NOTES AND COMMENTS ON LABOUR QUESTIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14000, 4 March 1909, Page 3

NOTES AND COMMENTS ON LABOUR QUESTIONS.

BY ARTISAN. The City Council put on 40 men on Monday. ' ; The Carters' Union numbers over 300 members, most live members. ■ The secretary of the Carpenters and Joiners' Union reports " trade wretched." Mr. Shanaghan and hie staff at the Labour Department's offices are doing, their best to find places for those seeking work. Mr. Thoe. Long was elected at Monday's meeting of the Brewers and Aerated Water 'Employees' Union as its secretary,' vice Mr. 11. F. Way. Labouroutside the Railway Department—is likely to have no reason to complain that a change of portfolios took place at the recent shuffle. The Typographical Society of Auckland has been chosen by the Federation of New Zealand to act as executive. At a meeting held on Saturday evening a ballot was taken for Committee of Management. In several of the recent decisions of the Court, of Arbitration, in giving preference to unionists, a provision has been inserted that non-unionists shall join within a month, or give place to union members. Mr. Oliver Mason has resigned his position as organiser of the General Labourers' Union. From the inception of the movement he has done good work under difficulties. Mr. H. Banfield still holds the secretaryship. Some street hand-cart hawkers would be a boon to the public, and the limited wageearner in particular, if they would adjust their balance. There is no advantage in paying' 25 per cent, less cash and receiving similar reduction in weight. Mr. Hickey, who has been over in" Australia interviewing the miners and wharf labourers in respect to taking common action with similar workers of the Dominion in time of stress, returned from Sydney en Monday, and proceeded to Waihi. By far the most deadly foe to labour is working class apathy. The one and only one thing that will make a working man fight is the prospect of squeezing one more sixpence a day from the employer. Then he will sit up and besmear himself in flaming red paint, ready for war. The Arbitration Court will be due at Auckland on the 18th inst. The calendar will be a light one, compared with former sittings. There appears to be a strong inclination to settle disputes by mutual agreement, rather than submit them, to either Conciliation Council or. Court. At an exceptionally large meeting held on Monday evening, the Carters' Union set up a City Council Election Committee, to run their secretary for a seat on the Council at the coming election. No man in'the labour movement in . Auckland is held in greater respect than Mr. G. Davis. At the recent Labour Conference, held at Sydney, there were several lady delegates in attendance. " The report' credits some of them, as being " remarkably fluent debaters, putting the average man delegate to shame." Women, as a rule, do one of two things at meetings, they say too much or nothing at all. " ' A hopeful sign is that the public conscience is awakening to the fact that something is socially wrong when men want to work and cannot. The plea of the political economists that surplus labour is a necessary concomitant of the industrial world ; will no longer be accepted as; sufficient, answer for withholding from men the right to work.