UNDER-RATE PERMITS FOR SOLDIERS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16753, 22 July 1916, Page 12

UNDER-RATE PERMITS FOR SOLDIERS.

A clause in the new boot operatives' * award practically embodies the principal of thfc Order-in Council relating to the employment of discharged soldiers at wages below the award minimum, The epeiation o£ this clajise has recently been tested m Christcliurch, where (acaordmg to the Sun l three men sought to obtain from the inepocto. of factories permits to work at £2 a week (tho minimum is £2 15s) Tho union objected, and the permits' wero refused. The employer concerned stated'that ho did not desire to ha\e unskilled labour, but was willing, from patriotic motives, to g.ve the men a start. The case for the Bootmakers' Union was that one of the men refused to wait the seven days, the period within which tho union may lodge its objection to tho engagement of unskilled labour, and the other two men were discharged from Trentham camp, and did not, therefore, cdme -within the award definition of "discharged soldier " —they not having been on active service. The union did not object to the employment of soldiers, but would oppose any attempt to reduce the minimum wage. t A JUDGE ON NON-UNIONISTS. A disputo between two workers' associations m New South Wales recently culminated in an application by one for tho cancellation of the other. It was alleged that the actions of tho union had been productive of industrial disputes. In tho conrso of his judgment, the President of the Industrial Court (Mr Justice Heydon) referred to the positiqn of tho non-unionist in these very definite terms: — If I wero a non-unionist woi lung man and unionists in my trade got me a higher wage, 1 should think my6elf an extremely shabby person if I did not send them a contribution fully equal to my share. It is a fair thing that a man who gets better conditions through the efforts of h s fellows should boar his share of the expense. CO-PARTNERSHIP AND TRADES UNIONISM. More than once I havo said that the war ■will bring big changes in matters industrial Before tho changes como much public consideration will be necessary. Co-operation, co-partnership, and similar proposals will bo more or lees vigorously canvassed. _ I notice that Mr Heaton, M.A., lecturer in economics at Hobart (Tasmania) University, and chief of the Workers' Educational Association, is reported to ha\e given a clear exposition of .profitxmaking and co-partnership up-to date, principally with regard to British experiences. His conclusions are summarised thus: — 1. Co-partnership and trades unionism are antagonistic, mainly because nearly all the schemes tried have been employers' schemes, and have been frank attempts to dish the unions. 2. Skilled workers are always opposed to any profit-sharing scheme, reckoning their skill and their power of organisation their best weapons in the economic struggle. 3. Profit-sharing had only wotked well in big industries (such as Lever Bros, and tho Cooperative Gas Companies of Great Bri lain), "which employed little skilled labour and wero comparatively free from competition. 4. If a scheme were put forward for Australia it could only succeed if drawn up by a joint board of employers and employees: the shares must carry no disabilities, and tho mdusfrv would havo to be organised on a basis of trades, and not of firms. A COMMISSION OP CONDEMNATION. Some time ago the American National Association of Manufacturers appointed a commission which visited Australia and New Zealand. Its task was to inquire into and report upon social and Labour legislation. The report issued by the commission was a strong commendation of both the dominion and tho commonwealth as good countries gone wrong; where capital was harassed, and Labour was gasping and idle. Some months ago Sydney daily papers '"discovered " the report, and published voluminous extracts therefrom. This prompted Labour men to ask what was the report and who were tho members of this commission? The Commonwealth Government, through the Registrar of tho Arbitration Court (who knew nothing of the commission), made inquiries from Professor Felix Frankfurter, of tho Law School, Harvard University; a reply was received discrediting tho commission. "They were not an official committee, and their findings are entitled to no respect whatever as a scientific inquiry," ho wrote. " Tnev are ultra-parti-san and thoroughly discredited hero in every disinterested quarter. Tho report of these gentlemen does not surprise me, but it saddens me that they should extend their poisonous activity into a foreign land whero their activity and their point of view and their bias aro not thoroughly vi ell' knonn,"' JOTTINGS. The current Railway Officers' Advocatc is acknowledged with thanks. Queensland's new Police Union has obtained the concession of an eight-hour day. Home Secretary states that this -w ill to'i brought about by a rearrangement of v2uty without increasing the force.. In "1906 there wero 175,529 trades unionists in x\ustralia; by the end of 1915 tho number had grown to 528,031; but, after all, out of the total male employees in tho ■commonwealth, only 52.2 per cent, arc members of unions. The suggested new anti-strike law in "Victoria is opposed by Labour, and tho State Labour Party and Melbourne Trades llall Council have called on workeis' organisations to protest emphatically, since the legislation is regarded as an unwari anted interference -with the freedom of the individual. Further, the interpi etation of " strike " in the proposed Bill would render illegal any demand for increased wages or improved conditions. Labour asks instead for speedier and more efficient tnbunals for the settlement of disputes. Qgc of Mie motions set clown for discus Bion at the Liberal Association Conference now raging in Sydney: " That the caucus pledge, now signed by members of tho Labour Party, bo declared illegal." An other: " That any person who commits himself to vote in accordance with tho dic- ' fates of his partv shall bo disqualified from membership of Parliament." But why be so mild? Whv not hang every person who votes the Labour ticket' It would save such a lot of bother.—Labour exchange.