BRITISH LABOUR CRISIS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17113, 19 March 1919, Page 7

BRITISH LABOUR CRISIS.

Iblehacts of railwaymen--'position RATHER worse. life — >]■', pjijfGEß FROM EXTREMISTS. %$. Australian and N.Z. Cablo Association. II (Eocd. 9.45 p-m.) LONDON. Mar. 17. Iff The executive of the Railwayman's I-■ Union conferred with the companies I- to-day and adjourned until Wedness■', day. It 1 5 understood that the positioE is rather worse, but it is be- | lieved that the companies are likely I to make a further offer. The chief danger lies in the efforts of the extremists to force a crisis this week, vhci-eas an extension of time mifht produce on agreement.

WHOLE WEEK MOMENTOUS. TRIPLE ALLIANCE CONFERS. A. and NX LONDON, Mar. 17. The present week .is critical for Labour. The Coal Commission reports on Thursday and the Triple Alliance on Friday discusses the strike, involving 1,900,000 railwaymen, miners, and transport workers. The miners' strike notices expire on Saturday. Mr. J. H. Thomas and other leaders have been in communication with the Board of Trade over the week-end, and there has also been a series of conferences and branch meetings of railwaymen throughout the country. The rank and file display better feeling, and rubstantial progress has been made towards the settlement of the transport workers demands for 44 hours and a 20 per cent, increase in piecework, but the alliance has decided that, no settlement shall be accepted unless the full demands of all three groups are granted.

It is expected that Sir Eric Goddes, Minister for Transport, in response to the insistent popular demand, will announce a series of concessions in the Transport Bill, including modification of the Ministers' powers. Mr. Lloyd George will probably return at the end of the week in view of the fateful Labour decisions pending.

CONSCIENCE AWAKENING.

NO RETURN TO OLD REGIME. A. and N.Z. LONDON, Mar. 17. Sir Robert Home, Minister for Labour, was the guest of the Aldwich Club at dinner to-night, and in the course of a speech he stated that Labour troubles were not entirely the result of the war. Demands for shorter hours, profit-sharing and some control over conditions of work could not be neglected longer. ' The war had given the general community a clearer percention of the '•merits of these demands. No enlightened man wished to return to pre-war conditions, some of which {were intolerable. There must be a ' ievaluation of human effort, and employers must be prepared to meet j their men m a new spirit Unfortunately industrial negotiations in the past had been conducted at arms length, each side being unwilling to trust the other. He hoped that the new spirit would evolve a scheme whereby employers and workmen in each industry would sit at the same table and arrive at decisions in their common interest. The sub-committee of the Indus--15 trial Conference was drawing up a * proposal for the creation of an Industrial Council. France possessed such a council, composed of 31 representatives of employers, 31 of workers, three senators, three deputies,: .• three professors of economics and j law, and three representatives of the .' .Chambers of Commerce and the! trade unions. This supreme Labour! Council held a fortnight's session aniraally and discussed great industrial I issues. There was also a subsidiary I permanent commission composed of, ■ . 17 members, which investigated all < Labour disputes as they arose, and reported on conditions and hours of labour in various industries, which Parliament instructed them to investigate. This mechanism was extremely valuable and efficacious. The Supreme Labour Council had insti- .; tuted practically all Labour legis'a- ;: tion passed in France in recent , years. He did not desire a precisely i{ similar council, but France's experiW. ence was useful in formulating a % British Council. The Peace ConferHr ence was considerine the draft conl| vention for the creation of an InterJfi national Labour Conference, meet|fe. ing annually, each country sending til four delegates, of whom the Governm ment would nominate two, employt£ ' ers one. and the workers one. T*>o % ' Labour Conference's decisions would 3 l-,. ,-pfpVroa 1 to the respective Parlia;V ments for enactment. The conven- ; tion also provides for a permanent Ipdnetrinl L*'h"U- Bureau, to collect information in all countries and report to the Labour Conference.