THE INDUSTRIAL WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14377, 21 November 1908, Page 3

THE INDUSTRIAL WORLD.

Bf THE Hps. ,T. T. Paul, M.L.O. t

NEWS AND NOTES.

Items of information ojxl brief comments o>V questions coming under this heading are' ahvoys welcome. Books, pamphlets, etc, sent to the editor of this column will also be noticed, .MEETINGS FOR THE WEEK. The following unions Will meet'durin- the week at tue Trades Hail;— / " 10-night (Saturday).—Typographical. Monaay.—Tramways. Tuesday.—Grocers; , Sawmillers, Slau°htexmen,; Gas Stokers. ° Wednesday .-Socialist Society. Friday .—Engineers, Master Plasterers, baturday.—Engine-drivers. THE BAKERS' STRIKE. An echo of the past comes in the shape of tho balance sJiect of the Wellington bakers striKe. It; "Will bo 'remembered that, the bakers were on strike for 15 weeks, after which it was declared oil'. lJie strike lost beyond all hope loii< r prior to the official declaration of its end. J.he-total amount received by tho Wellington Trades Council on behalf of tho strikers was £545 10s Id.. .Half of this amount was subscribed in Wellington, i'he Dunedin Bakers' Union donated £20 to the assistaaico of their fellow craftsmen. It_will be remembered fliat the Dunedin Trades Labour Council disauproved of tho- strike, fearing that repeated attacks on the arbitration system would kill it. Tho response from Dunedin was consequently small. The whole amount roceivod, in fact, was insignificompared to the response in aid of the Blackball strike, i That strike lasted 11 weeks, and £1600 was subscribed. Tho Bakers Onion was fined £100 by tho Arbitration Court, and tho fine was promptly paid. Of the total amount received in' response to the bakers' appeal, about £400 was paid in strike pay, For the first three wekes of the strike the expenditure under that heading amounted to £64 per week. An average of £32 5s was spent in the .same W'av for tho next throe weeks, wmle for the'three, succeeding weeks the striKC pay averaged £22 ss. During each of the remaining six weeks about £5 per week was sufficient to meet the demands for strike pay. _ The rest of the money handled by the Strike Committee went in. defraying tho expenses' incurred in the legal defence of the strikers, and in payment of tho lino imposed by the Arbitration Court. IN OLD JAPAN. Labour conditions in"the Laud of the Rising bun arc of'more than ordinary interest since Japan has proved herself a gleat naval Power. A most interesting report on the conditions of female workers has recently been published in England, A lady missionary (Miss A. L. Archer) is the author, and her experience of Japanese conditions has been mostly gained in tho large manufacturing centre of Osaka. Miss Archer may be allowed to tell her own story -.--"The girls work in two shifts—the day shift and the night shift, and these cliangc every 10 days. The number of the working hours is, as a rule, 12, with 45 minute cessation for dinner and ' tea.' I > know of some factories where the girls work in the daytimo only, but the hours are longer—i.e., from 6 a.m. to 8 or 9 p.m. The food provided is of tile coarsest and cheapest, and consists of rice, pickles, vegetable'., and sometimes a. little fish. They receive from 2{d to Is per day, and out of that they pay about 2d for food. Tho, boarding-houses aro shockingly overcrowded. A room of 18ft by 24ft may accommodate as many as 36 girls—indeed, I am told that as many as 48 girls are huddled in both 6ummor and winter. These rooms are never unoccupicd, nor are the ' futons' _ (padded quilts) ever given an opportunity to air. Even children rise with the other girls at 4.30 a.m.. and also take their 12 hours' turn at night-work for 10 nights." THE GROWTH OF INDUSTRIAL CO-OPERATION. In one of my exchanges I find a summary of tho cooperative movement in various lands. I have given readers a fail account of tho British movement, and a glance at the Oogtineiifc is interesting and instrusto, •"

Germany litis 985 societies, 885,074 members, and 2562 branches. Last year the turnover was £15,000,000. The profit was over £1,000,000. 'l'he share value of the landed property and buildings, as shown in tlie balance sheets, was £2,100.000. The movement has materially helped the masses. In Italy the co operative spirit has taken the form of a society for the erection of cheap and healthy houses. Its activities are confined to Venice at tho moment, and"all classes of employees have joined the society. In Switzerland banking is one of the foremost cooperative undertakings. There are 80 co-operative banking institutions. Over 6000 peasants arc members, and in 1907 tliey, did a business of nearly £1,000,000, the deposits amountin? to £180,000. Sweden lias 303 societies, with a membership of 49,054, against 178 societies 'and 30,150 members for tho previous year. Tho turnovot is over £240.000 a year. The organ of the co-operative uriion appears three times a month, and has a circulation of 16,000 copies. Co-operation is spreading amongst French agriculturists. The production and, sale of- agricultural produce will .shortly be carried on ori.'ia large'soalo on the cooperative ' principle. Tlie moyement is said to be so> widespread that''it incompletely transforming ,tlm individualistic customs of tho peasants. . , . Spain, Norway, and Hungary are. also experimenting in co-opfiraiion, awl ra Norway, the principle is :bcing extended. jßy reason of its success the movement is-spreading all over thp..Continent, and' in some psjrts very rapidly. - AN INDUSTRIAL CRISIS. . ' From the insignificant. rockchoppers' strike a great industrial crisis in Sydney is likely to arise. The struggje is not between tlie Vockchoppcrß and their employers. 1 It is now a fight between the unionists of Now South Wales and t.ho'Government. The cause is the Industrial Disputes Act, fathered by the Premier (Mr Wade). Trouble , has been foreseen f6r some time. Tho act c-ould .never be an aid to industrial poace because of its iniquitous severity ami uncompromising hostility to legitimate labour interests. And so the • inevitable struggle appeani to' have come. Tho secretary of the. union (Thomas Itj'a.ti) has fcsei fined £30, or:'six weeks' imprisonment. The crowd |n court made a demonstration in ; favour of Ryan, and the latter declared lie would serve six years before' ho' Would pay the fine. On the.;.next day' the presideqit (D. Garraway) was fined £40, or two months. The minuio l-torcta-ry and a member of the executive, tverc each fined £30, or six Weeks' imprisonment. TheV,- Crown . -.Prosecutor statsd that there wore.'jurndrsds'more prosecutions to follow.. Since j the men were fined tho employers have paid some of the fines, with a' view to paving tho way to a settlement, but an immediate settlement is doubtful. A factor against an amicable understanding., is the alleged-■ unfair treatment, the Labour Opposition is receiving from the Government in Parliament. Sydney Worker says that grave' consequences in fhe induetr-iul world are possible, The latest information I have is to the eficct that t'lio'Sydney Labour Council was agreeahlo to undertake the assistance of the rcckclioppera on condition that it had sole Control of t.ho campaign. ."They resolved to have nothing to do with the'-matterMf the international Socialists were to have a finger i.n the pie." A grave situation exists. Trotiblo at Broken Hill may easily arias through the despatch of a contingent of | polico to that centre. The suspension and re-election of Mr Griffith, member for Sturt in the New South Wales Parliament, is also a sign that both sides are in earnest; Uii'less Mr Wade acts with more tact than he has shown during the initial stages of the trouble New South Wales is sure to expcricnce a serious industrial struggle. JOTTINGS. ' Congratulations to tho new Federal Premier and his Labour Ministry, who are to guide the destinies of tho Commonwealth. 1 Tho first Labour Prime Minister of the Commonwealth (Mr Watson) was a New Zealandfli''. The. good wishes of the workers of the Dominon aro none the less cordial .to-tho second Labour P-rimo Minister be-' cause ho happens to be' a Scotsman. Scotland lias product eoinc sterling Labour leaders. Keir Hardie is one, Ramsay MacDoriald is another, t . ; When tho mail lcftr* Queensland arrange-; menls were being made for a monster, public meeting to protest against' Stutc- . aided immigration, .The date fixed was Monday lost. j I understand that the agreement entered into between tlie Duendin Waterside Workers' Union and tho employers is the most satisfactory tho wlmrf workers have had. It provides for preference to unionists and an amalgamation of Port workers 'in the Dunedin union. Other concessions have Iwen obtained by tho men, and the result •has been, brought • about by a ct).nfercncc between representatives of ibotli aides. A Saturday afternoon'sholiday was 'the custom ill lingland in the thirteenth century. A result of tho shipbuilding depression and strikes ,is given. in tho annual report or .1 aimer s Shipbuilding Company, Jarrow issjted recently, in which a less 0fi£53,631 on year is reported, , Trovison is made in an amended determination of tho Victorian i Brewers' Wages Board for an increase in tho Minimum,, wages to bo paid to'raekcre and corkere from 42s to 48s per week of 48 hours. A special rate of 35s per week ha 6 been agreed upon for these engaged .in unloadine maohinc-dnvon pnsteurisar3. On the motion of Labour-member Hughes tho to lowing motion was carried in the Moral Parliament just prior to the chawe the Contract Immigrants Act should be amended so as to prevent tho employment, of coloured or Asiaetic labour at work usually performed by *.li or * workmen upon or in con.ncctjon with ships in Lomnicmveahh ports <Swin K the time of industrial disturbance.'" It has bcon deoided by Victorian Labour members to ventilate the grievances c minora a.gainst t-Ho disgusting ZLd! adopted by the mineowners to secure convietians an connection with gold stealing casw under the Gold Buyers Act, General Scaretary Lute J las mac ] c LTl 8 «« uncorrohoiated btatement, oniy to he. afterwards l-bcrated „ the T e was no evidence S Lataiir member Blundell roeentlv moved !!' , Australian Assembly that nl Government contracts shall contain a condition to provide for the payment ot «'? rccogntfbd union rato of wag" I£ Mid that as nearly all fho ™ pad a minimum wage of 7s a day "it was only reasonable to ask ! that all Govern ment contractors should-pay at least tJiat M?C 'T'lt ° f the Cap ,° bmu ' Pavty, rewntiv arr 7 d 'J 1 'Melbourne rccs.nri). Ah Brucc'is to promote the federation of tho Poirtieal Labour parties of tho Empire, with a view o united action where the interests 0 f co™d. rSJnaJ,ypart '' 10 Empire arc The election of' Labour memher 1Wi l ', c, . lzles ' Western Australia, has ?V .dpe'ared void on the ground of irreguWnt.es at the poll. Mr Gregory, Minister ?„ a m 7't £ r ?. pi ' cs P" tecl flle constituency in the late Parliament, an<l who was derated by seven votes at the recent elections lodged the appeal. The return of f'ri z7 ' a 1S cons "l c rod certain, 111? report, of the Royal Commission appointed to take evidonce and report on tho condition of the rolling stoelc o( the Auckland tramways, contained tho following:—"Tho question of glass fronts was brought up; it e aro of opinion that any fitting that tends to improve the conditions under which the niotorinan works will help to keep him in the best condition io exercise care and vigilance in tho execution' of his duty, and consequently tend to safeguard the public. During heavy rain and" dust storms the protection afforded by glass fronts enables the motorman the 'clearest viGn- possible of tlie road, and thus be is able to instantly apply his brakes in emergencies which often arise under such conditions." At the last meeting- of the Adelaide Labour Council a motion was tabled that in the opinion of tho council a lady organiser should be appointed with a "view to the proper organising of all the women workers in the metropolitan area. Tho mover was Mr R. Blundell, M.L.A.. He said that the industrial position with re-

gard to women was getting worse every (lay. Everywhere employers were knocking off moil and putting women on in their places at lower rates, of ] wages. Sydney Labour Council ha<l appointed a separate secretary to look after the women workers. Hp- would not advocate tho employment of a woman organiser to go on a platform. • They tlul not want oi'a- • tory. What was wanted was a practical commonsonse, sympathetic woman to go into the factories and workshops and talk to women as olio of themselves, and convince Ihem of tho benefits of unionism. Tho motion was'.debated, with enthusiasm, and was warmly supported. It was not concluded when the..meeting rose till next week. ' . The Victorian Parliamentary Committee got some startling evidence 011 the Melbourne fish supply from Mr Danncvig, tho Commonwealth' Director of l'ishenes, last week. The fish agent, not content with his 10 por oonji, commission, rooks the consumer by buying the fell, holding it._ for a high-priced market, or else destroying it to keep the price up. At no time, said Mr Darinevig, was the market allowed to become cheap, and tho fishermen nover get all the benefit of a high .market, Tho agent got: all the. • benefit then}-; was-going, and the publio paid excessive \pr!ees in consequence. This, swhdlihg gOTe a return of only three, half-p?ncoa, pound -to t.ho fishcr•'men,. or .-only 55 to 58 t per .cent, of the wholesale prioc. For this tho publio was bled to'the extent of :Bd, 10d, and ..sometimes la per -It:'-:;; Tho--difference went in commission,and profits to.tho agents. No wonder Mr Dannevip urged that- fish should be sold by Statu or miuiieiDal, officers, whp should' be- paid a-.salary.—Sydney Worker. '' '■ ,