TRADE UNIONISM AND COOPERATION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12418, 30 July 1902, Page 8

TRADE UNIONISM AND COOPERATION.

MR TOM, MANN AT PORT CHALMERS.

At Ilia Foresters' Ball, Port Chalmoro, Mr 'Torn Mann Addressed an uudionco of about 50 ptoplo last evening, this Mayor (Mr Thomson) presiding, The speaker, who was received with upplause, traced the history of trade unionism, showing the conditions';that prevailed in the Ulcl Country, a century.ago wliich gave riso to the neopssity for that unionism, and say. ing that, iu obedioneo to the law Of Unrestricted competition which, at that time Was laboured by employers of labour, politicians, and economists, the conditions of tho workers gradually became worw. Having no combi* nation 9 and no munioipal, op parliamentary statutes controlling th<? conditions, the employers were enabled to force down wages and lengthen working hours, and this at a time when wealth was being produced more rapidly than over before. The conditions of labour thuS became intolerable/ and the more courageous of tho workers decided to rebfcl against tho law and to combine in order to negotiate more effectually with the employers. In 1824 the combination laws, Which mado organisation illegal, wero repealed, and for the first time trade unionism received a stimulus', and in proportion as the peop o organised tho standi:rd of life was raised by the reduction of. working hours and the increase of wagos. This continued ... a P eri °d of 20 years, ami, concurrent with it, was the growth of the co-operativo movement, with Robert- Owen as special advocate; while William Cobbet was urging tho -people to demand the francliiso and to demoeracise tho machinery of Parliament. J.he co-operative movement had passed through various vicissitudes with varying success until in 1844 tho Rochdale pioneers established themselves .as distributing cooperators, with a view to accumulating capital to enable them to obtain land and machinery to live as a self-sustained community. Events had not favoured tho. working out of tho movement in this direction, but distributing co-operation had been a great success, and to-day they had scores of factories producing furniture, clothing, foodstuffs, and other commodities required in ah ordinary household. All this being so, much trade was taken from the control of the plutocracy and handled exclusively by the democracy -(Applause.) He then traced the growth of municipjlisation, and said thft men in Great Britain and Europe generally bad for the part 20 years been applying the principles of co-operation through til" agency of the municipal institutions, and he instanced the provision of light, water means of transit, and other things now generally provided by there institutions. lie lt i rif i™ 1 '" 11 1° t,!P I ,rira P ai( ' for gas in tort Chalmers—vis., 12 s 6:1 per 1000 ft, or 10s net,-and showed thai in England tlie a\cyage cost of gas was 2s 6d per 1000 ft ; whilo the coal hewer received, both in Ensland and (he colony, about 2s 6d pec ton. He argued that it should be within fhn power of the Port, ChalmciV municipality ,o. provide good gas at half the price now paid, and tins would be an instance of the application of mimicipil co-oprration. He pointed out that the suie principle should to applied through the machinery of it-he 'Mate, and that to nationalise/the land v,-oiild be sanpiy the application of the co-opr-rative' pnncipte through the asency' of Parliament. At the conclusion of his address Mr Mann was loudly appkucted,, and a number of question were asked and answered. A vote ot thanks to the chairman concluded the meeting, \ . -