentlemen that the free, unfettered, "pay what you say you can afford" system is dying rapidly. It is a system that had its day, and such is the misery and degradation left amongst us as the result, that all men with souls in any degree developed consider that it cannot too soon cease to be.

Mr Broadhead's paper contained many more resurrected arguments and statements, but I have dealt with sufficient. Yet his paper did some littlo good, inasmuch as the after discussion showed that all the employers present did not share the opinions of the Canterbury Employers' Association's secretary. The seconder of a motion of a vote of thanks for the paper, Mr D. J. Nathan, condemned tho apathy among commercial men in regard to subjects of common benefit, and declared that the workers deserved great credit for their combination and self-sacrifice to further their own interests. Tho conference itself had only a few minutes before decided to form a kind of union. He had personally encouraged the formation of unions in two industries in winch he was interested, the conditions already existing being taken as a standard. Thus two or three bad employers were obliged to come up to the mark. Mr Nathan does not stand alone. In Christchurch we have had employers acting from the same motive. Unfortunately, however, there are too many dominated by the 'way-back sentiments of Mr Broadhead, and who, it will be well to remember, belong to the breeder of strife section of humanity, a section many have endeavoured ' to prove was to be found solely amongst tho employees.

Were it not for the half-holiday issue in Christchurch, the municipal election would be the usual farce, the bulk of the people electing to attend to their own private affairs, caring nothing about public duties or obligations. The candidates cannot claim to have livened things up. Conditions are rather different in Wellington, however, where throe forceful candidates are running for the Mayoralty, the Hon John Rigg, M.L.C., Mr T. Wilford, M.P., and chairman of the Harbour Board, and Mr F. M. B. Fisher, M;P. Tho three are carrying on a brisk campaign, and so far Mr Fisher is considered the favourite. There, as here, a ticket has. come forward claiming to represent Labour and the intelligence thereof. In both places the workers predominate, so that tho Labour men stand a good chance; that is, if they are the right men.

In connection with the half-holiday vote in Christchurch, there will Jjo»*a big poll, as both sides are very keen. The Thursday advocates have the money, and are spending it; but tho Saturday supporters have plenty of willing supporters. It is to be hoped that Saturday will receive a trial. The shopkeepers themselves are very much divided on the question, and it is rather amusing to note one shop showing a card which asks one to " Vote for Thursday," while the next-door neighbour's card is advising one to "Vote for Saturday." I am surprised that the members of the Saturday committee have not made more of the fact that Christchurch has already shopkeepers who close on Saturday afternoon, and who havo (lone so for such a length of time that tho experimental stage is long past, and they have no desire for a change.

The Stonemasons' Union, having endeavoured to settle its dispute" as to conditions of labour by private conference, has been forced to take steps to have tho dispute dealt with by a Council of Conciliation. An invitation to attend a second meeting to deal with a few disputed points was apparently entirely ignored by the representatives of the Employers' Association, although "at the first meeting they had agreed to the adjournment.

A new departure in connection with union meetings was made by the Hotel and Restaurant Employees' Union last week, when a special meeting for the female members was convened. The usual formality that attends union, meetings was dispensed with, and mate

ters of importance to members were discussed while toa arid cake were being served by the officers of the union. The innovation was such a distinct success that there is every prospect of the practice being continued. It is worthy of mention that the expense of the refreshment on this occasion was borne by a member of the executive

1. 1 Tho following are the Auckland - Trades and Labour Council's remits 3 for tho Trades and Labour Councils' i Conference:—The national accident ust surance scheme as outlined by the Hon - A. It. Guinness. The nationalisation - of the iron industry. " That the Gov--1 ernment be urged to bring down a • Fair Rent Bill." "That the Govern- .' ment be urged to open State coal s mines and depots in tho North Island." fc "That the Government be urged to r utilise the water-power for public "* benefit." "That the Conference be - urged to reaffirm tho principle of coms pulsory preference to unionists."

A convention on unemployment in tho United States has just been adjourned at St Louis, alter sitting for five days, in order to send its delegates to Washington. They propose to ask for an amendment to the United States Constitution, giving the right to work. It was also suggested that Mr Keir Hardie, who it was hoped would attend tho convention, should bo consulted with reference to tho formation of a joint committee representing England and the United States, as at present many unemployed workers are being lured from one country to the other by steamship companies, etc., with no chance of obtaining work on arrival. Many are being lured to this country also by steamship companies and their agents, who are responsible for the unfortunate, position many newcomers are finding themselves in, with their few pounds eaten up and no prospects of getting work. But the Government is not now blameless in tho matter, seeing that it has taken no energetic steps to°placo the true position before the British people.

The general fund of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers was depleted by £168,696 owing to the North-east Coast dispute last year.

Some interesting figures relating to unemployment have just been issued by the German Statistical Department. The labour market was considerably

moro depressed during 1908 than in tho previous year. The number out of work in each month last year was about twice that in tho corresponding period of 1907. The highest percentage of unemployment—4.4 per cent—occurred during December last.

A leaflet issued by tho British Cooperative Wholesale Society gives some interesting statistics with regard to tho prices for food, etc., during tho last decade. The wholesalo prices for the average weekly supply of groceries increased from 63.50 din 1898 to 70.21 din 1908. The pit-head price for coal was in 1898 9s Hid per ton ; in 1908 tho price was 13s 3d. an increase of 33 per cent. Cotton manufactured goods show a slight decrease in price, though the prices for 1900 showed an increase over those of 1898. Woollen manufactured goods increased at least 20 per cent in 190 G, but at tho end of 1908 cost about the same as in 1898.