INDUSTRIAL WORLD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15986, 31 January 1914, Page 7

INDUSTRIAL WORLD

NEWS AND NOTES

Bt tsb Hon. J. T. Paul, M.L.G.

lie mi of information »nd brief °°mment« on questions coming under ttiia beading* J welcome. Books, pamphleU, eto., *nt to Uie author ot column will atoo bo notioea.

MEETINGS FOR THE WEEK. Tha following Labour organisations will meet at the Trades Hail during tho week: — To-night (Saturday).—Shipwrights. Monday. —fainter*; Tailors; Bricklayers; Boot .Repairers; Tinsmiths; Butchers;

Grocers' Picnio Committee. Tuesday.—Plumbers' Federation; Woollen

Mills. Thursday.—Trades and Labour Council; Social Democratic Party. Friday.—Carpenters; Moulders; Drivers. ARBITRATION OOURT ELECTION, Tho election of Mr J. A. M'Cullough as workers' representative, and Mr li J. Caroy as deputy must be regarded as distinctly satisfactory. To have deposed Mr M'Cullough at the present time would have been a grievous mistake. His work has boen conscientious a«d successful, and the very largo vote registered in his favour is abundant proof that his efforts have beou appreciated, Tho election of Mr E J. Carey as workers' deputy representative in place of Mr W. T. Young marks tho unions' recognition of the efforts of an unselfish and enthusiastio worker. The most gratitying feature of tho election, however, is the fact that the chosen of the workers are oonvinced supporters of the principle of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act. Some of the candidates who offered their services in the capacities mentioned were, to say the least, hot and cold supporters of the Act. Such men, in asking unions to entrust them to represent them in a tribunal in which they had little or no faith, occupied a wholly illogical position Some of them have wholly condemned arbitration, and yet were ready to take a position which would compel them to settle disputes by arbitration. It was not an edifying spectacle, and reflected little credit on the men who placed themselves in such a false position.

THE ARBITRATION COURT. Organised .Uiuour is evincing keee interest w the appointment of tne new president o£ the Arbitration Court. Outside oi the president, the Court is now complete by the re-election of Mr VV. Scott (employers' representative], arid Mr J. A. M'Cuiiougii (workers' representative). It it certain that the Government will have some difficulty in making the new appointment. Foi many years the Governmeat has had some indication of the opinions and outlook ol the appointee because of his service and association with the Conciliation Boards. On this occasion there is no one available who has had anything approaching practical experience of the working of the Act, or the difficulties of adjusting Labour difficulties. This is not to s&y that a suitable man is not available; but so far as practical training is concerned the choioe of the Government must be made in the dark. Let us hope, in the interest of the wholo community, that the choice will be wise.

Ample testimony has been forthcoming during the pact few weeks to show the large place held in the hearts of the workers by the Right Hon. Sir Joshua Williams, first president of the Arbitration Court. His work and decisions have not been forgotten, and several Labour organisations have placed on record their high appreciation of his worth, and their satisfaction of the' honours conferred on him. After the lap6e of 60 many years this display on the part of Labour must be pleasing to Sir Joshua. I notice also an appreciation of Mr Justice Higgins, the much-discussed president of the Commonwealth Arbitration Court. During the hearing of the employers' objections to the laundry workers' award in the Arbitration Court Mr Justice Burnside remarked that Mr Justice Higgins had set up a standard which must be taken into wnsicleration. The employers' representative observed that more power seemed to be .vested in Mr Justice Higgins tha,n in all governments, and the King of England to boot. Mr Justice Burnside replied:—"Mr Justice Higgins was not a candidate for his position any more than I was a candidate for this position. The people of Australia under the Constitution have trusted him with what appears to be unlimited powers, which, in my opinion, he has exercised admirably, and he has adopted a principle that if any industry did not support a living wage there was no reason why that industry should live."

IMMIGRANT FARM HANDS. Judging by the newspaper reports more than ordinary interest has been aroused by the recent arrivals by the Ayrshire. In " Trade and Labour Notes" in the Auckland Star ''Industrial Tram" 6ays that "On Tuesday a party of boys, so-called, paid a visit to the Auckland Trades Hall, after arriving by the Ayrshire in the morning from Liverpool. They are termed "boys," but from the sample that I spoke with at the hall tho term "young men" would be far more applicable. One was Bix feet 'n height, while the tallest in tho party on board was three inches taller. They one and all complained of being shipped entirely in the dark as to what the wages were in the dominion for farm labour. They were drawn from all parte of the United Kingdom, even Wales being represented They were engaged through the H'gh Commissioner's office, for the use of the farmers of the dominion, and were all engaged by wireless as eoon as the steamer left Hobart. When they left Liverpool they understood tbat they were bound to pay back to the New Zealand Government the sum of £8 ae the cost of their passage, but on arrival discovered that £2 had been added for further expenses, making a total of £10 indebtedness. Though the sum of 7s 6d per week was mentioned as their wage for the first year of service, they understood that this was the minimum, and that they would be paid according to ability to do tho work." " Industrial Tramp" deals furthor with the attempts made to persuade the " boys" to break their engagements. All efforts in this direction were unsuccessful, however, and the "boys" are fulfilling their engagements. It has been pointed out that the minimum wages arranged, which are certainly low for " boys" of 22 years or so, aro merely minimum wages, and will in no case be regarded as the maximum. "Tramp" ooncludes by saying: ''There is another shipment of about 50 to arrive in the Suffolk at Auckland on February 22. While the labour unions do not induce immigration to the dominion, believing that at present there is a large surplusage of labour already here, yet they are anxious that any labour arriving here shall bo engaged at ruling rates, and not under such starvation wages as proposed to the Ayrshire boys. N Hence the action of the Rural Workers' Union iq sending an agent to meet the vessels arriving from timo to time at our ports."

PROFIT SHARING AND GOLD BRICKS. Tho remarks of Sir William Lever on profit sharing and the "possibility of his firm commencing" business in the dominion has revived interest in the merits of profit sharing.

Dealing with the auestion under this heading the Australian" Worker Bays: "Of Sir William Lever personally much can be said in approval of his life work. Port Sunlight stands to his credit as an 'example of a town where something resembling civilised conditions exi6t. Between Carnegie's Pittsburg with the highest infant death rate in the world and Port Sunlight with the lowest there ia a great gulf. One could conceive of an individual capitalist liko Sir William Lever formulating gomething resembling an equitable profit sharing system. But Sir William Lever is no longer a private fcapitalist; he l.as lxi.ome part of a great corporation. Quite recently he formed a combination with a nominal capital of thirty millions to exploit tho Chinese 6oap market. How much real capital has gone into that undertaking no one but the promoter and perhaps an inner ring of exploiters really known. Of one thing we may be quite certain, not anything like thirty millions' worth of real capital has gone into this undertaking. When we com;; to ' profit sharing' in a concern of that sort it makes quite a difference from ihe workers' point of view whether the thirty millions represents real capital, or say, five million nonnds' worth of capital and twentyfive million pounds worth of gold bricks. If tho alleged capitalist controls the share led- - ger, profit sharing irmy mean anything. Let us turn the proposition round the other way. _ Suppose that the workers in any commercial undertaking had sole control of the time sheets it would make quite a difference from the capitalists' standpoint if the worker acquired a playful habit of calling an hour's work a week's time or something of that sort. As long as one party had absolute control of the counters upon which his share of profit is placed, profit sharing must be a delusion and a snare. It i 6 the old gold bricks swindle under a new name."

HOW GERMANY DOES THINGS.

A new book—" Monarohic.il Socialism in Germany, by lilmor lioberta, i;iu> juct up-

peared. The explanation of tho German Empire's industrial effioiency ia moat in - tereating, and is as follows:— " Tho explanation the German generally gives of tho sudden and imnienso industrial expansion beginning in the seventies is the compulsory elementary education of tho whole people. "The son ot u day labourer, who, within the view of tho national policy, should be more useful to himself and the Commonwealth than his father, is the subject of careful expert observation. His teachers, tho school physician, «uid the parents endeavour to determine tho handicraft to wh.ch tho boy is adapted. '' The strong boy of average build is classified as suited to bcoorno a brewer, a smith, a carpenter, a mason, or a worker in iron construction, or some other caiJlmg requiring at least average strength. 'I he undersized or weak boy is considered as being better adapted to beccmio a tailor, a bookbinder, a basket maker, a. wood carver, a locksmith, a jeweller, a glazier, or a confectioner.

"The boy wrth weak lungs is excluded from trades where there is a good deal of dust suoh as that of wood turner or the paper hanger. The boy with pulmonary weakness would also not be allowed to bccome a shoemaker or a tailor, because of tho bent attitudes in which ho would have to work. Should the boy have a weak heart, ho would be classified as unfit for the heavy work of the smith, the butcher, tho miller, or any of the building trades.

" Within tho viow of the school medical counsellor, the boy must be saved from entering upon a trade in which ho w:ll always bo at a disadvantage physically and his whole life be a struggle on unequal terms with those bettor qualified to deal with the peculiar conditions of that trade. " Painstaking effort is made to determine the boy's inclination. The skilled worker ought to find in hie calling one of the greatest satisfactions of life—a certain artistic pride, tho disposition to do his work not alone as he has been taught,, but ako to add to it something of his own individuolity, because ho loves the work and puts something of his spiritual self into it. "No boy is compelled or unduly forced into tho choice of a calling. He is handled temperamentally and sympathetically. The endeavour is made to 6tir the boy's ambition. Masters and parents confer. 'I. he germ of the whole system of manual traiping is considered by the Prussian min'etry of commerce and industry to be in tho awakening of tho boy's aspirations for a life above the ordinary. "The teacher tries to impress on tho youthful mind tho worth of labour, how labour will win all things, that in it may be ono of truest joys of life, that in :t may be found for most persons the services of Heaven, the country, the community, and one's self." JOTTINGS. During the first nine months of 1913, 529,642 days' work was lost in strikes in Australia. It is expected that the new Labour Daily ■will be issued in Sydney about the end of this year. At first it was contemplated to bring out an evening paper, but circumstances have altered, and a morning paper now is to appear. "It is safe to bet that in 10 years tho Chicago packers will control tho mutton and beef trade of South America and Australia," says the American Sheepbreeder, " which, it is needless to mention, is not a Socialist paper. What are the Australian working men going to do about it?"— Labour exchange. As showing the growth of the picture show business, one company has. built a wholo town in America, which it has named Universal City. It is inhabited entirely by tho company's employees, and contains restaurants and social and athletic clubs. The business will shortly •be started on a large scale in Australia, and shall give employment to a number of Australian authors and actors

From 1881-1905, the United States Bureau of Labour tabulated 36,757 strikes, affecting 181,497 establishments. In 1903 there were 3494 strikes, an average of 10 a day. Some of these strikes lasted for months, even for years. In 1894, the year of 'the Pullman strike, 610,425 men were out of work. These figures do not include the total number of men thrown out of work because of strikes. The number of strikes for recognition of union has multiplied fivefold in 25 years.

The annual conference of the New Zealand Freezing Works and Allied Trades Federation will open at Wellington Trades Hall on Wednesday, .at 9.30 a.m. The agenda paper is not an extensive one, and consists of throe remits from Canterbury and one each from Otago and outhland.

The selected Labour candidate, G. E. Yates, easily held the Adelaide seat at the by-election on 10th "January, due to the death of Mr E. A._ Roberts. The Liberal Party were not willing to face an adverse vote, and let the election go. An Independent candidate, Mr E. J. Craigle, was put up to test the vote. The result was:—G. E. Yates (Labour), 10,072; E. J. Craigie (Independent), 1857. Only about 36 ner cent, of the electors voted. As anticipated, this and the Kalgoorlie vacancy were filled by the return of Labour members, leaving the parties as they were st tho general election —Liberals 38, Labour 37. Labour won the Denison seat, Tasmania, and thus have created an equal number for both parties, in the House of Assembly. The final count gave the seat to Mr Sheridan (Labour) by 111 votes. Each party now has 15 members in th v e Assembly, and as the Liberals have the Speaker in the chair, a general election should result at an early date. Labour now expects to win the general election, claiming that its growth during the past decade is an indication of its prospects. Ten years ago Labour had but three seats; at the next general election, 6even were held; at the next,.l2; and at the last 14