NOTES AND COMMENTS ON LABOUR QUESTIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12546, 13 April 1904, Page 1 (Supplement)

NOTES AND COMMENTS ON LABOUR QUESTIONS.

[lit ARTISAN. J Mfi. J. Fa wits leaves for Dunedin tlm week on a short trip. * The Trades Conference has concluded its sittings at Christchurch. The next conference will be held at Wellington. The shipwrights who were recently employed at Taumarunni building a houseboat for the Wangariui River traffic returned to town on Saturday last. At the last meeting of the A.S. Carpenters and Joiners, Mi. H. Banfield was elected branch secretary in place of iJr. 8. Tyson, resigned. The returns showing the number of factories registered in tho Auckland district lor tho year. eliding .March 51, ISKJ4-, will show a substantial increase over tue preceding year. At the last meeting ol tile Seamen's Union a resolution was carried endorsing the action ol their secretary, .Mr. J. K. JAueen, at the recent River .Limits Commission, and repudiating the insinuation ot one witness, that a majority of the union were opposed to the abolition of the limits. There were about bo members present. It i,=' estimated that the trade unions of Chicago expended ' i!oC,000 on the recent Labour Day celebration, in displays, uniforms, bands, etc. An agitation, is on foot, to discontinue parading on that day, and devote the money to other purposes.

South Australian Government is assisting 1 parties of unemployed men to go out prospecting by lending tents and granting temporary exemption from miners rights, while a committee of citizens are raising funds to supply tho men with rations until payable goid is discovered. Sydney plasterers just returned from South Africa, report that the trade is very dull over there, and that strikes are of frequent occurrence.

.Mr. Tregear, secretary of tho Labour Department, emphatically denies the statement appearing in Australian papers that the New Zealand authorities communicated with the New South Wales Minister foi Works, stating that there was an unemployed difficulty in New Zealand, necessitating the establishment of relief works, this being partly caused by the influx from Australia through the distress caused by the drought, there. Under the New South Wales Arbitration Court's award in the dispute between the Painters' Union and the Employers' Association., 44- hours constitute a week's work; competent workmen, "01 specialists," are to be paid Is 2d per hour, and men unable to earn this may take less, but not below 10i,d per hour; and unionists are to get preference of employment, qualifications being equal. The award is binding for two years. After negotiating for some time the GasStokers' Union has gained an increase of 4d per day on the award that expired a short time ago. They are now to receive 9s 8d per day. This is only to apply to the old works in Custom-street. The rates of pay awarded by Judge Cooper are to apply to the new works at Freeman's Bay when started, but the union reserve the right, to apply for a readjustment of wages should it consider that the conditions of labour in the new works justify them in doing so. The company and the union are to be congratulated on arriving at an amicable settlement without recourse to the Board or Court, such settlements being all too few nowadays. Tho Arbitration Court is to open in Auckland on the 25th inst., after an absence of over a year. The president has announced that the Court will endeavour to deal with all the eases for compensation, and also canes for enforcement of awards, but will only deal with disputes filed prior to Dec-ember 31, 1903. This announcement has caused con-, sitlerable dissatisfaction amongst the local unions. The Court finished its sittings in Auckland in February, 1903. and returned to try the furniture trades case in April, and since then has visited the other centres two and three times, and now will only touch on the fringe of the local work, and then hurry a ray' South. It is considered that tho president should only attend to arbitration work, as otherwise the Court will be unable to keep pace with its work. The unions are considering how they may make an effective urotest, against the proposed programme laid out by the preside'nt. At the last meeting of the Timber Workers' Union, Mr. P. Soman was appointed secretary pro tern., vice Mr. Tyson, resigned. A lengthy discussion on the proposed new ■working statement ensued, and at a late hour the meeting adjourned until Thursday next. The Cooks and Stewards' Union are considering their proposed working statement. This union has also appointed Mr. Ho matt secretary, vice Mr. Tyson, resigned. The fight over the Federal Arbitration Bill promises to be-a hot one. The Federal Labour party has announced its intention of bringing the State employers under its provisions, while the Premier has stated that he will resign rather than allow them to be brought under its scope. If a settlement is arrived at, and the Bill is put through without a crisis arising, the next great labour measure will be the Federal Navigation Bill. The Labour party has written over asking the Seamen's Union to send a representative to give evidence and to generally assist in carrying the proposed Bill to a successful issue. The union has decided to send Mr. J. iv. Kneen, and in the event of Mr. Kneen's absence Mr. Belcher (Dunedin) and 1 Mr. Young (Wellington) > will conduct the local cases before the Court of Arbitration. A recent issue of the South African Guardian contains the following pars.:—"Sir Percy Fitzpatrick, of Eckstein and Co., declared that 50 per cent, of the inhabitants of the Transvaal would have to leave if Chinese j were not obtained. Mr. Schumacher, of Eckstein and Co., declared that his firm would get rid of 1000 unskilled whites 'if j Chinese were obtained, as their work was not I economical. The Ferriera, of Eckstein and ; Co., declared a dividend of 112.£ per cent., | making 187 i per cent, for the year. Herein we have the labour problem in a nutshell." Dr. Alfred Russell Wallace says:—"Workers by the million undergo a process of slow but certain destruction in insanitary workshops, or in dangerous or unhealthy occupations, many of which are quite .unnecessary for the needs of a properly organised community." , Petitions for the vote for women have poured into the House of Commons lately. John Burns presented one signed by 8000 tailoresses of Yorkshire, and the petitions of Mr. Shackleton and Mr. Keir-Hardie represented over 100,000 members of labour organisations. The House of Commons Will soon be led captive by the fair conqueror?. The labour market still continues good. The building and allied trades are all busy; very few, if any, union men are out of employment. The furniture trade is very slack at present. The boot trade is looking up. Tho shipbuilding trade is fairly busy. Ironmoulders are all very busy at present; employment in this trade is of a very intermittent character. Unskilled labour is in good demand. The local labour bureau has been able to place a number of able-bodied navvies and bushmen at country work. There is at present a fair demand for unskilled labour in and about the city. Work lias been fairly plentiful on the wharves, ami fair time is being made by those who follow this line of employment, but, as usual, a surplus is offering. At the Trades Conference, held in Christchurch, Mr. J. Barr, a delegate representing the Canterbury Council, moved, "That the Government be urged to pass an Act making it compulsory that all goods manufactured in the colony be stamped 'Made in New Zealand,' and that all goods made in factories or warehouses should be stamped with the name of the actual manufacturer." In speaking to the motion Mr. Barr exhibited a lady's shoo which he had bought in Christchureh' and which was stamped with the name of an Auckland manufacturing firm in French. In this way, he declared, locally-made boots and shoes were sold as of French manufacture to people who would not believe that the article could be made as well in this colony. The motion was adopted. From time to time I have drawn attention to the state of the boot trade of the colony, and as one who would like to see all out 1 local industries in a sound and prosperous stale, I welcome any suggestion that will assist towards this object. There is at present a strong prejudice in favour of all goods of American manufacture amongst our young men and women, and this may be accounted for thus: That they wish for goods of a. stylish „ make and good finish. Our boot manufacturers have in some instances laid themselves out to turn out an article equal to the imported article, only to find that if they put their own name or brand on their product they have handicapped themselves, as many people will only buy something with a foreign name. The preferential tariff passed last session will assist the boot trade considerably when once tho stocks of imported American goods are disposed of, which will probably be about the end of July. The boot manufacturers could compete against the imported articles under the old tariff provided they received orders of sufficient quantity. In an American factory there would be a few special lines turned out. Here in New Zealand one factory has had to turn out as many as i ; 00 different lines,

which is a. considerable handicap in cost of" production, besides not giving the workmen a fair chance at the finer specialties. Th* operative bootmakers have shown a strong desire to assist- the manufacturers in every 3 possible way; the quality of their work will compare favourably, and in many instances is superior, with the, imported article, and yet it is difficult to sell it as purely local, although with a foreign name it sells freely and oftentimes is held up as a model to colonials to copy. That the manufacturers are fully alive to their interests cannot b*" gainsaid; they have imported the best of machinery and the best of materials; they are pushing their goods all along the line. The Government does not assist the trades as much as it could do, fin it levies duties on all materials required. The finer qualitie- of leathers, such, as glace kid, etc., and linings, are not, and cannot at present be manufactured in the colony. Yet a duty is levied. If the trades unionist is in earnest in his advocacy of trades unionism, then he should support to his utmost all local industries, whether it is the trade that .he is directly interested in or not. Our internal market is our best market, and by supporting out ' own industries we shall help tc keep our country in a prosperous condition. :