WORLD OF WORK

NZ Truth, Issue 473, 11 July 1914, Page 2

WORLD OF WORK

—Pithy Points for Proletarian Plugs -r-

BY "HONESTAS."

For others ye the mines explore ~- :\ And rob the ocean of its storeY- ' For others ye the forest clear, Till smiling sweet the land appear.

Some time m May representations were made to Mr. Massey pointing out .the number of men who were unemployed m Wellington ami who were anxious to get work of any kind, so long as they could earn a living. The Premier promised that something would be done and after a HtUe" delay a number of men were sent to work on the new branch railway line at Ohnkune. "Honestas"; has received two letters from two. men who. wcxo glad of the opportunity to ivork given them by the Premier and who went up to the railway works with '-high, hopes of knocking up .a good- cheque during the winter months. Their high hopes only made the disappointment the reality brought them, all the keener. Both" letters, though from different individuals and written "at different elates, give almost identically the same description of -the 'place and of the conditions they were each respectively subjected to. .One of the men was lucky , enoush to have five shillings, given *« him by a thoughtful friend bei'ore he left- Wellington, -He was lucky. On arrival at their destination they found that the nearest store was foiu* milc^s away and that the storekeeper woutd not give "tick" to any man, until he had three days' wages lying. Some men arrive on the job absolutely penniless (the writer of the second letter did) and these have to depend upon the other workers for bite and slip until the three days of. (heir novitiate have beert completed. The writer quoted and his mate were sleeping m an old tent that let In the rain, and It rtftns most of the time m the bush N ih winter, and having- no stretchers or blankets they had to doss on the ground, covering themselves' with manuka scrub; and hay. They had to cook their food m tho o|k;n air, ajid, owing to the rain and wind, most days this was quite impossible. This man started on the 27th May and he received no money till the 29th of June, as the men are paid monthly. He was working m the" bush up to the waist In mud and water, and he had no idea what ho was earning until he received his cash last, Monday week. Repeatedly lie and others have felt like' "chucking it," ,bul having nothing they struggle on, hoping for the best. One of thu'" writers says: s If tho people only know how we . are treated i believe thero would be-something of a cry out about it. As <we arc atv present, wo nro more like a lot ot cannibals than civilised beings. Surely, all this inconvenience and suffering is absolutely unnecessary. at this time of day? Will Putty Webb, M.P., try and do something for theso men by asking a question m _ the House? Could \v& hot suggest the State's Works Department open a . cook-house and cater for the wants of the workers on the railway works, same, as the "l>lg "'p?iyat6 rtiiway contractors do m ibe. Old Country? And, surely, a month is too long to keep poor men waiting for the money they have laboriously earned. * We «ro continually contrasting conditions hero with those m England, but there is no., private contractor on railway works, waterworks or similar contracts /jonißlderably removed from the big Idwns and cities who would refuse the loweat paid of his workers a "draw" amounting to half the sum earned on the very ilr,Ht day's work. If tho PubliQ Works Department provide proper sleeping accommodation arid properly cooked, wllolesoin© food, the value of the work done would be considerably enhanced and the Job would not bo delayed so much by men leaving, after putting In a Week or two, owing to the unsatisfactory conditions prevailing wit the railway camps. * - •• ♦... Accounts come to hauul every day relating to London shop girls and woinun workers generally, all revealing a disgracefully low standard n)f wages. Unfortunately. Home of the girls imagine that ii pound v week made up of tips and such like constitutes a really good wage, and tho.se who huve the counige to interest themselves In thu mutter ure bucking for a minimum of seventeen shillings. Wish they may get It. Plenty vt plute employers pay nix shillings and cxixsct the public to ( ittku compassion on thu girls and make up' the dllterenci'. Th«y Juk people In London for begging, yet J what else Is this? Why a woman , shpuld be expected to live on ho much less than a man l.s hard to discover. There are * p!«nty of women getting j five shilling!' n week m this place. , Such a wage would nover be purallol- < ed m the entjo of ' l "">»• v ls only i poß«ibk> In the ca*<« « f women bc«cuu«<s i of tho lower stumlurd of value put , upon the work of women. A few of , the working K'lrl.s In tho Hast Knd huve put up « fight and won It easily, but »h long »» there un> thoHo wli« couHldi-r that to serve at a counter for pln-tnoiKy and tips or the inert> honor of tho thing i« .HtilHcient compen«jUl«m for boinK ullvc. then ao long will screws be low. » • • . "J.H.," Tnrunakl. write«: Hully ror •Truth'" 1 hnve alwnya boon " render of the P«oph»'H Papor, but since it cumo \ioldly o»l on lb« side of tit? bottom <1ok« and proletarian plugH I hav<? boon vory proud of ami thankful for it. Tho articles on Labor mtUtcra an; a trout »mJ tho ndvlco Riven mul doiluctl.ma nmtk' arc always ho aouml tlmt the- enemy cunnnt Mnd a .brwieh m tluMrcunumt. I h«v«j beon fur ovor » dor-on yvars v farm laborer und bnvo iiovor boon a moinbor of v mules union, but the boneM of unionism w».s brought homo to mo nt v Job' on » Htatltm mUw Wnlrar«i«u ThroiiKli the year we got no but tor. milk, Jam, vocable** (bur pMinim-tO. or bako*) pua.ltuK 'HI «bi-ur»ii» BijirioU: whil.* thai InhUd we received the beat of everything. . • • WtH »»itn««b<ujy w«ki» up 11lt > ct\b\v mon <»o t»»i- WflltriKtw" "Moaning \ TituoH" «no" '"MinUm" mutt*. About p :i wi-fk »Ko thoy putjllj«h«U a onUJt to] iho ••ITi.vt tlmt ihi.« Hcotw miiHTP wero. i ; tl.«n;»titli»«: « t»ur «l»>'»* " wot'Jc ' On I M.-.niiny l\M lun'thi-r meHMigt 1 ; wan - jMibUfihort hk ftiHu\v»: LONDoN*. July \. 'Oto'm'r'n'ft dtclsiinj fu >urfAll Un« mitput. » niriktv m ii)* 4 tutiiimn m euimi^crcd iuevilublu, cupcvlully

since the owners demand a reduction of- wages. ..';•» Had the cable-crammer ' been*' content to let it #iss at that all would have been O.K^, but* no, he must r '>'pkint the lily" and so he added as an erudite footnote: .-v» .AT Recently the miners' executive ; ordered a. reduction m the^ou^Piit ' throughout Scotland, the t&t work only live, days a -week.' It will be news^ipparentft to^the-praiS press pen-pushes of dotrzonV* that a nvo>days' weekis an ancienPmstitution on the Scots •coalfields, snd*fchat the message of a. -week ago that the "moudies" had : deinitticto'd 'k-it'oiiryday. week meant dxActljP what trsatd:r*As a matter of- fact, tfre flve-^laV'week for miners was instituted" m Scotland as far back as lSS3^\vljfen it nvas-wSh 'first ; m "HohcsiaVs" calf county, '•' iXnark-- • shire. • Sinco then' Jhero^has/. been* .Tfc-: further . reduction croattal-.iijt^.idgOE and a quarter at present rate, ;; Whcfn. the Slcots miners won their ' "five-day week, the working day t>f 'at least ten hours, the wcc^ylMJfl^e" was a fifty hour week— foot" hfM.irs.ljss than the- engineers and the .re^s^pf Ihe "blacky Squad." j Over twcjit>* the eight hours' day was ftdb^^t)^ tho miners, thus reducing lh£, mfo^rs' 1 working week to one of' forty "hours. . The latest demand is for a thirty-two hour", weok. Zealand workers may fancy they lead, the Hvprld, but 4|. seem it- must bo .admitted^thaC:^ thjv Scots miners are good i^ace^iK^j'^'' Maori philosophy is often superior to that of the jiakchti; a^iid gets • a straight left In oii to the'"boßv>," Which produces a starry "scintillation* 'Of-- tWB r greatest brilliancy: "thus a,, chief,; ot the Ngatiamakl tribe. Wai, ,tis r^lo^ed by Mr. T. Lihdsrty Buick m h^'^r<ba|y of AVaitartgi," rose and addresson some pertinent Inquiries to his Ex^kictft.-; Governor liobson'wheh the signing of that celebrated .trqaty was ,bomg f dia- . cussed: ■ . ' , r ; - ; To theo, O Governor, thißl<v<WHl: you remedy the 'selling,; • "thcr/:sfcxv: changing, the cheating, :Vho., lyii)& the stealing of thenvhUes? ;.",%Ctor< . ■ vcrhor.; yesterday I was cursod .,y£y-: '■--.- ii.whlta mmv! Is that straight? The white man gives iis haily^^ti, , pjnind for a pig, but ,he,g)yek;£i|u ' pakeha four pounds^ for ; . Ih ' that straight? , iXhc whlto" mart gives ub a shilling for a basket ot potatoes, but to a '. piikehi Kc'SlyesP four .shillings for ti biuikfet I|k6 ; that one of ours, lj^ that strUlfeht? 'No, no! • They wiif noty UsTteit ■ ts> thee, so go back, gOvlnxckl If they would , listen Vm]^ob!p^i jiti/. .yest, good that!' liht. bave thtjy .eyor listened to Busby? And wllD they • ilfetoh- to' thee, a stfarigepjr^mi^Lf; "of yestdrday? Sit ■'■ jntieed ?^*w *a, ■ ■-'•I*"'?. *i"./u**j* Think it out; proletarian- plugsVSolrnfli sound economic ,. reasoning jtrorii tho Maori. '. ; : " In Sydney unionist quarter^ the view Is gaining ground that thopppbrtunity of sccut;Jng»B«uitis Jn the legislative Council is "tukJLsk. .ajyyay -all the mlllUinjey" from union officials. "It is hot likely." Is tho cynical' 'remark of those holding this- vifcw. "that Labor Council delegates, \\rho bppo tp get into the Upper House, will anything la erlUclHm of tho Government." Among the proposals, already hazarded m various unlotti c^rclca^ia a basis' for a new Trades t'nlop Pttirjv, are tho following: / ■, .... None but/wagc-curner^to bo allcived to hold (ofttce ift fchc/theW.; party: no membera of J?aj > llament to hold ofricc In the „parly;, .parly; ft straight-out Innd pulley vurrivcrßal working hourtiot not Jrtoro ihan 11 per week: State support; fpr erH permanently, dlßnbJed j^i tadif»f,.. : try:- tho party to <be indcD^ndeijt, forming ho allluncos wltl^ any, othor party. ... \ . i> Among those who wuppdrl $<* .> proposals are many "dQirYmlnea men." who huve been uctivc |«runlon orgttnlsatton andtn the Uihorand Socialist interest for many year«. 'Vln-y i rocoHnlse th.'it , thu . pr«j»(<ttt I^anor Party lm» got on the ,\vrbhg irpk'. tind ! thoy are going to mako u^ntiiqt a(j'tompt to luihlfcve their object;*- ; Some startling evidence wus given by Jack Turner, tho. wclUknowj* Anarchist. Hecrotary of .thcKnUOßaL.^malKninutod Clorks' and Shop A«slßtunlH* I'nioi), before tho ComuVons Commlticft on Short WoiKlit. In -<h« Ijourfie of hla HiAtomvnt .luck wild: While thu sale of gor>d^ la reirulutetl )>>• ini'K'' companies owning retail shops it l.s nut possible for thu iiitslMtantH to fflvo full wolght to' the pHbliir' without f it Hi^ng short' m thi'ic «it»ek. Hut m hpito. oft lljlm, nuui ar« beln»* Hummiirllyv diHini»at»«l. withoijL'wajri*,; for giv-v tug :<hort woiKln. KoPniurli 1 In « 1 Hitch crtKe.H thoy woro tr«Pfc»ty rpprl*' j mantled; Uui hl»k'<v thlS' acli'tt* Commltj«o brgnn tin I»vf-Ktl«atlonft-Kr<?»t«>r vlgUitnt'o w»»u bolnw 'exer» cla«d: . JnHpt,»clorn ot Soca.l outhitr- - | I ties' \v<<r«! more •nctlvty^riil thftltirjio rc'tH ll ' provision Wirtpifnicsf wore very slmrp on thofr(V«Tr»Vl«*y 4 >' | «H'rt. In ttctllntt' Hitch **irU6lorf vii" tt*ii, ruttvv. «uß;tr, it ml "VoOoir'thtr" uwHlKin'nt i.H fhas^'d By* ht» r»m---i ployors f«<r the pHpt-r »ft»j>j»Up<l : 'to him. Mo \v.m io p«y <»n f?v<»ry i looll>I t>f twt nn tMjulvulrtiu Hrtr»>»imt jxr lb for 21b of i>».|M*r "ovWteh irimuiß* ihui he |»ii.vk for 1021 b <if t««ji*ftnd' Kola only lOOHt litul 21b «>f pftf»<»r);' > ttnd s<> Him ll it mutKin l« hII"W-h1 . for loj<h In banilllnK Uuil^U H vrry (lifllctiU (uv the ut<afnUUit (.» jjivo full wf-lght. In a lui-k«- Mo tirofU on imhmt alone will nlmoai piiy \\u> wnges of thu niiUr, | Mr. Whlto. n t«oiMlon Brhc^r'M ni«n--liißor. iMlmUunt h< v fyrw (h« O»mmiHJi',«m iiiuu uwluu t«» the »>'if(fm of 'luildiftß nij}»if»tHtn« liable for ioss»'« Vt\ TmmMhjt euDtlK v \ya« imj»i>Beibl«i f«*f iho'm to uvnitl f wltuUiivK thr ptihllc hf «|\ mc hiiori •rt'olslu. U<> produoiAi ■' iO numWpr of thick jMicHetn lr> which " u-i' In 'srild by « Ipurtlnc rc»>H i\ftt\; whfaW, '• he nvomMl. r««pr»»»H'nu'] v \hx «m *W}«» j «oWor «>f. i» «tt In th« : il. T^rxfiTrf 'fcrt'fciMio nWn?i«t pliuf (•• WrtKw^Tnfttt thla trk'k iti plwyiil t«» perfection.