THE INDUSTRIAL WORLD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14441, 6 February 1909, Page 14

THE INDUSTRIAL WORLD

NEWS AND NOTES. Br the llon. J. T. Paul. M.L.O. It«m« of information awl brief comnunts »n questions coming under this heading are »lw»ys welcome. Books, pamphlets, "etc., »nt to tho editor of this column trill also b« aoticad. MEETINGS FOE THE WEEK. Th« following unions wilt meet during thu week st tho Trades ilill:— Monday. - Butchers, Painters, Wharf Labourers. Tuesday.—Plumbers, Gas Stokers, Thuraday.—Furniture Trade. Friday.—Carpcivtcrs, Carters, Saturday.—bakers. INDUSTRIAL DISEASES. One of the problems of tho near future which confront the Government is to make clear tie exact position of thoae altoetcd by the industrial diseases clause of the new Workmen's Compensation for Accidents Ad. It been suggested that the wmietit way out of the difficulty in to repeat the clause. Tho suggest.ion is eitsy; tlie acooni|ill(ililiipnt would prove extremely It in not ail Gusy tivsk to repeal any legislation which seeks to case sutrering brought uliout I>y any indiiHtritil (JOOUl«tion, 11113 ImiiiiiiiiiMiuii iiisfiiic.ts of the <«iniiiuiiity rcvoli, against tho suggestion. Likewise it is liulikkily to agree that, an industrial diwasc. peculiar to a parncular occupation in not. au equilahlebbas s for wimpeinatiou. Now that, iixlust rial diseases mive been included in Mm Knglish mid ISew //inland Workers' ( 'oin])t»ii.-:ati(in for AccukMits Acts, sonio ollinr inotliod than repeal will have to bo for overcofnmg any dipictilty of iipplicntion, 'Ihcre are evidences that, Christian churches are taking increasing interest iu tho iiuliislrial lifv ami problems or Ihe people. I wat much interested recently in milling a long report, of a meeting of' Ihe Bendigo (Victoria) Anglican Synod. At that meeting a committee of the (Iliristiiui rkiwnl (fliion wus .Hot. up to consider the question of miners' disease ami its remedy. I have lived for some yeans iu the Victorian liiiiiitig centre, and from my own observation can vouch Ihe correctiiestt of miiiislers who s[Kjto |o the motion. That tliere is nny ratio of projKirtioh between tlm ravages of miners' di.x'asn in Hendig and any New Zealand centre I am not prepared to ingufi. Tho mines are not so deep here, the ravagcf of the disease not so widespread, nor, I should think, ore the prospects of prevention so hopeless. Tim Rhv. A. C'onsluliln moved iu the matter. Ho referred to the beautiful sunlit skies; .but there were. 3650 men in Dcndigo who spoilt OIK'-tllirtl o( their time in the dark rccesses of tho mince, where no ray of siiii- I ah mo ever penetrated, amidsi dust and Itoxiotis funics ill an atmosphere poisoned— the very home 0 f the tulwrcidar germ. On tho authority of Dr Summons, he said the avorogo age at which t,ho miner of lleuiligo ntcd from jitH'i'rs 1 disease was 50 years. oOMieliinos for a'period of two years uik! n-Ji.'ilf hofori} hit death hn was in awful sufrenng. Tho rev. genllpinan that Itc and the other clergy present who worked among the minors could bear testimony to the fact that "the sulfurings of tin. miller at tlie cl<R-e of his life, long hefore that life should he en<lcd. i were bevond description." lie brought some and pictures before his brother ministers. He bclieve<[ the disease was hivelv pre.venlihle. Tlh; prwent <leatli-rate °vas a wasl<? of htimun life. "If ;l mine could not be rendered lit. for human lieings to u'ork in it should be shut down mul the sooner the hotter. If ihey were to get sold, precious »« it was, at the cost of human life, and they knew it was so got in many ween, then better a thousand times to leave it where it was. and lei the men hnvo their health and strength." A great impression was made on tho -Synod by the speech of Dean MaeCtillagh. The Dean is a worthy man, old in years ami honours. He has lived a great part, of his ii;c iii the midst of miners. The oldest man he ltnd known die of miners' complaint was about 60 years, but lie had buried a number of men under 40. A start, time ago lie hud buried a. man who hail just readied 42, and that man's younger brother was now on his dcath-bod with the dreadful disease. The Ooan declare*! tI»L '• Wealth which is gained at the expense of men's lives is hardly wealth at till." He told the Synod <if tho spread of the diseti.se, o! t he. general good charaetor of tlie miners' of tho poverty and dread of disease in a number of_ (heir Jioiws, and plendoil th,'it in Ocd's Xante something should he done.

" A very huge proportion of minors were old when they should In; young, and dying when thny should ho in llioir .pi'inie," declared tlit; venerable JJenn.

Fortunately llie problem is a very small one in New Zealand compared with that ill Victoria. Tho deeper llie shaft the more unhealthy the working conditions, and in some parls of i.lie Bomiigo goldfield the mines arc over 4000 foot deep. It is a dcbateablc point whether, under .such circumstiinoea, gold is noi won at too- great a price in Imnmn toll.

MISERY ON SHOW. There has been another sweated industries exhibit ill Home, this liuw in llford Town Mull.' Tlio Woman Winker savs Ihoro was u tiny aittrtnient, Bft, square, with one sido open lo public view. Tho only articles of furniture in it were a cheap iron bedstead, a chair, and a table, the top of which seemed once lo have formed part of an orange boa. The (loor was bare, and so were the walls. There was a sewing machine, at which a pale young woman sat making boys' knickers at 2s tho dozen. Her uw.nige. working day— not, at the Town Hufi, of course, for there she was only an exl«ibit—is 12 hours, and her average earnings are 8s u week. Sho id a "sweated" worker, and the little room in which she works was a duplicate of her home.

Realistic as this exhibit, was. it fails to adequately picture the life of tho sweated. Add the narrow street, bnd ventilation, a bare cupboard, barren hopes, and one has an imperfect conception of the lot of thousands of sweated British workers,

Thoro were 10 slulls, ejch devolcd lo a " sweated " industry, and at each stall a woman was working. Of all these sweated workers none work less than 10 hours a day, and one al least-tlie maker of matchboxes, puts in 16 hours a day in order lo earn an averane of 5s a week during five months of the year.

' Compared with her Ihe lailoress is n. woman of wcalili and Wsure. Yel here is ior appalling schedule for making hove' knickcrs:

j"* l ! ! aul •, 2s per dozen. Workers outlay 2d to 4d nor dozen Average working day "12 hours' Average earnings 8s ~er week Duration of work jrre"ular Retail price of article, ls 6d ami Is 9d"pair.' At- another stall u woman was iixing hooks and eyes on cards. In actual life sho earned 3s 4d a week. Here is oarl of her grim recoixls:

Average working dav-From about 5 p.m., when work arrives, till U « in. lioxt- day, when it has to go back. At least 14 hours' work. Average earnings 3s 4d weekly between two—mother and dimghler.. When work is plentiful and the children arc made lo lielp, ihe whole family can earn 6s a week by hard work.

The other kinds of work illustrated were brush drawing, the earnings at which are (w a week for 11 hours' work; skirt making, 5s a week; baby linen milking, about 4s; waking boot uppers. 7s tc 8s; millinery, 6d a week; and blouse making.

TIIE SLUMP IX TUB SOCIALIST VOTE. Tlia unexpected oft-en happens in politic, i. lorgo increase was expcctetl in Iho Socialist vote lor tho Socialist candidate .or the American Presidency. In 1904 Hugeiic V. Dels the {Socialist- candidate, polled 102,000 vote: at last election he jwlled a ll'itio less. To hold its ground the ■Socialist vote would liavo had to inwvaso tho 1801 ligurcii in pro]x.>rtiou to tin! inoiwiss of voters. As it is the slump is serious. All the prohphetti have "[;dlc-n in it." President Kuosevelt i.-. said to Ikivo privately predicted thai tho Socialist vote would reach 1,200,C00. The majority of Moll-ii,formed moil who made estimates placcd it. at atom 1.000,000. And t-lioro was Jliuc-h ivurfon for I heir estimates. .Socialism was buildup larye in Jhe public eye. Mei^azines, innvspaiH'tf, ami orator mad'? il a live question. Tin; |iartv was organised hotter than it hail bee,, previously ll was able to rim u train with its candidate over a large part of tJu; States. The

" lied Special" was u. groat, vote-cak-lier, said the enthusiasts, Its uimlidate is a ]>opuii\v nun and able, lie was tilling his jnootinw with large crowds,.who paid for ad miss t int. Other candidate* were ghid to got the haJU filled with a free admission. Otor 14,000 iwoplo i»id for admission to one of IJcb's meeting's. It was held in a natnrsl amphitheatre rn tho <me.n air. ]Cverytliiii« paintod to a magnificent noil. And now comes the nowi? that the vote ha-s eJuni|>ed hodly. In New York, Chieaxo, Cievekml, atid ail tlto* bit;- with the

exception of Pittsburg, fewer Socialist votes Inive been polled than iu 1904. Chicago, tlic storm-centre of revolutionary sentiment, has (locroiifivl its vole by over 50 por ton!. Tlie_ real reasons for tlre (Incline! in the Socialist vote arc not easy to define. I think the reaction in part, is due to intimidation by the Republican party and a fear of a continued business depression. Then, again, the uncompromising policy of denunciation of every worker and Labour leader who will not. swallow the Socialist party's Socialism must- disgust; many earnest and sincere people. " Why did Labour voter? not. support the Socialist, party ticket.?" asks Mr .Tohn Martin (of New York) in the Socialist, Review. And he answers his own question:—"ln tl)i> main for iihonl tho same reasons thai the Irade unionists of Britain would not vote for the Social Democratic Federation. ISctween the Socialist party am] tho Federation of lialxmr no brotherly low is wasted, and during an eleetion t.horo in a wmsUuit. interoiiantfe of Hill 110 uiiienif'iits bef.ween thorn." The writer then gives some samples. " Readers will need no further indication of the reasons advanced by unionists for scouting the party headed by Debs. And there is less prospect iu America than in F.tigluml 1 hut. a purely Sociuli<il. party can win national victories." "Is, then," continues Mr Martin, the onilouk for Labour Radicalism iu the United States altogether gloomy? To those who are convinced that only through an Independent Ulmtir or Socialist party can salvation come the prospect: is, indeed, dispiriting." Tin points out Unit, iho obstacles in frunl of the Uril.inh Labour party arn moleImll.s rornpyred to the mountains to he sin-mounted by American Socialists. Not I'iiijflaijd and Seofland have to bo eovered, nnf. aI) the countries of Europe. "In lan' economic development, reli ,r ion colour, hnmlitary (rails, and racial eharae(eristics there are as many and as dee]) differences anions the wage-earners of America as among the factory and field hands, of urn Old' World." Imagine printing election literature in 17 and yon have an idea of the cosmopolitan nature of tin; people to be welded inlo one party. The writer of I Iks Socialist Review article is not, hopeless. U,, | llls j„ ( | |f , Itcpubbe. 1 lie American workers' industrial salvation lies in ''(lie superior potency of public opinion iu the United States and especially i„ ti.o susceptibility of politicians to changes in the political atmosphere " Mr Martin sure that, a, change tins been created m the political atmosphere, and tlwt he workers will &>[ ;l , (jU;n . Pr c | onj 5n futaire: President liooseveli and Milan. have decide,! "to follow the election returns'. If litis beet, largely produced lv the action of Mr Samuel (lompers and his federation of Labour. And this or"ini.s., '""I its officers have been consistently abused and maligned bv the Socialist party Labour men have won this victory: limy ht'.ve ma.le tlie whole country discuss llio thjUliMioii issue, and judges will be more Cioefii til fill lire about, obliging an emit oyer s attorneys." ||. j s ko , , j 'o fmm flight by the h,|, will be learnt. In oilier places than America election, lessons are often ignored.

•TOITINGS. A conference o| slaiigliienncii will he l ! t ' Kl t'iiristdiurth v\nhi,, a mouth to 'tmi-o wttges tttut woriimg ■ iho Uristchuidi T.-,. ilml ~a i, u „ ,, V, , "'C largest in ,he |) ( ,„,i M i un . It 11.14 b<i unions auiliaied, new ones having joined '.tiring >oill . 1 lip elect ton lor tite Tramwa.is I niton secrciarvx-iiip is causing much mutrcM. m * .., " • i ', u.i-re>. J lnj lolltctl is hUHeeii 1. loung ueunng .-<•<- rctary) an<l «. it. Westbrool.e, rcconr.'v appoitiled to a position m tn<. l ia i,.-, m . u,,. pariiiieiit. Inicss a ballot is tlemaiKKd tne elect ion will he held'on Alondav ni'dii . iho I'hnstchiircli trades Coune.i' i ill],' tlie largest, delegation on record io a iradas Councils' I'onieicuce iu .New Zenhind, It having appointed nine (ielegales at its b:St. meeting. lion. .John llarr, -U.Jj.C., and - 1 ,1 i It u.'.l.rniee, IJa.ite,iliirl. Whiting, Suilittin, llouard Cookt-' and Darcy were i!,e,-::c tn omd dat,v. Mr liailey, sccrclary ~l the council, litis just received all iippoiiiltiieni in the Labour IJeliarlinetil, and a ill contetpieully be tillable to attend the eonlereme.

Mr E. ,1. Carey, the energetic and popular secretary of flic Wellington Cooks' and Winters Union. been in lUmcdiu Il<* litis been io jdace the worker?* case lioloiv tlie c-mpa>> o in tonlieetion with the U*ul iiou-t" Union. Mr C.irey has hjen verv ful with the Wellington Union, and this in largely du: ; io hk untiring entlmand his imiukal kuowlt\l»o of tho iudur>tiy.

ill'. Umsk'liurch 'lrailes Council Ims Keen vcrv .sui-tc&ful in ius nutiiuyomeni «i it* Tiwilufi i-laii. ir Ikus only Ix'-ju creticil a stion liini?. but ilw )!<>nunivl lor luom.s ;tml its ivvwiu.* ij;;s liot/n rK) gwj iiiat u<i<liroiu; jiro coukMupimvil. 'iljo gruiifying fact is thai tin* a«l«iiticiK if carrion on, will be eonMnu-iai mil o! n.'voinu\ To secure-a j:«ll on the lialMiolidav question it will he luMtssaiy for Uoliinjiion Trades ami Üboiu- Comn-il to collm about 350 a signature.-) oi muriir-ipal electors, 'lilt l proposal to oslalilijii ;i LaU>i;r nevispaper in Well iijjiou is ma-ting wiiii many 1/ruiiiisi.ti of support. Xhc promotes (the Jinn. ,1. Hissj, -U.LC., mid ill- C. 11. Chapman) are raiivawiiiig tor shareholders anil several unions are granting linanciai ;is-isi-

'Die Wellingion Trades and Labour Council is again trying the experimeni of admitting the press lo their ordinary mailiugs. In the opinion of some o! the councillors it is stilt in ilie experimental .-l-ago.

t nndiMstuud thai lite Waterside Workers' Cuiou has increased its nieinbership considerably as a resull ol its preference clause. Mr (i. Terry. is the president, and its total membership is probably over 2000. Mr 1). M'Laren, M.l 1 ., i s sceretary of the union. In 1907 llie membership was £60.

Auckland Butchers' 1./iilun recently invi«f<l all iion-uiiieiiisl, butclws to attend a meeting to discuss proposals lor increase of Wages and a review ol working condilions. Ttventy-eighi new members were enrolled.

Women have just Ix/en made eligible lo sit on Wages Hoards as assessors in Fiance. A special board is elected by cach trade.

, 1 nily is a proles! against ihe comjHUitiou of \uige-oat iters lo work for starvation wages.—Exchange.

111? Xalional I uion ol Clerks in England has decided lo demand a minimum wage of 35s per weok.

1 lie total amount in England om of Ihe parliamentary grant in aid of th-> unemployed up lo Det-eniher 19 was £94,479. The seer.liiry of ihe Auckland lioilcrJiialiers Cnion recently advertised for boilermakers and ii.sj<isiaiii.<. 'J'lm morning he had upwards of 60 applicants. The tanks of the. unemployed are increaswith alarming rapidity for ibis early period of Ihe year, and the winter promises to be a bad one for the worker, says an Adelaide corr->s|><iudi'iit. Acccrdin? to Ihe figures given by Mr Lloj-<l-(icr.i-go on Oeivnilwr 18. over 430,000 old-iige pei;sioi,s have Iseen granhyl lo date.

London County Council will probably 1)0 (Oinpi'llcd to s|K'tid £50,000 annually in Ibe rnlitre on the feeding of laws, siloits children. Over 35.C00 "eases have Already ken repork-d. Dining the four weeks ending December 2d, 43,?.fe4 dinneth have b"en given lo poor 1-eeds school chiklrc:i at a 'cost of £42-} 19s lid, 'Ihe eighth of a penny i;ue that wa~ levied is expended, and llie account otcidrawn lo the evtont of £302 19s 6d. mm ll, 'l ,11 i il,on ' '<> headed by Mr McLaren. M.l'., i ;S to wail on the J'riiue Miiitsier regarding immigration. Information is being gathered from secretaries of "luoll.s as to tne uuud>er of uneumloved on Ihe union Ikk>l,s in the ccnires. Mr ilolki Doygray, thenewly-elesied president of Uie tiran-iiy Minore' Union ha< been only 18 month* in New /A-aland. He is a memU>r of long .skin-dinjr of the Scottish Miners' Fedeis.ition, and wan fc-r yo-are ono of the executive otlicers of tho ormnisation.

I have just, received a letter from Mr Paul Kennedy, an American investigator, who visited ,\etv Zealand I„m vear with the object of studying at:d inquiring into our social legislation. After leaving here li'j vi.ojtsMi Aiutra.hu. liuor luitu Ik*"write* its follows:—" While in Molbourne 1 saw quite a hit of their wagts lx,ards, and rather liked (ho echo,lie W.-tUiu 1 hun yom-s— that is. your old an. 1 don't know the details yet of your now act. The hoard Hi«t-ings 1 attended showed a complete ami ready mastery of all details on the part of me;, and mas-ten, and none of ,-hat toriiKilily haras.-ui:,' of witnesses and siwcli-maliiug your system lends itself to. And vei there aro some very bad features/ 'I"'"' «> cliK'f of all, perhaps, the verv! low wii K cs permuted anil in vogue in in very (uusidei-.'Ale number ( ,f oas-s, bv tho: praeliw of employing ,o-u.lied improve,*.! Am of course here ap:n, as in New ZraUlt'.d, I saw uiin-lusiors largely vitiateil I oj iiiiiquo labour c..i;ditioi;s- Ixmu timet; ' or \ ictomt, iraumfadiirei* after feriera- i lion, aii-.1. ss con,par,d with lv^!, tm l 1 Aiiwicm, a searcilv of laKmtvnO'